Imagine your pelvis as a bowl of soup. It is kind of bowl shaped, and there’s a lot of important ingredients contained in there. Your pelvis holds your reproductive organs, your urinary system and digestive tract. A whole bunch of fascia, muscles, nerves, blood vessels and bones keep everything from sloshing around.

Pelvic pain can feel different to different folks. Much like a soup can be too hot, spicy or burning, some pelvic pain can feel like an aching, stabbing or throbbing sensation. Ouch! Pelvic pain encompasses such uncomfortable activities as having difficulty eliminating urine or bowels, cramps, and inability to sit comfortably. Serious Ouch!

There are MANY causes of pelvic pain which can be very severe and debilitating to both people with male or female anatomy. If you are experiencing any pelvic pain symptoms, it’s important to let your healthcare providers know what, where and when the pain is happening so they can accurately diagnose or refer you to the correct specialist if needed.

Your pelvis is comprised of the ilium, ischium and pubis bones. These bones not only serve as a container for your pelvic organs (imagine trying to eat soup that’s not in a bowl, what a mess!) but also act as structural support for such important daily activities as standing and walking.

Your pelvic bones help transfer the load of your upper body to the bones and muscles of your legs and lower body. This transfer occurs at the sacroiliac joint, or more commonly referred to as the SI joint. If you’re a fan of The Simpsons, you can think of this like the “load bearing candy cane!” Some of the strongest muscles in your body also attach to your pelvis, so there’s a lot of musculoskeletal forces acting on your little soup bowl!

Our chiropractors are here to help with your musculoskeletal causes of pelvic pain. If you have a pelvis, you have pelvic floor muscles, regardless of your age, gender or reproductive status. Muscle spasms, tightness or weakness of these pelvic muscles can all cause pelvic pain, and can affect more than just postpartum individuals.

In addition to being the site of major muscle attachments, the pelvic bones create channels, called foramens, that major nerves pass through. Many of these nerves travel from the spine, originating at either the lumbar or sacral plexus, and into the legs.

You’ve probably heard of your sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in the body and travels from the lower spine, through the pelvis and down the leg into the foot. Another major nerve, the pudendal nerve, also passes through the pelvic floor muscles and the sciatic foramen.

Pressure, compression, inflammation or impingement on any of these pelvic nerves can cause pain, as well as issues with sexual functions, and control of urinary and digestive sphincters. Yes, we’re talking about pee and poop here because everybody does it. There are even children’s books about it, so there’s no stigma talking about these essential bodily functions, especially if something doesn’t feel right for you. There is no shame in discussing pelvic pain!

If you’re concerned about pain anywhere in your pelvic soup bowl, give us a call and we can get you set up with an appointment to help you sit, squat and feel better. We can’t keep you from burning your mouth on hot soup though.