May is Pelvic Pain Awareness Month

May is Pelvic Pain Awareness Month. What is pelvic pain you ask? Pelvic pain is pain in the pelvis, anterior abdominal wall, low back, buttocks or pelvic floor of at least 6 months duration that is serious enough to cause disability or lead to medical care. Both men and women can suffer from pelvic pain. This is a very large area and encompasses many body systems including reproductive, bowel, urinary, gynecological, and musculoskeletal. The pain can be due to disease or injury from these areas or referred from related areas like the back or hips. Some examples of conditions that refer pain to this area are: coccydynia, diastasis recti, Endometriosis, erectile dysfunction, fibroids, hernias, interstitial cystitis, pelvic floor dysfunction, pelvic inflammatory disease, prostate disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome, post surgical complications, urinary or fecal incontinence, urinary tract infections. Pelvic pain can also have causes that aren't due to underlying disease. Examples include constipation, pregnancy, post-partum, full bladder, sexual pain, menstruation, or trauma. The possibility of multisystem disorders makes it challenging to determine a mechanism or pain and when this happens there is a risk that patients may be passed back and forth between different teams of the same specialty, or between different specialties, and may not receive consistent or effective care. To complicate matters, individuals who suffer from chronic pelvic pain frequently present with other complicating factors such as depression, anxiety, poor sleep, difficulty with work, and/or relationship issues. Finding a medical team who specializes in pelvic health facilitates getting to the root cause of the pain.

Physical therapists are especially suited to help with pelvic pain since they are musculoskeletal experts. Here at Orthopedic Rehab we believe in treating you as a complete person. We understand that these symptoms are completely unfamiliar and can be difficult to talk about. We have expert pelvic physical therapists that have additional advanced training in areas related to the pelvis and are specialized in the complexity of how the systems operate together. We are committed to providing the BEST care to those dealing with pelvic pain, postpartum or postsurgical conditions . Every person is different, so we do not follow a protocol. After a thorough evaluation we will develop a personalized plan of care and individualize treatment to each individual to relieve your symptoms and promote and enhance health throughout the lifespan. Please call us for your pelvic health concerns. 305-595-9425