Endometriosis Pain
Our pelvic physical therapy, the Wurn Technique®, may bypass the need for surgery or drugs
Endometriosis (left) and adhesions (right)may cause endometriosis pain or infertility
Endometriosis pain and adhesions
Misplaced endometrial tissue responds to the menstrual cycle as if it were in the uterus. But unlike menstrual fluid that leaves the body every cycle, endometrial implants have no place to go. These implants are thought to swell during each cycle, causing endometriosis pain. The related adhesions may pull on internal structures when walking, moving, or breathing. We believe the pull of these adhesions on pain-sensitive structures is the cause of severe endometriosis pain we see in our patients.
Some women with endometriosis pain have severe pelvic or intercourse pain; others describe a "mystery pain" in the abdomen or elsewhere. Endometriosis is also associated with infertility and other conditions, such as poor digestion, irritable bowel, and wide-ranging pain symptoms. Endometriosis pain can affect a woman's whole existence - her ability to work, play, and enjoy life.
Treatment Options
Three treatment options are available to decrease endometriosis pain, each with its own advantages and drawbacks- Surgery, to burn or cut out the endometrial tissue
- Drugs, to mask the pain or suppress menstruation
- Physical therapy (the Wurn Technique®), to decrease or eliminate the adhesions
Many women report excellent results with surgery. Others report little or no improvement.
Drawbacks to surgery include:
- Surgical removal of misplaced endometrial tissue is only a temporary measure, according to the Merck Manual of Medical Education. After treatment, endometriosis recurs in most women, unless the ovaries and uterus are removed.
- Surgeons can create additional adhesions as the body heals from the surgery.
Drugs
Two types of drugs are prescribed for endometriosis pain and dysfunction:
- Anti-inflammatories may decrease the inflammation and help relieve endometriosis pain. These drugs may provide temporary relief but do not address the underlying cause of the endometriosis pain.
- Women without pregnancy plans may take drugs to suppress the activity of the ovaries, slowing the growth of the misplaced endometrial tissue and reducing endometriosis pain. These drugs do not eliminate endometriosis, but they address one cause of the pain.
Physical therapy (Wurn Technique®)
Our manual physical therapy treatment, the Wurn Technique®, has shown success decreasing endometriosis pain and increasing reproductive and digestive function in many women, by addressing the adhesions that appear to cause endometriosis pain in our patients.
Adhesions may attach endometrial tissue to underlying tissuescausing endometriosis pain, or infertility
Several studies and citations published in peer-reviewed medical journals note the effectiveness of the therapy, which uses no surgery or drugs. The focus of our therapy is to decrease endometriosis pain and the adhesions that form at endometrial tissues (see drawing to the right).
As seen in this conceptual drawing, endometriosis pain and adhesions are often intimately related. Scientific data on our ability to decrease endometriosis pain and adhesions is reflected in two recent studies. Abstracts of these studies were published in Fertility and Sterility - the medical journal of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). Results and study abstracts are available at our medical studies page.
Endometriosis pain study
Inspired by many patients who reported dramatically decreased endometriosis pain after therapy, we conducted the first study of its kind called "Treating endometriosis pain with a manual pelvic physical therapy." In it, we examined endometriosis pain at several times during the cycle
- ovulation
- pre-menstruation
- menstruation
- intercourse pain
This study recently attracted the attention of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) who asked us to present our findings to its several thousand physician members in the Fall of 2006. The abstract was published in Fertility and Sterility (9/2006).
Endometriosis pain sexual function study
Due to the compelling nature of our work and our results, the ASRM requested that we present a second endometriosis pain study abstract to their membership. This one, also published in Fertility and Sterility (9/06) was titled "Improving sexual function in patients with endometriosis pain via a pelvic physical therapy." In this oral presentation to their membership, we reported the results of our therapy in women with endometriosis on the six domains of sexual function that are measurable by science: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. Results showed a significant improvement in all six areas, and overall, with the greatest improvements in intercourse pain. Percent of patients who showed improvement after therapy are as follows:
- Desire 71%
- Arousal 86%
- Lubrication 79%
- Orgasm 64%
- Satisfaction 71%
- Pain 93%
- Overall 93%
