(Excerpted from Heal Pelvic Pain by Amy Stein, MPT)
Healing of pelvic floor disorders may be hindered by a number of factors:
- Diet. Certain foods and beverages can aggravate symptoms
- Puts extra pressure on pelvic floor, abdominal, and back muscles, while straining exacerbates the condition.
- Any noxious stimuli. Healing cannot proceed while irritation persists.
- Muscular dysfunction. Restrictions, tightness, or trigger points in the pelvic floor or surrounding muscles and connective tissue.
- Skeletal Malalignment. Resulting in muscle imbalance or pinched nerve delays recovery.
- Incoordination of the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles. Inability to use pelvic floor muscles correctly and efficiently.
- Stress of such emotional/psychological disorders as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, etc. Decreases body’s immune system, can exacerbate pain and excite the nervous system.
- Hormonal imbalances. Among other impacts, may adversely affect tissue elasticity, making healing more difficult.
- Coexisting illnesses. Compromise the body’s immune system, burdening the healing process.
- Sleep disturbance. The body uses sleep for tissue and organ recovery; sleep disturbance retards that process.
- Participating in activities that tend to exacerbate the patient’s symptoms. For example, if sitting increases your pain, then you need to limit it until you are healed.
- Pain that fluctuates- for example, menstrual pain. Results in a continued pain cycle that may discourage the patient.