Endometriosis

Endometriosis services offered in Hayden, ID

Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women and most spend about 10 years being misdiagnosed and mistreated. Laura Steininger, DPT, CAPP-OB, Cert-DN, and the experienced team at Inland Pelvic Health & Physical Therapy are pelvic health specialists that are skilled at treating endometriosis and other pelvic pain conditions. Endometriosis is notorious for existing as part of the "evil triplets: endo, painful bladder syndrome/IC, and pudendal neuralgia or pelvic pain." Endo also has "cousins" that are typically present as well: Irritable Bowel Syndrome, vulvodynia, and adenomyosis.

As specialists in pelvic floor physical therapy, the therapists at Inland Pelvic Health are highly skilled in techniques that relax and restore health to the muscles and other tissues affected by endometriosis. Call the office in Hayden, Idaho, today to get scheduled with providers that truly undestand endometriosis.

Endometriosis Q & A

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is characterized by the presence of tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (endometrial-like) located outside the uterus. Endometriosis lesions are different in both structure and behavior from the normal endometrium which is shed during a period. Endometriosis tissue can cause pain, infertility, and organ dysfunction due to inflammation, invasion into structures in the body, and scar tissue.

Endometriosis doesn’t just affect your reproductive organs. It also affects the supporting muscles (pelvic floor muscles), ligaments, nerves, and connective tissues (fascia) covering your organs. Pelvic physical therapy directly targets these structures.

Endometriosis impacts approximately 1 in 10 individuals assigned female at birth and is rare in individuals assigned male at birth. Symptoms are often dismissed as “bad cramps” leading to an average 10 year delay in diagnosis.

Inland Pelvic Health & Physical Therapy is a pelvic specialty clinic that is familiar and skilled at recognizing and working with women with endometriosis.

What symptoms does endometriosis cause?

Pelvic pain is the primary symptom of endometriosis, but you may also experience:

Pain before and during your periods
Pain during sexual intercourse
Discomfort when urinating
Discomfort during bowel movements
Lower back pain
Irregular menstrual periods
Heavy menstrual bleeding

Does endometriosis affect my fertility?

Between 30-50% of women with endometriosis have fertility problems and a significantly lower risk of getting pregnant compared to women who don’t have endometriosis.

The inflammation and adhesions caused by endometriosis affect ovulation, interfere with eggs moving through the fallopian tubes, and make it hard for a fertilized egg to attach to the uterine lining.

How is endometriosis treated?

Treatment for endometriosis includes management of symptoms, surgical diagnosis, surgical removal of disease, and identification and management of additional conditions that cause pelvic symptoms.

The decision to have and the timing of surgery will vary. An individual may not want surgery or may have medical conditions that prevent them from having surgery (this is uncommon). An individual may wish to or need to delay surgery for a variety of personal, financial, or medical reasons.

Pelvic physical therapy with a skilled pelvic therapist at Inland Pelvic Health is the most effective way to manage the symptoms of endometriosis. With or without surgery, the body writes chronic pain patterns that can be re-wired to change the response to pain which tends to be cyclical and compounding.

Your physical therapist creates a treatment plan that meets your unique needs. They use many therapeutic techniques like visceral mobilization and internal muscle therapy to loosen adhesions and relax and strengthen pelvic floor muscles that tighten in response to the pain and inflammation.

Call Inland Pelvic Health & Physical Therapy today or book online if you need relief from the pain of endometriosis.