Endometriosis pain can be debilitating and life altering. Women with endometriosis often suffer from extremely painful periods that can affect patients’ quality of life significantly. Majority of endometriosis patients also experience chronic pelvic pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, and severe bloating, commonly referred to as “endo belly”. Endometriosis treatment options can vary depending on the patient’s specific condition and severity. From surgical treatment to more conservative medical treatment options such as pelvic floor therapy. Patients can greatly benefit from conservative and complementary effects of pelvic health physical therapy to reduce pain both before and after endometriosis surgery. A physical therapist specialized in pelvic health can offer a thorough pelvic exam, use manual techniques, and design an appropriate exercise programme tailored to your needs. If you’re suffering from endometriosis and looking for non-invasive physical methods for pain relief and management, consult Rebalance pelvic health physical therapists today or visit one of our clinics in Philadelphia and the Main Line area for a physical exam.
What is Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a long-lasting, chronic disease that affects approximately 10% of reproductive age women globally. This condition causes the endometrial tissue, type of tissue that lines your uterus, to also grow outside your uterus. The clumps of tissue or the endometriosis lesions may grow on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, the outer walls of the uterus and/or the intestines.
With each menstrual cycle, the implants go through the same growing, breaking down, and bleeding that the uterine lining (endometrium) goes through. This is why endometriosis pain may start as mild discomfort a few days before the menstrual period and then usually is gone by the time the period ends. But if an implant grows in a sensitive area, it can cause constant pain or pain during certain activities, such as sex, exercise or bowel movements.
Source: WebMD
Common Symptoms of Endometriosis
Endometriosis associated symptoms include:
- pelvic pain
- severe menstrual cramps
- pain during sex
- rectal pain
- pain during bowel movements
- infertility
- bleeding after sex
Musculoskeletal Pain from Endometriosis
Endometriosis is the growth of the uterine lining tissue outside of the uterine cavity. It can create scarring around the reproductive organs and cause a bloating sensation in and around the abdominal cavity as well as musculoskeletal symptoms. For those looking for alternative and holistic treatments, physical therapy for endometriosis can help you manage musculoskeletal symptoms.
The typical musculoskeletal symptoms we see from patients are:
- Low back pain
- Hip pain
- Abdominal pain
- Painful urination
- Urinary frequency or urgency
- Dysuria
- Painful intercourse
Why does Endometriosis Affect the Muscles?
Endometriosis can create an inflammatory condition. When the uterine tissue grows in your pelvic cavity, it can cause pulling type sensation into the low back as well as inflammation and irritation in and around the pelvic cavity. This affects the musculature that connects to the pelvis, specifically the muscles that connect to the low back, sacrum, ilium and the hip.
It can also affect the pelvic floor muscles, a group of muscles that attach to the hip, pelvic floor, pubic bone and tail bone.
Any inflammatory response or process can affect the musculature. This happens because the nerves that go to the organs form cross talk with the muscles in that area. As a result, this heightening of inflammation and irritation around the organs can set up a state where the muscles become tight and guarded.
When the pelvic floor musculature becomes tight, it makes it difficult for anything to enter or exit the body. This is why you might be having discomfort with urination, pain with sex, or constipation.
Managing the Pain: Physical Therapy as a Conservative Treatment
At Rebalance, we specialize in orthopedics as well as pelvic floor physical therapy. From an orthopedic perspective, we address the external musculoskeletal issues. From a pelvic floor perspective, we work on the muscles internally to get them to calm down and decrease pain.
We also work on the fascia and the joints and give you the correct strengthening and stretching exercises.
Ultimately, we try to balance out any of the tightness and weakness you might be experiencing in this musculature. That can significantly reduce the musculoskeletal symptoms you are experiencing as a result of endometriosis.
Pelvic floor physical therapy specialists can also help with Endo Belly, which is the bloating you might be feeling due to endometriosis. When you balance the musculature out and work on the fascia of the abdominals as well as the fascia in and around the organs (visceral PT), it actually improves the blood circulation and the lymphatic flow which can help reduce endo belly and the bloating you might be feeling. Get in touch with a Rebalance pelvic floor physical therapist to help you alleviate pain and learn how to calm down the nervous system to deal with endometriosis symptoms.
