Pelvic Pain

Our pelvic floor muscles are often overlooked or forgotten about entirely, but they play a main role in supporting your pelvic floor organs, are an important part of the 'core', help to achieve an orgasm and allow for penetration as well as keep your bladder in check. If they become damaged or weakened, your body will soon tell you that something is wrong – you will start to experience a range of uncomfortable and sometimes debilitating symptoms that will soon begin to interfere with your comfort and mobility.

PelviCare’s team of London-based women’s physiotherapists work to alleviate pelvic pain using a wide variety of tried-and-tested therapies that will rehabilitate and restrengthen the pelvic floor muscles. The staff at our specialist clinic in Greenwich will identify the root cause of your pain, then develop a treatment plan that will release the hypertension, help you achieve a normal resting tone, and strengthen your pelvic floor to reduce your discomfort and prevent future injury.

What causes pelvic pain?

The pelvic muscles generally begin to ache after they have been overused or overworked. Additionally, certain activities will place too much of a load on your pelvic floor, triggering specific pain points in the muscles that will lead to sharp, stinging pains and enhanced sensitivity. Tight pelvic muscles will also begin to weaken over time, exacerbating the problem further and leading to a range of issues, including incontinence, frequent urination, painful urination, and pain in your lower back and pelvic region.

Childbirth is a major cause of pelvic pain, as pressure from the baby’s head can place extreme pressure on the pelvic muscles – but certain medical conditions can also contribute to a tight, painful pelvic floor, including:

Endometriosis

Pelvic pain is one of the key symptoms of endometriosis, a long-term condition which causes tissue similar to the lining of the womb to grow in your ovaries and fallopian tubes. These unusual growths bring about pain in the pelvis, the stomach area, and the tops of the legs.

Interstitial Cystitis (IC) - Bladder Pain Syndrome

Otherwise known as painful bladder syndrome, interstitial cystitis creates the feeling of excess pressure on the bladder and is often associated with either chronic or intermittent pain in the pelvis.

Painful intercourse (dyspareunia)

Pain during or after sex can be caused by all sorts of things, from distinct physiological disorders to stress, psychological issues and other emotional factors. It is also closely linked with conditions that cause pelvic pain, including endometriosis and general pelvic floor dysfunction.

Vaginismus

Vaginismus occurs when the vaginal muscles tighten up prior to, or during, penetration. Again, it is a condition that can be triggered by physical or emotional factors, or both combined – but whatever the cause, the involuntary contraction of these muscles will ultimately lead to pelvic pain as they can prevent sexual intercourse or make it very painful.

Vulvodynia

Chronic pain of the vulva – the outer part of the genitals – can be unprovoked - you experience continuous burning, stinging pain of the vulva or provoked, when pain appears when pressure is applied to the vestibule (the entrance of the vagina) for example during intercourse or when inserting tampons.

Coccyx Pain

Too much pressure on or mobility in the coccyx – aka the tailbone – can pull on the pelvic floor muscles, leading to pain and inflammation.

Will pelvic pain go away without physiotherapy?

Many women decide to wait and see if their pelvic floor muscles will become less painful over time – but without proper therapy, it’s very unlikely that the damage will be reversed naturally.

Don’t ‘wait and see’. Contact PelviCare today to discuss your concerns with one of our trained pelvic pain physiotherapists and start your journey to becoming pain-free for good. A member of staff will talk to you about the symptoms you are experiencing, then carry out a full examination to determine the underlying problem. From there, they will put together a treatment plan that will get you feeling happy, healthy and confident again in no time at all. And the most important - pain free.

How can you ease pelvic floor pain?

Over-the-counter pain relievers are only a short-term solution. To really tackle your pelvic pain, you will need to:

Relearn how to relax your pelvic floor muscles. This will go some way to reducing the tightness and relieving some of the discomfort.
Practice pelvic floor exercises. Our physiotherapists will be able to teach you a series of stretches and movements that will gradually relax your pelvic floor and rebuild up your pelvic floor strength.

You can also minimise pelvic pain by:

Avoiding heavy lifting
Avoiding abdominal or core-based exercises
Taking a warm bath
Taking time to rest, especially if you are feeling tense or stressed

The full range of treatments on offer from PelviCare:

As women’s health specialists, we are proud to offer a fantastic range of diagnostic and physiotherapy services that are designed to unearth the cause(s) of your pelvic pain and equip you with the tools and treatments you need to get back to your best.