You have pain down there. Maybe it is burning, or stinging, or itching, or just a feeling of rawness, but it is majorly uncomfortable. It's not an STI. You have been diagnosed with Vulvodynia, chronic pain of your vuvla (that's the area on the outside of your genitals).
Vulvodynia can be a cause of dyspareunia (pain with intercourse), but it can also impact your ability to sit, stand, wear your favorite clothes, even sleep properly. Vulvodynia is a chronic pain condition, a medical condition, that can be treated. You can live a pain free life, but it may take some effort on your part.
Treatment for Vulvodynia
When you suffer from vulvodynia, it impacts your ability to do many of your daily activities. You want a long term solution, not just a bandaid that masks the pain. But to get proper treatment for vulvodynia, you have to be prepared to do some work.
Fortunately, the pelvic floor physical therapists at FYZICAL Oklahoma City are skilled at treating vulvodynia and they can help you get back to doing the things you love to do.
Like with most pelvic pain conditions, vulvodynia should not be treated with Kegels (or "pelvic floor muscle contractions"). Unlike pelvic floor physical therapy for incontinence, pelvic floor physical therapy for vulvodynia has to focus on reducing a heightened state of contraction for your pelvic floor muscles. Healthy muscles are both strong and flexible, but when you have vulvodynia, your muscles are not flexible.
Your pelvic floor physical therapist is going to work on four main areas to get you back to loving your life:
Coordinated Breathing
Breathing is a key relaxation technique the Pelvic Floor PTs at FYZICAL Oklahoma City use to treat vulvodynia. Your diaphragm, core, and pelvic floor muscles are intimately linked. Teaching you to properly breath, especially to release tension and stress through breathing, will allow you to more easily release your pelvic floor muscles.
When you have stress, you often start to breath in your chest, this can increase stress, anxiety, and pain. Once you learn to breath properly, you will be ready to relax the muscles of your pelvic floor and alleviate your pain.
Stretching
Pelvic floor dysfunction is common. Pelvic pain is common, but that doesn't mean you have to live with it.
It does, however, mean that we have identified some strategies that really improve certain conditions. And one treatment for vulvodunia that we find really helpful is stretching. Because your pelvic floor is the foundation of your core, it interacts with your hips, low back, abs, and legs. Learning to stretch these muscle safely, will help releave some of the pressure on your pelvic floor, and allow you to release more of the tension and tightness causing your vulvodynia.
Manual Muscle Manipulations
As physical therapists concerned with your pelvic health, my team and I take your pain seriously. But just like certain medical procedures can be uncomfortable, pelvic floor physical therapy for vulvodynia can be uncomfortable initially. It is important to know that we believe what you are telling us, and we want to give you the treatment for vulvodynia that you need.
Manual muscle manipulation (or manula therapy) is one core element of pelvic floor physical therapy treatment for vulvodynia. Manual muscle manipulations allow your physical therapist to manually release tightened muscles. With the vaginal muscles, trigger point release can be achieved with a finger (“digital”), pelvic dilators (like our friends over at VUVA Tech make), or a Therawand.
The goal of manual muscle manipulations is to reduce the tension, pressure, and pain caused by muscle trigger points. It is even a technique that you can have a partner helping you to relieve you pain.
Biofeedback
I also understand that touching, or palpation, of your vulva is really painful with vulvodynia. You are seeing your pelvic floor physical therapist to reduce that pain. Biofeedback can be really helpful with a visual display of how you are responding to manual therapy.
My patients have to trust that I am doing what's best for them, but when it comes to your pain, I know I have to earn that trust. Biofeedback allows me to show you how you respond to pain and how with coordinated breathing and manual therapy, we can work together to reduce your pain.
Biofeedback uses real time electrical signals from your muscles to show you a visual representation of how your muscles contract and relax. Using either our handheld unit, or a computer model, we can teach you how to coordinate your muscles for proper down regulation, which is necessary for relaxing your pelvic floor and getting the most from our time together.
Physician Collaboration
I value my relationship with your physician with all pelvic pain syndromes, but with Vulvodynia it is vital. Whether you are working with your OB/Gyn alone or you have added a Urogynecologist to your treatment team, I want to be well connected and make sure that we have a good working relationship. (If you don't have a Urogynecologist, we can make a referral to one right here in Oklahoma City).
In particular, medication is a key component of vulvodynia treatment. I'm not the expert there, your physician will be able to provide the right medication for your condition that will aid the success of pelvic floor physical therapy treatment.
If you have questions, please call. We are always happy to help other women, we are here to help you “Love Your Life!”
-Lauren C. Peterson, PT, DPT
Clinical Director, FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Oklahoma City
FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Oklahoma City provides pelvic floor physical therapy in Lakeside, The Village, Nichols Hills and surrounding NW Oklahoma City. Our pelvic floor physical therapists are specially trained to treat all types of pelvic floor dysfunction including pelvic pain and vulvodynia. Our practitioners take a patient-centered individualized approach that focuses on your pelvic health needs. If you are unsure about your pelvic health, or you want to see the FYZICAL Difference for yourself, schedule a free consultation today.