Endometriosis Pain and Flare Ups: Why It Hurts and What Helps

Why can endometriosis be so painful, and what can actually help on a bad day? Senior Pelvic Physiotherapist Céline Van Zyl from Advantage Healthcare & Physiotherapy in Wynnum, Brisbane explains what drives endometriosis pain and flare-ups, and where physio fits into endometriosis treatment. Endometriosis symptoms often go well beyond painful periods. Céline talks through why many women also deal with fatigue, bloating, bladder and bowel symptoms, pain with sex and lower back pain, and why so many are left to manage it on their own after diagnosis. She explains how repeated inflammation can make the nerve endings in the area more sensitive, so the same hormonal changes produce a much stronger pain response over time. She also covers something many women are surprised to learn. The pelvic floor muscles can tighten to protect a painful area, much like your shoulders hunch up when you wake with a sore neck. Over time, that ongoing tension can add its own pain, including lower back pain and bladder, bowel and sexual symptoms. For flare-ups, Céline uses a bucket analogy to explain why stress, poor sleep and fatigue can mean a small trigger tips you over. She also explains why a flare-up doesn't mean you've done something wrong or that the endometriosis has progressed. She covers how slow breathing with a longer exhale, in a comfortable position, can help settle the nervous system. And she explains how to approach exercise when it makes your symptoms worse: start with an amount that doesn't flare you, then change only one thing at a time. Chapters 0:00 What is endometriosis and its symptoms 1:19 Why endometriosis can be painful 2:43 Pelvic floor tension and lower back pain 4:03 What is an endometriosis flare-up? 5:32 What to do during a flare-up 7:26 Exercise with endometriosis 8:55 Where physio fits in endometriosis treatment This video is general information and isn't a substitute for an individual assessment. If your pain is new, severe or different from your usual pattern, see your GP. Seek urgent care for sudden severe pelvic or abdominal pain. Pelvic floor and women's health physiotherapy at Advantage Healthcare: https://advantagehealth.net.au/womens... About Céline: https://advantagehealth.net.au/our-te... Advantage Healthcare & Physiotherapy, physio in Wynnum, Brisbane 90 Tingal Rd, Wynnum QLD 4178 | 07 3396 7775 https://advantagehealth.net.au/ #endometriosis #endometriosispain #pelvicfloorphysio