It’s been a long time since I was a teenager, but there are some things you just can’t forget. A memorable event was watching one of my best friends being carted away in an ambulance from school one day.

She had passed out and was in severe pain. None of use knew what was going on. She was generally one tough cookie – she could dance for hours on end, and whipped most of us in the cross-country – and was definitely my partner in crime when it came to mischief. She didn’t let many things stop her in her tracks. She was mortified when she had to admit that it was period pain. Most of us had pain associated with our period, but this was unlike anything we had seen before. It took until she was about the age of 30 to eventually be diagnosed with Endometriosis.
When we hurt ourselves, such as suffer a cut or a bruise, the body’s way of healing is to create inflammation. Swelling is produced, increased blood flow occurs to assist the area to get the nourishing things it needs, and it also makes us stop and rest. But it hurts. Sometimes a lot! The female menstrual cycle is naturally an inflammatory process. This is why we bloat, often feel like we want to go back to bed with a hot pack and a good book, and there is pain. The inside lining of the uterus is called endometrial tissue. In Endometriosis, this tissue can grow on the outside of the uterus, on the fallopian tubes, on the ovaries, on the lining of the other organs of the abdomen and pelvis, such as the bladder or bowel. Just like normal endometrial tissue, this tissue also bleeds during the cycle, creating inflammation around these other tissues. In some people it can then also produce scar tissue, fusing tissues together. So, although it can be normal to have pain during a period, in Endo, the intensity and frequency of pain can escalate to a degree that interferes with someone’s life in a devastating way. In addition to this, unfortunately similar to my best friend, these women are often not taken seriously, and there is a long, arduous journey before diagnosis.
Endometriosis is just one Chronic Pain Condition that is gathering interest in the Pelvic Health field. In the years 2016-17, Endo cost Australia over $7 billion dollars in hospitalisations, loss of quality of life, and productivity (missing from school, work and sports). In 2018, the National Action Plan was developed to raise awareness of the condition, improve clinical care and commence research to further improve understanding.
We still don’t have all the answers, but management of Endometriosis is slowly improving, as is the awareness of how this hidden condition can impact so many. Physiotherapy, along with medical and other multidisciplinary care, plays a huge role in raising quality of life for these ladies from teenagers to middle-aged. We use a variety of techniques including hands on care, education, advice and assessing the pelvic floor muscles to reduce pain from overactivity in this area. Everyone’s case is different, but at Physique we love being part of seeking the best results for every woman.