Pelvic Tissue Dysfunction

 
Pelvic pain can be caused by a variety of reasons, with the most prominent reason being tissue dysfunction. The main tissue problems that can contribute to pelvic pain are the following:

• Tender points in muscles.
• Lack of mobility of the connective tissue, which is the outer container of the muscle (the tissue under the skin and over the muscle).
• Neural tension, which is tension along the nerve pathway, causing difficulty with the normal sliding and gliding of the nervous system.
• Pelvic congestion caused by varicose veins, or poor circulation within the pelvic floor.
• Sacro-iliac joint problems, lower back pain and hip pain can be very common in pelvic pain and can be caused by, or contribute to, a tight or weak pelvic floor.
• Tension around the organs of the lower abdomen including the bladder, prostate, uterus and ovaries.
• Skin problems, particularly in the vulva such as skin breakdown, dry tissues, infections, or tissue atrophy (thinning), due to hormonal changes.

Tissue dysfunction may be contributing to your pelvic pain in varying amounts, depending on the individual’s unique presentation. There is usually a combination of pain contributors from the various tissue problems and a sensitized nervous system. A physiotherapist who specializes in pelvic pain can help you to sort out what your contributing factors are, and help you address them.

If you do not have access to an appropriately trained physiotherapist, then the following resources will help to educate you on how to begin healing pelvic pain:

• Heal Pelvic Pain Naturally by Amy Stein (2008)
• Ending Female Pain by Isa Herrera (2009)
• Ending Male Pelvic pain by Isa Herrera (2016)
• Relieving Pelvic Pain During and after Pregnancy by Cecile Rost (2007)
• A Headache in the Pelvis by David Wise and David Anderson (6th edition). This book is directed at men and women, but with a heavier emphasis on male pelvic pain
• Save Yourself.ca is an excellent tender point tutorial
• Self-management for C-section Scar