So, you have pelvic pain…
A quick Google search on pelvic pain will yield such medical terms as vulvodynia, endometriosis, interstitial cystitis and other terms such as damage, infertility, and chronic pain.
Self-diagnosing is not something any of us should do and talking about pelvic pain doesn't have to be scary.
Studies show that a multidisciplinary approach is most effective in managing your pelvic pain symptoms. This means that you need to talk to your doctor about your symptoms and the multifaceted ways that they impact your life.
Ask yourself if you have any of the following:
- Pain with wearing certain clothing
- Pain with prolonged sitting
- Pain with intercourse
- Pelvic heaviness, pulling and/or fatigue
- Changes in your urination (hesitancy, pain, burning, leaking)
- Changes in your bowel movements (constipation, incomplete emptying, anal fissures, straining, worsening hemorrhoids, leaking).
If you relate to any of the above, therapy can be a great place to start for answers.
Pelvic floor physical therapy is a great first step because it provides a conservative approach that often yields excellent results in addressing pelvic pain. Physical therapists focus on you as a whole person and they are committed to improving your quality of life, because “just surviving” should not be the goal.
With you as the lead, we utilize a combination of approaches that are tailored to your specific needs. Through a combination of manual therapy, gentle exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy, pain neurophysiology education and behavioral modification strategy education, we offer a wide range of strategies to help you better self-manage your pain. The things you will learn will help you through your lifespan.
Finally, because pelvic floor PT focuses on the musculoskeletal system, we can put your symptoms in the context of your entire body, often drawing connections in your body that you may have not considered. We will help you to change the conditions that created the problem in the first place, including muscular recruitment, movement, posture and behaviors.
Don’t leave your pelvic pain in the hands of a Google search. That will only take you down a rabbit hole. Instead, find out more about Pelvic Pain Physial Therapy and locate the closest ATI clinic providing these services.