How to Get Rid of Pelvic Pain

Understanding Pelvic Pain

Pain. Have you ever thought, "Can I ever get rid of this pain?" As a therapist, pain reduction is one of our main goals. Pain can come from various sources, related to the muscles, the nerves, or both. The nerves are what transmit pain signals, depending on what's happening at the site of the pain.

As far as physical therapy goes, I do not follow the "no pain, no gain" rule. Pain means something is wrong, and it's a signal to stop doing what's causing it. The sooner you treat pain, rather than ignore it or work through it, the quicker it's likely to respond, with an overall better prognosis.

What Is Pelvic Pain?

I've worked with hundreds of patients with all kinds of joint pain, but for today's topic I'll focus on pelvic pain. Pelvic pain refers to pain experienced in the pelvic floor, which could originate from the hips, the sacroiliac (SI) joint in the low back, or the muscles of the pelvic floor itself. Patients often describe it as, "It's like sciatica, but in my butt and crotch."

Why the Pelvic Floor Tightens

The pelvic floor muscles form a bowl of muscles at the bottom of the pelvis, supporting bladder, bowel, and sexual function. In the vast majority of cases, I find that the cause of pelvic pain is a tight pelvic floor. Just like people develop "knots" in their shoulders from stress, people develop knots in their pelvic floor muscles. Left untreated, those knots can grow larger and become a source of pain and pelvic floor dysfunction.

Finding Relief

Is there a solution? There is, and it's pelvic physical therapy. Regular, simple stretches for the hips and low back are a good place to start. If stretching alone doesn't relieve the pain, it may be time to see a pelvic therapist for a thorough evaluation and a treatment plan based on the findings. In my experience, pelvic floor therapy is very effective in treating pelvic pain, with good relief for most patients.