Turn Your Painful Periods into Painless Periods
Dysmenorrhea or painful cramps during menstruation is one of the most common problems that people with uteruses experience throughout their child-bearing years. Symptoms include lower abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, headaches, irritability, low back pain, diarrhea, dizziness, and fatigue.
There are 2 types of dysmenorrhea:
Primary dysmenorrhea is thought to be caused by higher elevations of prostaglandins released by the endometrium. The increase in prostaglandins release stimulates the middle muscle layer of the uterus to contract excessively. This hyper-contractiliity of the uterus leads to decreased blood and oxygen flow to the uterus which is believed to cause pain and cramping (Kannan & Claydon, 2014).
Secondary dysmenorrhea is typically associated with another medical or gynecological condition such as endometriosis, fibroids, Crohn's disease, and other chronic pelvic inflammatory diseases (Primary Dysmenorrhea, n.d.)
Research has shown that physical therapy may help relieve menstrual pain and with direction from a physical therapist these interventions may be helpful for you as well:
TENS
Heat therapy
Exercising for 30min
K-tape on lower abdomen
Gentle lower abdominal massage
Pelvic floor contract and relax
Diaphragmatic breathing
Yoga
RELATED ARTICLE: PELVIC PAIN TREATMENTS
We find that yoga stretches and breathing techniques that target elongating and mobilizing the abdomen are super helpful in reducing pain during menstruation for a lot of our patients with pelvic pain. Here are a few stretches that we recommend:
Diaphragmatic breathing with butterfly pose:
Cobra:
Cat/cow:
Supported fish pose with yoga blocks:
Thoracic spinal twist:
Puppy pose:
Pelvic Floor therapy can help you learn how to use your breath for relaxation to help reduce the tension in your abdominal and pelvic floor musculature.
If you are experiencing pain and discomfort during your period a pelvic floor therapist may be helpful in helping you address your concerns. Schedule your appointment at Vibrancy Pelvic Health today to get an assessment and bring you closer to painless periods.
Written by Beck Hall, PTA, PRPC
Resources:
Kannan, P., & Claydon, L. S. (2014, March 1). Some physiotherapy treatments may relieve menstrual pain in women with primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review. Journal of Physiotherapy; Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphys.2013.12.003
Primary Dysmenorrhea. (n.d.). Physiopedia. https://www.physio-pedia.com/Primary_Dysmenorrhea?utm_source=physiopedia&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=ongoing_internal#cite_note-:0-1