Pelvic Pain
About Pelvic Pain
Pelvic pain is often equated with pain around women’s reproductive organs, but it can affect both men and women and stem from various causes. Pelvic pain may be felt in the genital area or other organs in and around the pelvis, or it may be referred.
Pain in your pelvis might be a sign of an infection or be caused by pain in your pelvic bone or a non-reproductive internal organ. However, in women, pelvic pain may indicate a problem with one of their reproductive organs.
What Causes Pelvic Pain
Pelvic pain can be caused by a variety of factors, including:
- Urinary Tract Infections
- Kidney infection or kidney stones
- Appendicitis
- Broken pelvic bones
- Hernia
- Pelvis disorders
- Intestinal disorders (diverticulitis or colitis)
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Psychogenic pain (related to stress or trauma)
In women, other possible causes of pelvic pain are:
- Menstrual cramps
- Ovulation
- Pregnancy
- Miscarriage
- Endometriosis
- Uterine fibroids
- Ovarian cysts
- Cervical cancer
- Uterine cancer
- Ovarian cancer
Symptoms Of Pelvic Pain
Pain
Painful urination
Other Symptoms
When Should I Seek Medical Attention?
You should seek medical help when:
- Swelling of the wrist joint
- Persistent wrist pain from moving the thumb
- Inability to rotate the wrist
- Tenderness at the location of pain
A Message About Pelvic Pain
Pelvic pain can be debilitating and frustrating. Very often, it can not be reproduced easily and patients may be modest about their pelvic area, thus making this an under-treated medical condition.
Acute Pelvic pain of less than 6 weeks needs to be attended to medically. The causes of Pelvic pain are wide-ranging and may need investigations such as MRI and/or a CT scan to narrow down the cause of the pain. Often, once the medical condition is targeted correctly, the pelvic pain will resolve completely.
Chronic pelvic pain of more than 3months may be obscured causes of rare medical conditions or functional pain syndromes. Functional pain syndromes do not respond to standardized treatment of inflammatory nociceptive pain models. Specialized nerve modulation/injection may be needed to address these difficult pain generators.
Diagnosing Pelvic Pain
Pelvic Pain has similar symptoms to other urinary tract conditions, it requires adequate evidence and experience to diagnose the specific illness. Here at Singapore Paincare, our team of experienced primary care doctors and pain care specialists together with a gynaecologist will evaluate your condition. This includes a physical exam, questions about your symptoms and an evaluation of your medical history. Other tests like blood tests, urine tests, stool samples, genital swabs, ultrasound or X-rays may also be needed to confirm a diagnosis.
What Treatments Are Available for Pelvic Pain?
In many instances, non-surgical treatment methods can provide excellent outcomes. At Singapore Paincare, we strive to treat your pain with the least invasive option possible after accurately identifying the cause. Our pain resolution approach focuses on removing pain generators via specialised injection and minimally invasive procedures. Combined with pharmacological treatments, cognitive and physical rehabilitative therapies. We help patients to improve their functionality and prevent pain from recurring.
Non-Surgical Treatments for Pelvic Pain
Physical Therapy
Our physiotherapist and doctors may offer manual physical therapy for pelvic floor tenderness, these sessions also consist of bladder re-training to relieve contracture lengthening, tender muscle or scars.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Our specialists offer cognitive behavioural therapy, which treats the condition through relaxation techniques.
Coreflex Injection
Our Coreflex injection uses a mix of local anaesthetic, anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxant, which helps to break the pain cycle, reduce inflammation, and improve healing.
Radiofrequency Ablation
Radiofrequency ablation is the use of heat to stop inflammation and reverse injury, which can be a simple procedure to relieve chronic pelvic pain. This is a day surgery procedure that is performed under mild sedation.
Pharmacotherapy
Apart from NSAIDs, our physicians and specialists may prescribe muscle relaxants and low-dose antidepressants to help manage the pain.
Surgical Treatment for Pelvic Pain
In the case that all methods are exhausted, surgery may be recommended only if you are a suitable candidate. As surgery always come with associated risk, complications and downtime, it may not be suitable for everyone. A thorough evaluation of both non-surgical and surgical options should be conducted before deciding whether to undergo surgery.
Surgical treatment
How Can I Prevent Pelvic Pain?
There is no definite way to prevent pelvic pain. However, you may incorporate these things to help reduce your risk:
- Adding more fibre-rich foods to your diet
- Regular stretching and exercise
- Routine examinations with your healthcare provider
Get Your Pain Resolved
Send your enquiries or consult our pain experts today.