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Menstrual Pain Research - Menstrual pain in General - What can a chiropractor do for menstrual pain?
"The vast majority of women who seek relief of menopausal symptoms from chiropractic and other holistic therapies report that these alternatives are effective."
OHU-According to an article published in Obstetrics & Gynecology-July 2002;100:18-25-
One in two women
Dysmenorrhoea is one of the most common female gynaecological complaints. Over 50% of women are affected by painful periods, which have the potential to cause widespread personal and health problems.
Up to 10% of women are unable to function at their full potential at some point during their periods. Research in the US estimates absenteeism from work and school resulting form dysmenorrhea at 600 million hours, equalling a loss of 2 billion US dollars per year.
Dysmenorrhoea is more frequent in teenagers, and this frequency decreases after the age of 30.
The symptoms of painful periods usually appear in the lower back and legs. The nerve supply for this region comes from the part of spine where chiropractors find the most problems in women with painful periods. Muscle tightness is also found in the same area. Another area also found to be affected is the spinal area where the ribs end.
Such tightness may be capable of causing deep-seated lo back pain and abdominal discomfort such as the pain suffered by dysmenorrheic women.
When treating women who suffer from dysmenorrhea, the majority of chiropractors address only problems located in the areas directly involved in causing the symptoms. In a study conducted to establish which treatments are most frequently used by chiropractors for dysmenorrhea, manipulation was used in 100% of the cases.
A chiropractor’s role is to normalise the functions of the body by correcting spinal problems. The rationale behind the chiropractic treatment of dysmenorrhea is to treat its spinal and skeletal aspect.
Chiropractic provides the mechanisms through which dysmenorrheic women can be relieved of their pain in a drug-free environment and even go on to live a life free of period pain.
Your chiropractor will perform a complete consult and examination and may take radiographs (x rays). After review of the examination findings your chiropractor will recommend an appropriate and individual care program. Treatment consists of specific manual adjustments, to the individual joints of the body and spine, which restore damaged neurologic function. As Grey’s Anatomy text states every single organ in the body is controlled by the nervous system. This includes the uterus and reproductive systems. Through the specific adjustment your chiropractor provides neurological imput that allows your nervous system, and so your organs, to adapt to environmental stresses.