After a daylong hard work, sometime you might feel severe back pain, which usually vanishes after a short nap or rest. But if you are suffering from pain in the pelvic region, which is the area below your belly and above your hip, for the past 6 months or more, than is could be something called as Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP).
CPP may be a continuous pain or it may ebb and flow. You might feel mild or severe pain in the pelvic region. When asked to spot your pain, you might sweep your hand all around the pelvic region rather than spotting a specific area.
A chronic pelvic pain may be a symptom of other underlying cause or it might be a disease in itself. CPP is common among female adolescents. It is estimated that about 25% of women with CPP are forced to spend 2-3 days on bed each month, more than half of women with CPP are restrained from their daily activity, and 90% of them suffer pain during intercourse. Despite such suffering caused by CPP many times doctors are not able to come up with a diagnosis or treatment to help these women.
Pain in the pelvic region is caused either by gynecological problems or due to other medical conditions.
There are a few chronic pelvic pain symptoms mentioned below. They are:
Diagnosis of CPP begins with detail examination of your previous medical history. Your doctor would enquire you about the duration and frequency of your symptoms, severity and location of pain, situations that increase or decrease pain, and previous medicines and treatments that you have undergone. Your doctor would also ask you about any health related issue in your family. He would also want to know information like
As CPP is caused due to variety of sources it is important that during a physical examination your doctor give attention to screen for musculoskeletal cause your doctor will examine your posture, palpate (diagnosis by touch) your upper and lower back, check your leg-length, and ask you whether you often stand on one-leg. He will ask you to lie down on your back and palpate your abdomen with your legs and head raised.
Physical examination will also focus on urological and gynecological causes. He will palpate your urethra and bladder for detecting specific tenderness or mass.
A rectal examination will be done if gastrointestinal cause of CPP is suspected.
Laboratory tests include a complete blood picture and erythrocyte sedimentation rate; urine analysis and urine culture; human chorionic gonodotropin hormone will be measured in sexually active individuals. A plain film of the abdomen will be taken if constipation is suspected.
An ultrasound examination of abdomen, vagina, and rectum will be done in patients with abnormal results of physical examination.
Performing a safe and minimal invasive laparoscopy in patients detect with abnormal physical examinations has become an important diagnostic tool in assessing CPP. Laparoscopic examination is done when
The underlying cause of CPP will dictate the pelvic treatment procedure, it varies for each patients. CPP is not a single cause disease, it is caused by various factors interacting together therefore you will need several treatments procedure for all these problems. Few treatment options are
