Alleviate Chronic Pelvic Pain
Chronic Pelvic Pain and Myofascial Approach to Healing
If you experience chronic pelvic pain, you’re not alone. It’s extremely common, affecting as many as 39% of people assigned female at birth. Many people don’t report their pain, especially when it affects them around their menstrual cycles, because they assume it’s an unavoidable symptom they can’t do anything about. It isn’t unavoidable, however. Before we get into treatment, let’s talk causes.
The three most common pain experiences for people of reproductive ages are menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea), pain during sex (dyspareunia), and non-menstrual chronic pelvic pain. But what are the root causes? You could be suffering from:
Endometriosis: in which tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus
Muscle disorders like fibromyalgia
Chronic pelvic inflammatory disease
Fibroids: noncancerous growths inside the utterance
Irritable bowel syndrome: bloating, constipation, or diarrhea
Pelvic congestion syndrome: enlarged veins (similar to varicose veins) around the uterus and ovaries
Painful bladder syndrome: intestinal cystitis
Mental health struggles, like depression or long-term stress
Sexual trauma
Unfortunately, many people struggle for years prior to a diagnosis. But even if you don’t know the exact reason for your pain, you know you have it, and you know you want to alleviate it. An amazing way to start healing your body is through Myofascial release. Myofascial release—or MFR, as it’s abbreviated—is a form of bodywork practiced by physical therapists and massage therapists, but the principles can be applied by you at home.
Think of the facial system as a web completely connected to all parts of your body. This web is actually small tubules, like a fiber optic system, that carries information to all of your body’s parts and systems. When a restriction occurs, it's like a kinked hose. It puts pressure on the sensitive parts of your body, like nerves, and results in pain and limited mobility. Myofascial restriction can be a result of physical or emotional trauma, inflammation, postural alignment, surgical procedures, overuse of the body, and a sedentary lifestyle.
Myofascial release is a gentle, compassionate approach that allows your body time to be heard and softened. As we hold stretches or apply pressure, the nervous system begins to let go and release the trauma being stored in the body. This results in less pain, more movement, and the ability to exhale.
While pelvic pain can be caused by any of the reasons above, the pelvic floor muscles are restricted in every single one. Any single fascial restriction is equivalent to 2000psi of pressure on a single point. This is equal to a horse stepping on your foot.
Here’s how to apply Myofascial release principles at home. You can integrate these into your daily self-care routines.
Start with becoming aware of this space in the body. Observe your sensations without judgment or frustration.
Now, sit on a small rolled towel like it’s a saddle. Place the fingers on one hand on the pubic bone and the fingers of the others on the tailbone.
Imagine your pelvic floor muscles going from front to back. Place your awareness on the towel, and how it connects with these muscles.
Try some gentle tipping of the pelvis forward and back to feel the front and back of the pelvic floor. Just notice
Connect your breath to the movement. As you inhale, tip the pelvis forward and feel the widening of the sit bones in the back of the towel. As you exhale, gently draw the pubic bone to the belly button and feel the narrowing of the sit bones.
Gently move with the breath, noticing the sensation.
If you’re interested in more detail on the use of MFR to relieve pelvic pain, check out this course