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Heather Jeffcoat, DPT
What Experts Want You to Know About Pelvic Pain
With women’s health concerns often brushed under the carpet by society, there is no better time to get health authorities’ attention and start an honest conversation. A recent survey found that more than four in five women were not listened to by healthcare professionals.
Many women reported that their symptoms were not taken seriously, that they had to persistently advocate for themselves to secure a diagnosis, and if they did secure a diagnosis, there were limited opportunities to discuss or ask questions about treatment options.
According to an article published in Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology, women with chronic pelvic pain use three times more medication, have four times more surgery and are five times more likely to undergo hysterectomy than women without the condition.
So in short, mainstream medicine not only has trouble diagnosing pelvic pain issues, but when they do reach a diagnosis their blanket approach is often either pills or the knife - or both. At Femina Physical Therapy, we believe there are often better solutions that don’t involve drugs or surgery, with treatments tailored to each individual depending on not only the diganosis but other factors such as diet, lifestyle, history of injuries, and the woman’s particular symptoms:
Symptoms of pelvic pain
Los Angeles-based Dr Heather Jeffcoat, President of the Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy and Advisory Board at International Pelvic Pain Society, lists nine symptoms of pelvic pain:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Severe or chronic constipation
- Bladder pain (also presents as urinary frequency and formerly known as interstitial cystitis)
- Rectal pain
- Heavy periods with clots larger than the size of a Singaporean 20 cent piece
- Extreme bloating
- Missing school or work because of pain
- Painful tampon insertion or penetrative intercourse
- Painful orgasm
With a myriad of potential causes and symptoms, it’s no wonder that practitioners who are not specifically trained in pelvic health can sometimes dismiss and/or misdiagnose certain symptoms? From the article:
A misdiagnosis often leads to a delay in care. Endometriosis has an average of 11 years from first symptom until formal diagnosis. A lengthy delay like this can lead to long-term changes in the central nervous system—a process known as central sensitisation.
The difference between acute and chronic pain is that when we have a temporary instance of acute pain, our body can disassociate itself from the threat, and therefore our brain does not really have to process much beyond the moment of pain followed by the resolution.
When we have chronic pain however, our body can’t continue to ignore the ongoing threat (e.g. endometriosis or other chronic pelvic pain) and our brains are continually processing this pain input. This phenomenon can turn lingering pain into becoming unbearable which can be exacerbated by such things as riding a bike, wearing tight jeans, etc. Additionally, the pain can spread to a larger area. So the longer the pain goes on, the more important it becomes to discover the underlying causes of the pain and seek proper solutions.
Click here for the full article on what experts want you to know about pelvic pain, or click here to schedule an appointment with one of our therapists.
