Pelvic Pain: Are Your Pelvic Floor Muscles the Culprit?

Have you experienced mysterious hip, low back, or pelvic pain that won’t seem to go away? You’ve tried every stretch known to man. You feel like you’ve tried everything possible, but it just doesn’t seem to go away. Maybe your pelvic floor muscles are the culprit. You could be dealing with Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP).
CPP is a condition localized to the abdominal wall at/or below the belly button. Pain can radiate to the back, pelvis, top of the thigh, groin, or the genital region. Because the pain can radiate to other areas of the body, it can make it more difficult to diagnose without exhausting other treatment options.

Your body may give you clues.

Does your pain get worse around your period? Do you experience urinary urgency or frequency? Hesitancy with urination? Pain with intercourse? Pain with having a bowel movement? Constipation? Have you experienced recent abdominal or pelvic surgery? Did you recently have a baby? All of these signs could indicate possible pelvic floor muscle involvement leading to chronic pelvic pain.
CPP itself can be difficult to manage because underlying causes can come from multiple systems: for example, the reproductive system could be influencing cyclic changes that correlate with your period; or non-cyclical pain could be due to neurological/psychological systems like stress or trauma. Because of the complex nature of CPP, it takes a team to treat and PT is a crucial part of that team since the musculoskeletal system holds it all together!

How can physical therapy help you?

PT focuses on addressing the underlying musculoskeletal causes of pain coming from the spine, pelvis, hips, and/or the pelvic floor muscles. Therapy sessions include hands-on techniques to restore muscle imbalance and rehabilitative exercise to help alleviate pain.
If you’ve been dealing with chronic pain that just doesn’t seem to be getting better, please call us! As a Women’s Health therapist I’ve done extensive amounts of specialized training specifically so that I can help you learn about conditions like this, work with you on treatment options and take control of your pain.