Pelvic Floor Muscle Therapy Vulvodynia

Pelvic obliquity is common in women with chronic pelvic pain vulvodynia and overactive pelvic floor muscles oapfm.

Pelvic floor muscle therapy vulvodynia.

It is now known the vulvar pain syndromes are heterogeneous in origin. Therefore successful treatment plans are multimodal and include physical therapy. Pelvic floor muscle exercises may help by relaxing tissues in the pelvic floor and releasing tension in muscles and joints. While it may be less common to think of high tone or overactive pelvic floor disorders these disorders affect roughly 16 of women.

So the pelvic floor musculature which is a sling of muscles can have trigger points just like any other muscle in the body. It can benefit from a release of the trigger point. Vulvodynia pronounced vul voe din e uh is a chronic condition characterized by discomfort or pain around the vulva. Many women with vulvodynia have tension in the muscles of the pelvic floor which supports the uterus bladder and bowel.

Over the past two decades numerous repeated studies have concluded that high tone or hypertonic pelvic floor muscles are associated with pelvic pain disorders and dyspareunia including vulvodynia 2 5. The irritation burning or pain associated with vulvodynia can last for at least three months to several years. Biofeedback is a form of physical therapy that trains you to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Physical therapy is another option for treating vulvodynia.

This type of therapy can relax tissues in the pelvic floor and release tension in muscles and joints. For women with vulvodynia it can help strengthen the pelvic floor. Sacroiliac joint dysfunction sijd refers pain across the iliac crest into the deep gluteal region pfm and down the thigh. Exercises to relax those muscles can help relieve vulvodynia pain.

Vulvodynia can be generalized where the entire vulvar hurts a patient or it could be localized to a specific area in the vulva. Those who have vulvodynia may have associated hip sacroiliac coccyx or low back pain. Pelvic floor muscle dysfunction is also a common finding. A quick screening of the pelvic floor muscles can be performed in the gynecology office and should be used when patients report symptoms of pelvic pain.

The vulva is the tissue surrounding the vaginal opening that is supported by the pelvic floor muscles. Through a comprehensive evaluation of your musculoskeletal system it can be determined whether there is a muscle joint or nerve problem contributing to or causing the pain.