Pelvic pain is defined as pain presenting in the lower abdomen and pelvis. You may experience symptoms in the abdomen or abdominal muscles, pelvis, genitals, rectum, hips, sacroiliac joint or back. Although pain occurs in these areas, that doesn’t always mean that is where it is coming from. The nerves of the lumbar spine and pelvis are interconnected and communicate with each other. Usually, they do this in a beneficial way that allows you to move or perform normal bodily functions. However, when you experience pain, these nerves crosstalk and signals can get jumbled, causing pain in areas other than where the initial problem is occurring. When this happens, patients often feel their symptoms worsening and report that both their function and quality of life are even more limited than when symptoms first occurred. This is why it is so important to see a qualified provider for a physical assessment soon after the initial onset of symptoms, rather than waiting months or years to see if they will go away.
Common descriptors of pelvic pain include dull, sharp, deep, superficial, constant, intermittent aching or throbbing in the abdomen, back, or pelvic area. Pain can feel better or worse with movement, orgasm, intercourse, voiding or having a bowel movement. The intervention required to treat your symptoms is as specific as the symptoms themselves. That is why having a pelvic health physical therapist who is specially trained in this unique field, like Dr. Pabin, is essential to optimal care.
The cause of these symptoms can range from wear and tear from poor posture or movement patterns, surgical intervention, trauma, infection, pregnancy/delivery, autoimmune dysfunction or even stress. Understanding the driving factor of your pain is the key component to symptom resolution and overall management.
Some of the diagnoses we treat include:
- Pelvic muscle dysfunction
- Pelvic pain
- Pelvic congestion
- Vulvodynia/vestibulodynia
- Testicular pain
- Perineal pain/ painful episiotomy tears/ painful c-section/abdominal scars
- Pudendal neuralgia
- Coccyx pain
- Endometriosis
- Bladder pain
- Rectal pain
- Pain with intercourse or orgasm