Login
Register

Home

About Us

Diagnoses

Treatments

Classes

Resources

Media

Testimonials

Blog

Account

Blog
Register
painful periods treatment options

Pelvic Floor Therapy May Be One of Your Best Painful Periods Treatment Options

Painful periods are common, but why suffer?

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, more than half of those who have periods suffer from “dysmenorrhea” (pain associated with their cycles) 1-2 days each month.

What causes the pain?

There are two main causes of the pain associated with menstruation:

  • Primary dysmenorrhea is pain caused by the related to menstruation and starts shortly before or after bleeding begins
  • Secondary dysmenorrhea is period pain that is tied to another condition, usually endometriosis or fibroids

Although period pain is a commonly shared experience, your pain shouldn’t be keeping you from doing things like resting comfortably, going to school, going to work, or being active.

Medical Treatment

When seeing a gynecologist or general practitioner for dysmenorrhea, a medical history review and a pelvic exam may be completed. Other exploratory procedures may be done to rule out any medical conditions that should be treated. and possibly an ultrasound or laparoscopy will be completed. Treatment may include medications like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen, other doctors may suggest birth control, or other procedures.

What Helps Painful Periods?

A 2014 review of literature aimed to see if physiotherapy (that’s the international equivalent to Physical therapy) could help with painful periods. An earlier 2007 study also aimed to look at helpful treatments for painful periods.

The reviews found that a variety of interventions were indeed helpful. Here is a short summary:

  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen, help with period pain, however these drugs may cause GI symptoms and ulcers. Please consult your doctor for correct dosage for your symptoms.
  • Topical heat helps ease pain with periods. Try hot water bottles or heating pads for home use. There are also over the counter heating pads that stick to the inside of your underwear for use outside of the house.
  • Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) units can help reduce pain with periods, according to the study. A physical therapist can help you figure out the correct placement of the electrodes.
  • Acupuncture and acupressure can help reduce pain with periods. Discuss with your doctor if acupuncture is right for you.
  • Abdominal, myofascial, and connective tissue massage has been shown to reduce pelvic pain, including pain with menstruation. A trained therapist can give you treatment in the clinic as well as show you techniques you can do at home.
  • Therapeutic exercise including pilates and belly dance were shown to have clinical benefit for pain with periods.

Can Pelvic Floor Therapy Help?

A trained pelvic health therapist can help reduce discomfort with periods by teaching you pain management strategies that work for you.

What types of treatments you can expect with pelvic floor therapy:

  • Therapeutic Exercises
    • We will teach you exercises that increase range of motion, mobility, and lubrication in the low back and pelvic region, reducing stiffness and pain.
  • Neuromuscular Re-Education
    • We will conduct a thorough intake examination to help determine if you have pelvic floor dysfunction that is contributing to your pelvic pain and painful periods.
    • If dysfunction is present, we will help re-coordinate your brain and body to help the pelvic floor muscles rest in a more relaxed state, reducing pelvic cramps and muscle spasms in the area.
  • Abdominal massage
    • We will teach you techniques to help you relax the tissue restrictions in the abdominal and pelvic cavities that could be contributing to cramps and bloating.
  • Myofascial Release
    • Using manual therapy to address abdominal and pelvic girdle muscles that can be tight or in spasm, causing pain.

Give the therapists at Femina Physical Therapy a call or schedule an appointment today!

 

Resources

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, ACOG. Dysmenorrhea: Painful Periods.
https://www.acog.org/-/media/For-Patients/faq046.pdf?dmc=1&ts=20150618T1901432825

Gerzson, Laís Rodrigues, Padilha, Juliana Falcão, Braz, Melissa Medeiros, & Gasparetto, Andriele. (2014). Physiotherapy in primary dysmenorrhea: literature review. Revista Dor, 15(4), 290-295. https://dx.doi.org/10.5935/1806-0013.20140063

Proctor, M. L., & Farquhar, C. M. (2007). Dysmenorrhoea. BMJ Clinical Evidence, 2007, 0813. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2943779/#BMJ_0813_I10

What Our Patients Have to Say

Prev
Next

Testimonial by R.S.

I wanted to thank you so much for helping me get through something I thought I may never be able to. We have achieved pain-free intercourse and this has really solidified our marriage. We are so grateful to you for all the work you do! Thank you!!

-- R.S.

Testimonial by M.N., age 28

A personal journey and testimonial from one of my patients:

I was diagnosed with vaginismus 4 years ago. I never heard of such medical condition until after I got married. At first my husband and I didn't know what to do, we didn't know what the issues were or how to overcome it. Being born and raised in Armenia and being Christian I wasn't that open about talking to sex with others and so it wasn't easy to seek help. But eventually I went to an Ob-Gyn and luckily she knew about the medical condition (not many doctors know). She referred me to a physical therapist and I couldn't believe it and thought it's something I can handle myself. I ordered a kit from vaginismus.com and started practicing with dilators. There was some small progress but wasn't much helpful.

Read more: Testimonial by M.N., age 28

Testimonial by R.M., Age 40

I can’t speak highly enough of the theapists at Femina Physical Therapy and how much they have helped me grow, discover, and love my body. I had had painful sex for my entire life, and didn’t know that there was anything that could be done about it. It was at the point where my husband and I were not having sex for MONTHs, because it was just too frustrating, and I hated feeling like I was the ONLY woman out there who had this problem, especially at my age. I finally brought it up to my doctor because I was turning 40 and my husband and I were barely having enough sex to conceive. And she brought up pelvic floor, PT. I didn’t even know this was a “thing”.

Read more: Testimonial by R.M., Age 40

Testimonial by Ann V.

I wish i could give this place 10 stars!! 
I have been suffering from vaginismus for 5 years and never found the cure to it. I had seen an ob/gyn and he diagnosed me with vaginismus and told me i needed a surgery to cure my condition, which i refused to do. He also referred me to a PT that he works with, i had given them multiple calls and they never responded back to me, so i started searching yelp for another PT. I am SO HAPPY I found Heather's office! I was working with Laureen, and with her guidance and techniques i was able to be cured from vaginismus in only 2 1/2 short months!!! I couldn't believe how quickly their program worked for me! I am forever grateful and thankful from Heather, and Laureen! They are the absolute best at what they do!

Read more: Testimonial by Ann V.

Testimonial by Y.L. (mom of 2)

After having my second baby via C-section I searched for months to try to find help for my lower back pain and separated abdominal muscles. I finally came across Heather Jeffcoat via a mommy blog. I reached out to her via email and set my first appointment. My first appointment went amazing … she listened to what my symptoms, check my separation and explained to me in detail what the next steps would be. Not only did my abdominal separation go from 3 to about 1 -1/2 but my back has pain has significantly reduced. I’m personally recommending all my mommy friends to Heather!

Y.L. (mom of 2)

Testimonial by J.B.

My husband and I were having problems with painful intercourse. My therapist recommended that I go and get a pelvic floor evaluation from a physical therapist. Having never been treated by a physical therapist, I wondered how this really was going to help me. My husband who is a physician was very supportive and agreed that a PT evaluation would be a great idea. So i made the appointment and was blown away by what I learned. I had no idea that pelvic floor muscles could get tight and have trigger points just like any other muscle in the body. I'm a massage therapist and very familiar with tight muscles, and this new thought really amazed me. Heather's program to help relax and strengthen these muscles made such a difference. I can say that I am 100% pain free during intercourse now. Yippee! Going to the PT appointments and doing the at-home exercises was definitely a discipline, but it's 100% worth it! The rewards are amazing.

-- J.B.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Get access to our free downloads and a 15% discount on Heather's book "Sex Without Pain"!
captcha 
I agree with the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy policy