“Poor posture can disrupt the balance of pelvic floor muscles, causing tension and inflammation that manifest as burning, dispareunia, vulvodinia and chronic discomfort.” Dr. Maria Campo, a gynecologist at U.O. Gynecology and Obstetrics Guzzardi, Vittoria – ASP-7 in Ragusa and an expert in pelvic pain, vulvodinia and urogenital pathology, thus explains one of the often overlooked concauses of intimate pain.
It is not easy to think that there is a link between posture and vulvodinia.
It is true, since talking about postural muscles we often think only of their role in providing support to the spine and preventing pain that is localized at the level of the back, from the neck down to the lumbar area. Yet, there is also a close link between postural muscles and intimate well-being, a balance that once altered can come into play in the genesis and worsening of pelvic pain.
In what sense?
The proper functioning of postural muscles plays a key role in keeping the pelvic floor healthy and consequently preserving women’s intimate well-being. The moment there is an alteration at the postural level or an overactivation of certain muscle groups here is where this imbalance can contribute to the onset or at any rate to the worsening of problems such as vulvar pain, chronic pelvic tension, dispareunia, that is, pain during intercourse, so intense at times that many women are driven to avoid it with all that it entails also from an affective and relational point of view.
Can you explain more about this relationship?
The muscles that give balance to the posture work in synergy with those of the pelvic floor so as to provide stability and support to the internal organs. If there is a tendency to adopt an incorrect posture, as in the case, for example, of those who suffer from lumbar hyperlordosis, or when for different reasons we have chronic muscle tension, here we go to create an alteration in the balance of intra-abdominal pressures, which can affect the perineum. A pelvic floor that is too contracted or, on the contrary, has poor tone can also cause dysfunction at the intimate level, ranging from pain during intercourse, difficulty in urination or defecation to a general feeling of discomfort and distress in the perineal area.
Do muscle tensions, then, negatively affect the well-being of the intimate area?
That’s right. Tensions and contractures found in the muscles of the pelvis, abdomen, and lower back can directly reflect on the perineal muscles, which, however involuntarily, tend to contract excessively. This mechanism, which results in painful contractures at the pelvic level, can be accentuated by stress, improper breathing, or postures held for a long time without adequate compensation.
An example?
Take the case of shallow or predominantly thoracic breathing, the kind we tend to have: “short” breathing prevents the diaphragm from moving properly, creating stiffness that is also transmitted to the pelvic floor. In addition, when suffering from chronic tension in the lower back or abdominal area, it can happen to unconsciously activate the perineal muscles excessively, and this only accentuates pain and discomfort during intimate life.
What can be done to act on the postural muscles and reflexively have a recovery of intimate well-being?
To act on posture, bring it back into balance and thus prevent or alleviate intimate problems, it is necessary to work on several fronts. First, it is basic to implement postural correction so as to improve the alignment of the spine and properly distribute the load on the trunk muscles. Also important is respiratory re-education: learning to breathe with the diaphragm is a valuable aid in reducing tension at the pelvic level.
Are there any physical activities that can help?
Again with a view to improving postural well-being and by extension intimate well-being, yoga, Pilates or postural exercises can be practiced . Also useful is targeted stretching with stretching exercises for the lower back, pelvis and diaphragm as well as relaxation techniques to reduce chronic contracture.
One last piece of advice?
Checking and correcting posture is not only useful from an aesthetic point of view or as a function of preventing or relieving pain: taking charge of the postural muscles so that they function properly means taking care of the health of the entire organism and improving the quality of life in toto. A gesture that applies to all women and especially to those who experience discomfort and pain in the pelvic area.
Who to turn to, then?
It should be in the first place the gynecologist who suggests work on the postural muscles, to all women and especially to those who come to the professional complaining of pain in the pelvic area. Investigations to arrive at a correct diagnosis obviously need a multifaceted, multi-pronged approach, but investigating posture-related issues as well can certainly be an important piece in a picture that needs to be clarified in order to lay out a treatment plan that will lead to regaining a more serene, pain-free living condition.