Pelvic Floor Muscle Therapy Vulvodynia

While it may be less common to think of high tone or overactive pelvic floor disorders these disorders affect roughly 16 of women.

Pelvic floor muscle therapy vulvodynia.

So the pelvic floor musculature which is a sling of muscles can have trigger points just like any other muscle in the body. The vulva is the tissue surrounding the vaginal opening that is supported by the pelvic floor muscles. Vulvodynia can be generalized where the entire vulvar hurts a patient or it could be localized to a specific area in the vulva. It is now known the vulvar pain syndromes are heterogeneous in origin.

Pelvic obliquity is common in women with chronic pelvic pain vulvodynia and overactive pelvic floor muscles oapfm. 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. Pelvic floor physical therapy is not new and pelvic floor muscle hypertonicity was first implicated back in the mid 1990s as a trigger of major chronic vulvar pain.

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. Those who have vulvodynia may have associated hip sacroiliac coccyx or low back pain. It can benefit from a release of the trigger point.

Pelvic floor muscle exercises may help by relaxing tissues in the pelvic floor and releasing tension in muscles and joints. Exercises to relax those muscles can help relieve vulvodynia pain. Sacroiliac joint dysfunction sijd refers pain across the iliac crest into the deep gluteal region pfm and down the thigh. 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.

Therefore successful treatment plans are multimodal and include physical therapy. The irritation burning or pain associated with vulvodynia can last for at least three months to several years. For women with vulvodynia it can help strengthen the pelvic floor. Physical therapy is another option for treating vulvodynia.

In cases of localized vulvodynia or vestibulodynia surgery to remove the affected skin and tissue vestibulectomy relieves. This type of therapy can relax tissues in the pelvic floor and release tension in muscles and joints.