What is it?
Endometriosis is a medical condition in which the tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus (known as the endometrium) grows outside of the uterus in areas such as on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or other organs in the pelvic region. This tissue can thicken, break down, and bleed during a woman's menstrual cycle, just like the endometrium in the uterus. However, because it's outside of the uterus, the blood and tissue have nowhere to go, which can cause pain, inflammation, and scarring or "adhesions".​
Endometriosis can cause a range of symptoms, including extremely painful periods, chronic pelvic and low back pain, pain during intercourse, infertility, and gastrointestinal issues like bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. The severity of the symptoms can vary widely, and some women with endometriosis may not experience any symptoms at all.​
Endometriosis is a chronic condition that affects approximately 1 in 10 women of reproductive age. Unfortunately, it cannot be diagnosed through imaging tests such as an ultrasound or MRI. The standard method for diagnosis is currently laparoscopy, which involves inserting a small camera into the abdomen to view the tissue directly. While there is currently no known cure for endometriosis, there are treatments available to help you manage symptoms and improve quality of life.
How Does Physical Therapy Help?
The chronic pain associated with endometriosis can cause the pelvic floor muscles and surrounding areas to become tight or weakened, which can lead to dysfunction in many areas - not just the bowel or bladder. At WWPT, we consider the system comprehensively and recognize that the pain in your left shoulder can absolutely be related to dysfunction in your right hip (as a basic example). Our assessment and treatment approaches value movement function as a whole, not as individual parts.
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Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy is a specialization that involves total-body assessment and employment of manual therapies, therapeutic modalities, corrective exercises, breathing techniques, pain neuroscience education, lifestyle/behavior medicine, and basic nutrition advice to address symptoms in the abdomen, back, hips, and pelvic region. It can be helpful for women with endometriosis by relieving pain, improving bowel and bladder function, increasing overall pelvic stability, empowering the woman with self-treatment techniques and education, and increasing her quality of life by assisting her to return to function and daily movement in a pain-free way. ​
"If I had Jasia, or someone on par with her, earlier in my endo/IC journey I believe things would have been a lot different for me. Especially in terms of pain."
Victoria
