Finding out what is causing your pelvic pain can often be through a process of elimination. A lot of disorders can cause you to suffer from pelvic pain. Your doctor will ask you detailed questions about the type of pain you feel, your personal health history and your family history and may ask that you keep a timeline of the pelvic discomfort and related symptoms.
Finding out what is causing a patient’s pelvic pain is the first step of treatment. The goal of treatment is to improve the patient’s quality of life by reducing the symptoms. If a doctor can find a specific cause, then the treatment can focus on that. If the cause is not identified, the doctor will focus on managing the patient’s pain.
There are a number of medications that a doctor may recommend. These can include pain relievers. Sometimes, pain remedies can be bought over the counter. Sometimes a doctor will prescribe a stronger pain reliever for a patient.
Hormone treatments can also help patients who suffer from pelvic pain throughout their period. Birth control and other hormonal treatments can help relieve some of the pain felt during a period. A doctor may also prescribe antidepressants. These medications can be helpful for treating chronic pain, even in patients who do not suffer from depression.
A doctor might recommend specific procedures or therapies as part of a patient’s treatment plan. This can include physical therapy. Stretching exercises, relaxation techniques and massage can help improve chronic pelvic pain. A physical therapist can assist a patient with these strategies. A physical therapist might also use a TENS machine, which delivers electrical impulses into nerve pathways.
Neurostimulation is a treatment that involves placing a device to block the patient’s nerve pathways. This will make it so the pain signals cannot reach the patient’s brain. It can help, depending on the cause of the patient’s pain.
Trigger point injections can also help if a doctor can find specific points where the patient feels the most pain. These treatments are a numbing medicine that is injected into the painful areas. It is usually a long-lasting local anesthetic.
Sometimes a doctor may recommend a patient undergo surgery for an underlying condition. Laparoscopic surgery can be useful if the patient has endometriosis. The general or laparoscopic surgeon will remove any adhesions or endometrial tissue during the surgery. This is done by the surgeon creating a small incision near the patient’s navel and inserting a thin instrument. This instrument will remove the tissue through the incision points.
In some more uncommon cases, a doctor may recommend that a woman have a hysterectomy. This may involve a general or laparoscopic surgeon removing the patient’s uterus, fallopian tubes or ovaries. There are some health consequences with this procedure. A patient’s doctor will explain the benefits and risks before opting for this procedure.
You might have to try a combination of different treatment approaches before you find one that works right for you. Keeping a pain journal and discussing all the symptoms with your doctor can help with the diagnosing and treatment of pelvic pain.
Whether you opt for medication, therapy or surgery, your doctor can help provide support through this process.
Request an appointment here: https://visoc.org or call Vascular & Interventional Specialists of Orange County at (714) 560-4450 for an appointment in our Orange office.
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