Pilonidal Sinus

‘Pilonidal’ means nest of hairs. A Pilonidal Sinus is a small cyst or abscess that occurs in the cleft at the top of the buttocks – tube like random shaped structure which contains a tuft of hairs.

A PNS usually contains hair, dirt, and debris. It can cause severe pain and can often become infected. If it becomes infected, it may ooze pus and blood and have a foul odour. This cyst/abscess with infected tissues, pus, and blood is found under the skin covering the last part of backbone – tail bone between the buttocks. It is also called as ‘Jeep-Bottom’ or ‘Barber’s Disease’ because this is very common in Jeep drivers.

Prevention of Pilonidal Sinus

Prevent recurrence of PNS by washing the area on a daily basis with a mild soap; making sure all soap is removed; keeping the area completely dry; and avoiding sitting for long periods.

Causes of Pilonidal Sinus

The exact cause of this condition is not known, but its cause is believed to be a combination of changing hormones (because it occurs after puberty), hair growth, and friction from clothes or from spending a long time sitting.

Activities that cause friction, like improper sitting, can force the hair growing in the area to burrow back under the skin. The body considers this hair foreign and launches an immune response against it, similar to how it would react when dealing with a splinter. This immune response forms the cyst around your hair.

Lack of cleanliness in sacral region
Over sweating
Improper sitting style
Twisting of hairs below skin causing infection to hair root

Signs and Symptoms

There may not be any noticeable symptoms at first, except for a small, saucer-like depression on the surface of the skin. But, if the depression gets infected, it will quickly develop into a cyst (a closed sac filled with fluid) or an abscess (a swollen and inflamed tissue where pus collects).

The signs of an infection include:

Pain when sitting or standing
History of recurrent swelling & abscess on lower back
Swelling of the cyst
Reddened, sore skin around the area
Pus or blood draining from the abscess, causing a foul odor
Hair protruding from the lesion
Formation of more than one sinus tract, or holes in the skin
External sinus opening seen at the base of spine between the buttocks

You may also experience a mild fever, though this is not common.

Risk Factors

A PNS is a condition that mostly affects men and is also common in young adults, and a high incidence of PNS is reported in India. It is rare in children and in people over the age of 40. It is four times more common in men (as they are hairier than women). It’s also more common in people who sit a lot, like cab drivers.

Certain factors increase the risk of developing the condition and include:

A job involving a lot of sitting (a sedentary occupation)
Being overweight (obesity)
A previous persistent irritation or injury to the affected area
Having a hairy, deep natal cleft
A family history of the condition

Ayurveda Treatment

Pilonidal Sinus treatment is a challenge for modern medical science. Antibiotics & advance surgeries will not assist the removal of Pilonidal Sinus or the infection owing to the same. Drug of any kind can control the Pilonidal Sinus infection but cannot treat Pilonidal Sinus completely. So do not waste your time & money in the hope of some miracle.

In Apollo AyurVaid we treat Pilonidal Sinus by Ksharsutra treatment. This treatment is the best alternative for modern surgery techniques. Ksharsutra treatment is now replacing all complex surgeries for Pilonidal Sinus with great success rate.

We have developed different probes & techniques for Pilonidal Sinus. Using appropriate technique, Ksharsutra is inserted correctly in the Pilonidal Sinus. This herbal thread is changed after every 7 days. Duration of treatment is generally four to eight weeks, and it depends on the length & stage of pilonidal cyst. No recurrence, no daily dressing required, no hospitalization required for early stages, no bed rest and patient can resume his / her routine work within few hours.

Our Approach

The AyurVAID protocol is based on the simple premise that the Physician must diagnose and treat only based on sufficient evidence. This evidence should be ‘patient or rogi based’ in addition to being ‘disease or roga based’ in accordance with the fundamental principles of Ayurveda.

How is this made possible?

A thorough and complete recording of the patient’s medical history, capturing every minute aspect of his/her lifestyle.
A thorough head-to-toe clinical examination, uncovering health risk factors that the patient is unaware of, directly connected or unrelated with his presenting medical complaint(s).
This process of detailed history recording and clinical examination- which includes the classical Srotha-Vikrti pariksha – leads to an accurate understanding of the Dosha status of the individual and lays the foundation for an accurate differential diagnosis and medical management.
Further, the patient is entitled to be clearly informed about the diagnosis arrived at, as also understand the medical management proposed for him. The Physician shall proceed only with the patient’s informed concurrence.

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