Today continues our Women’s Health series of newsletters jam-packed with empowering education about natural solutions for sensitive and debilitating Women’s Health topics. Our goal is to inform the women we love so they can heal these problems naturally, feel great and enjoy their lives to the fullest!
Our topic today is all about… Stubborn Pelvic, Hip & Lower Back Pain and Prolapse Too
Pelvic, Hip & Lower Back Pain –
A few things to know with stubborn cases:
- The pelvis is an especially complex area of the body and deserves a specialist! Properly addressing the pelvic floor muscle function and releasing tight fascia (connective tissues) in this region are often extremely important missing links to relieving pain in the back, hips and pelvis (they’re all connected!)
- It’s super common for individuals to have chronic pain in these regions and see many different professionals without relief until they work with our team.
- I always tell people that there’s an MD for every ‘hole’ (GI specialist for digestion/bowel, Urologist for bladder, and OB/Gyn for vulva/vagina/uterus/ovaries) and there’s an MD that specializes in hip pain and a Spine MD that specializes in the back but there literally are NO MD’s THAT SPECIALIZE in the pelvis, tailbone/coccyx or sacrum or that specialize in how all these areas work together to cause or relieve pain… that’s where we come in!
- Dr. Sarah, Dr. Megan and Jill all specialize in the pelvic region. Sarah & Megan specialize in working with the pelvic floor and prenatal/postpartum. Jill specializes in Visceral Manipulation; addressing the organs and ligaments that connect each of these (including in the digestive, genital and urinary systems). We collaborate together as a team with each of our patients with these problems and get great results!
- When Dr. Sarah & Dr. Jereme spent a week in Sedona working directly with John Barnes (The ‘godfather’ of Myofascial Release), HALF of his patients were pelvic pain patients that had seen dozens of MD’s and other practitioners, many with failed surgeries, failed nerve blocks and all sorts of other failed procedures too, that FINALLY began to get relief when they found their way to the John Barnes’ method of myofascial release. It’s a common story we hear with many types of chronic pain.
Pelvic Organ Prolapse:
- What it is: Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when the uterus, colon or bladder start to drop down into the vaginal opening. This can cause feelings of pelvic pressure, constipation or difficulty fully voiding urine. Sometimes a person will need to insert a tampon or finger vaginally in order to help support these organs in order to have a BM. There are 4 different grades of prolapse, 1-4.
- Physical Therapy (as described below) can help grades 1-2 feel pretty much ‘like normal’ again after a few months. Grade 3-4 means the organs are starting to intermittently drop down partially or fully out of the vaginal opening; we can help support these individuals in the same ways as below but in these cases it’s often about helping to improve their endurance (perhaps they can then last several hours longer before their prolapse occurs) and managing this. Grade 3 can sometimes be vastly improved with PT. Grade 4 can choose to either live with these symptoms and making them more manageable with PT or opt for a surgical route which has a lot of success.
- It’s incredibly important to catch prolapse EARLY or prevent this from happening to begin with; addressing posture, breathing habits, bowel and lifting habits as well as strengthening the pelvic floor to decrease the amount of downward pressure on these organs is hugely important.
- Dr. Sarah has been featured by APOPS (The Association for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Support) in the newest edition of their renowned book, Pelvic Organ Prolapse: The Silent Epidemic, 3rd Edition where Dr. Sarah provides important Myofascial Release insight.
- Releasing the tight fascia/connective tissue that can be pulling things downward is an important step in addressing prolapse issues. Strengthening the pelvic floor, core and teaching proper lifting mechanics, breathing, etc can nearly fully resolve grade I or II prolapse and can greatly help improve grade III prolapse.
Most women are surprised that Physical Therapy can be helpful for these conditions, were you?
It’s really a shame this isn’t talked about more. Imagine all the things the women we love could enjoy in their lives without these annoying problems… no pads, worrying about leaking, planning their lives around the nearest bathroom, worrying about pain with intimacy with their partner, struggling with annoying hip/back/pelvic pain that limits their ability to be active… Instead, just enjoying life and not worrying about any of these things.
At Balance Within PT, we have a ton of success resolving these issues with natural treatments… No surgeries, pain meds or pads which just treat the symptoms! Just highly specialized Physical Therapy to address the ROOT CAUSE of the problem.
Bottom Line: You don’t have to live with this! It can be fixed quite easily with PT hooray!
Thanks so much for listening, I hope this helps you or a special lady in your life. Please do forward this on to someone if you think this knowledge could help, you may just change their life! 🙂
With lots of love and possibility,
Dr. Sarah <3
To your health & happiness,
Doctors Sarah and Jereme Trunk & The Balance Within PT Team (Jill, Megan & Lori too!)
262.264.8701
DoctorTrunk@BalanceWithinPT.com
