Chronic Pelvic Pain and How it is Treated
Chronic pelvic pain, if you have ever had it, you know how much it can affect your quality of life. I wrote this page to help you identify its potential causes and the symptoms that go along with it. As always, you can give me a call at (949) 226-9681 or fill out the "short form questionnaire" if you want me to help diagnose your chronic pain.
What causes chronic pelvic pain?
Pelvic pain is felt in the lower abdomen, pelvis, or perineum and is considered to be "chronic" when it lasts for more than (6) six months. Pelvic pain can be caused by (definition from American Physical Therapy Association):
Do you suffer from Chronic Pelvic Pain?
Don't just keep living with that chronic pelvic pain. Mary Cox has successfully treated thousands with chronic pain. Why not schedule a free phone consultation and let her help you find hope again.
What does it feel like? How to know if you have chronic pelvic pain.
The pain in your lower abdomen and pelvis may vary; some people say that it feels like an aching pain; others say that it feels like a burning, sharp, or stabbing pain, or even pins and needles. In addition, you may have:
NOTE: For women with pelvic organ prolapse, there also might be a sensation of pelvic heaviness or a feeling like you're sitting on a ball, due to the pelvic organs bulging at the opening of the vagina.
Common Questions about Chronic Pelvic Pain
How is chronic pelvic pain diagnosed?
Your physical therapist will perform an examination to identify causes of your pelvic pain, joint problems, muscle tightness and weakness, or pinched nerves. Your therapist also will determine whether you should be referred to a physician for additional tests (source: American Physical Therapy Association).
How can a physical therapist help relieve chronic pelvic pain?
Based on the examination results, your therapist will select from treatments designed to reduce muscle tightness, improve your muscle strength, and improve how you use your muscles—which in turns helps reduce your pain and increase your ability to perform your roles in the home, in the community, and at work (source: American Physical Therapy Association).
To learn more, here is some further reading:
The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) believes that consumers should have access to information that could help them make health care decisions and also prepare them for their visit with their health care provider.
The following articles provide some of the best scientific evidence related to physical therapy treatment of pelvic pain. The articles report recent research and give an overview of the standards of practice for treatment of TMD both in the United States and internationally. The article titles are linked either to a PubMed abstract of the article or to free full text, so that you can read it or print out a copy to bring with you to your health care provider.
Fisher KA. Management of dyspareunia and associated levator ani muscle overactivity. Phys Ther. 2007;87:935-941. Free Article
Stuge B, Holm I, Vollestad N. To treat or not to treat postpartum pelvic girdle pain with stabilizing exercises? Man Ther. 2006;11:337-343. Article Summary on PubMed