Pelvic Floor Therapy: A Game Changer For Endometriosis and IC

Living with endometriosis or interstitial cystitis often means battling chronic pain, discomfort, and frustration. While treatments like medications and dietary changes can help, there’s another powerful tool that many overlook: pelvic floor therapy.

Pelvic floor therapy isn’t just about strengthening your muscles, it’s about retraining them to work in harmony, easing pain, and improving overall quality of life. Here’s why it’s worth considering if you’re managing endometriosis or IC.

Understanding the Pelvic Floor and Its Role in Pain

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, ligaments, and tissues that support your bladder, uterus, and rectum. These muscles help control urination, bowel movements, and even sexual function.

For people with endometriosis or IC, these muscles often become tense, overactive, or weakened due to chronic pain and inflammation. This dysfunction can contribute to:

• Increased bladder pain or urgency
• Painful intercourse
• Pelvic and lower back pain
• Difficulty fully emptying the bladder

By addressing these issues directly, pelvic floor therapy can provide relief that other treatments may not.

How Pelvic Floor Therapy Helps Endometriosis

Endometriosis often causes deep pelvic pain due to adhesions, inflammation, and nerve involvement. Over time, this chronic pain can cause the pelvic floor muscles to tighten defensively, leading to additional discomfort.

Pelvic floor therapy focuses on:

Releasing muscle tension: Gentle techniques like myofascial release help relax tight pelvic muscles and alleviate pain.

Improving mobility: Stretching and manual therapy can restore flexibility to tissues affected by adhesions.

Reducing pain signals: Therapists use strategies to calm overactive nerves, which often play a role in endometriosis pain.

Many people with endometriosis find that pelvic floor therapy reduces the intensity of their symptoms and improves their ability to manage flare-ups.

How Pelvic Floor Therapy Helps IC

Interstitial cystitis is often accompanied by pelvic floor dysfunction. Painful bladder symptoms, urgency, and frequency can cause the pelvic floor muscles to tense up, creating a cycle of pain and dysfunction.

Pelvic floor therapy can help IC patients by:

Easing tension: Relaxation techniques and biofeedback reduce muscle tightness that contributes to bladder pain.

Improving bladder function: Therapists teach techniques to coordinate pelvic muscles during urination, reducing incomplete emptying and discomfort.

Addressing trigger points: Gentle manipulation of trigger points in the pelvic floor can reduce localized pain and improve mobility.

For many with IC, pelvic floor therapy is a key part of managing the bladder-brain connection that drives their symptoms.

What to Expect in Pelvic Floor Therapy

If you’re new to pelvic floor therapy, here’s what you can expect during sessions:

Assessment

Your therapist will evaluate your pelvic floor muscles through external and (sometimes) internal exams to identify areas of tension, weakness, or dysfunction.

Manual Therapy

Therapists use hands-on techniques like massage, myofascial release, or trigger point therapy to relax tight muscles and improve circulation in the pelvic area. If this feels worrisome for you, know that you are in the driver’s seat and can decide when and if you are comfortable for manual therapy. 

Guided Exercises

You’ll learn stretches and movements to improve pelvic floor mobility and reduce tension. These may include gentle yoga poses or breathing techniques.

Biofeedback Training

In some cases, biofeedback is used to help you become more aware of how your pelvic floor muscles are working, so you can learn to relax or engage them more effectively.

Home Care Plan

Yep, you’ll have homework. Your therapist will provide exercises and techniques you can practice at home to maintain progress between sessions.

The Benefits of Pelvic Floor Therapy

For those with endometriosis or IC, pelvic floor therapy offers:

• Pain relief: Targeting tight or dysfunctional muscles helps reduce chronic pelvic pain.
• Improved bladder control: Relaxing and retraining the muscles involved in urination can ease urgency and frequency.
• Better sexual health: Reducing muscle tension and improving flexibility often decreases pain during intercourse.
• Emotional relief: Learning how to manage your body’s responses can reduce stress and anxiety tied to chronic pain.

Finding a Pelvic Floor Therapist

Not all physical therapists specialize in pelvic health, so it’s important to seek out someone trained in pelvic floor therapy. Look for certifications or specialties in women’s health, pelvic pain, or urology.

Your doctor or gynecologist can often recommend a trusted therapist in your area.

Taking the First Step

Pelvic floor therapy isn’t a quick fix, but it’s a powerful tool for long-term relief. It works best as part of a comprehensive care plan that may include diet changes, stress management, and medical treatments.

If you’re living with endometriosis or IC and feel like you’ve tried everything, don’t give up hope. Pelvic floor therapy could be the missing piece in your pain management journey.