Endometriosis. What a nightmare, right? For women who live with this chronic disease, their lives can start to feel like a never-ending war against pain, exhaustion, weird bowel issues and a whole laundry list of other symptoms.
But, there is one lesser known treatment route that many women unfortunately never explore: pelvic floor physical therapy. And that’s what we are here to discuss in this article today: Endometriosis and pelvic floor physical therapy.
What Is Endometriosis, Anyway?
For the uninitiated (welcome, and my sincere apologies that you’re here at all), endometriosis is when the cells that normally line the inside of your uterus grow in places that are outside of it. That’s right, hidden pockets of endometrial cells decide to show up outside of your uterus. They can attach themselves to things in your abdomen and pelvis like your ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder,your intestines, and even your respiratory diaphragm
As you can imagine, this leads to various stages of chaos, often causing severe pain, digestive issues,painful or heavy periods,and more. ometimes it even leads to infertility. Since the endometrial cells do what they would do inside the uterus, they break down, bleed, and can cause a ton of irritation. Eventually this can lead to scars and adhesions forming around other organs in your pelvic and abdominal and pelvic cavities, affecting how how these organs function, which can then lead to more discomfort.
So, where does Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy come in?
Pelvic floor physical therapy is all about, well, your pelvis, your pelvic organs, and your pelvic floor – the muscles that hold up all your pelvic organs like your bladder, bowels and uterus. Think of it as a muscly hammock. This hammock holds all the important organs down there in place, and when you have endometriosis, it can get very involved in the chaos. Endometriosis can cause pelvic floor pain and inflammation, which can lead to lots of issues like a tight pelvic floor, or even a weak or completely dysfunctional pelvic floor.
Pelvic floor physical therapists undergo training to address the related issues that affect how your pelvic organs function. They can help improve bladder urgency,frequency and pain, constipation and even bloating. Additionally, some pelvic floor PTs undergo specialty training to address the restrictions around the organs with techniques like visceral manipulation improving the ability of your organs to function in a more healthy way.
When it comes to endometriosis treatment options, a pelvic floor physical therapist has extensive training to help with these problems. Like other physical therapists, a pelvic floor physical therapist assesses and treats issues that involve muscles, tendons, nerves and more, but for these specialists the impairments are pelvic in nature. If you have endometriosis, finding a good one can help you with pain and get you back to living your life.
What Happens in a Pelvic Floor PT Session for Endometriosis?
First things first: since there is a sense of mystery about what actually happens in a pelvic floor PT session, let’s break it down.
- Assessment: Your PT will begin with aassessment, which will include questions about your symptoms, your medical history and how endometriosis has affected your life. Once your pelvic floor PT has a good understanding of your history, your symptoms and your goals, she will then do a thorough examination of your musculoskeletal system, including your spine, your hips, your sacroiliac joint and your pelvic floor.
- External and Internal Examination: Don’t panic – it isn’t like going to the gynecologist. Yes, an internal exam is helpful to give the therapist a chance to see the state of your pelvic floor and a lot of information can be gained from an external pelvic floor exam. t helps them know if your pelvic floor muscles are tight, weak or in spasm, for example. Your pelvic PT will meet you where you are at. If an internal exam is not quite where you are, then she will work with you towards the goal of being able to tolerate internal vaginal work without discomfort at your own pace.
- Manual Therapy:
Your pelvic floor PT will manually use their hands to help your muscles, fascia and tissues soften, relax, lengthen, and improve circulation using a myriad of different tools. This may include massage, myofasical release, scar release, stretching, and visceral manipulation.
- Exercise: You’ll also likely learn exercises to help you strengthen or relax the pelvic floor muscles. This can help you improve control of your pelvic floor because biofeedback provides real-time information about muscle activity.
- Education: During your pelvic PT sessions, your pelvic PT will be educating you. You will learn things like how your nervous system will affect your body and your pain. You will leave with a better understanding of your pelvic anatomy and why you may be feeling some of the ways you are. Most importantly, you will be taught tips and tools to help yourself feel better
Can Pelvic Floor PT cure Endometriosis?
Unfortunately, there is no cure for endometriosis, but pelvic floor PT can significantly improve your quality of life. By optimizing your pelvic floor muscle tone, helping to break up adhesions and scar tissue, and learning exercises that can help prevent these things from worsening, most patients see significant improvement.
Some of the main benefits of pelvic floor PT for endometriosis are:
- Endometriosis pain relief
- Better bladder and bowel function
- Less pain with sexual activity or physical activity
The Takeaway
Though it’s not a ‘cure’ for endometriosis, pelvic floor PT offers a safe and effective way to improve some of the most debilitating symptoms you may be suffering from. A trained specialist can help ease some of your pain, and set you on the path to better quality of life.
So, if you’re struggling with the steady hum of symptoms of endometriosis and haven’t yet experienced the benefits of pelvic floor physical therapy, it’s worth a try. It’s a great option and can potentially make your battle against endometriosis just a little bit easier.