What are some symptoms of severe menstrual pain?
Some symptoms of severe menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea ) include severe pelvic pain, in some instances so bad that patients have had to take medication to alleviate the pain; they could be literally curled up in a ball because it hurts so much.
For some patients the pain may last for an hour, for others it can last for days. Some women just before their period or the first day of their period, they may experience some lower back pain or aching in their pelvis- that's common. What we're going to address in today's episode is the women who experience such severe period pain that they have to lie down and take something to alleviate the pain.
What causes severe menstrual pain?
Typically severe menstrual cramping is caused by too much Prostaglandin. Essentially there is too much inflammation. That is why from a natural perspective something like Evening Primrose Oil seems to help. For some women it can be worse, they could have uterine fibroids or endometriosis. In terms of osteopathy, for women with severe menstrual pain, if it's not hormonally related, sometimes it can be from their own birth process or if they have had children, the position of the uterus may have caused some tightness of the ligaments or scarring around the uterus. There could be some mechanical reasons for their pain. In terms of posture, if women are sitting for long periods of time and not keeping any tone, then some of their abdominal contents may get sticky at the bottom, which causes congestion and pain.
What are some menstrual cramp remedies?
B Vitamins and Evening Primrose can be effective in some situations. There is also osteopathic visceral manipulation. This is where an osteopathic practitioner checks the abdomen or the pelvis and assesses the different organs, particularly the uterus, the ovaries and the small intestines. They will assess with they are mobile, if they are moving the way that they should be moving. Often women will have a tilted uterus and even though it is functioning fine and there is nothing wrong with it, osteopathically this causes tensions in the pelvis that can contribute to congestion and pain. There are osteopathic techniques to remove the tension on those structures.
Osteopathic Demonstration
Often when an osteopath begins their assessment of the abdomen and the pelvis to see what is restricted, they first place they often look at is the small intestine. To assess them, an osteopath will put their hand on the tummy where the small intestine likes to sit. What an osteopathic practitioner is feeling for is whether or not they have the motion that they are supposed to have, are they being pulled or dragged to a certain side. Often they are quite tight and pulled down and to the left corner of the pelvis. To relieve that, an osteopath will cup their hands under the small intestine to get them to release.
What's Jennifer taking today?
Jennifer is taking a high potency B Vitamin Complex. Dr. JJ has found this to be an effective remedy for women with menstrual pain, PMS, breast tenderness and swelling. This is primarily due to the Vitamin B6, but the B Vitamin family as a whole seems to work well for most women. It is also very effective for women with hormonal issues.
Then the uterus will be evaluated to see if it is free or tilted. The best way to assess this is through an internal examine, which is typically done by a gynecologist. There are osteopathic techniques to alleviate issues in this area as well.
You can find a naturopath or osteopathic practitioner, in your community to help you with any menstrual issues through the Find a Practitioner link on our website www.vitaminjunkeys.com