The
medical term for painful periods is dysmenorrhea. Symptoms of
dysmenorrhea begin to appear shortly after the onset of periods
and are most apparent one or two years later. They may increase
with severity as time passes. The pain is typically described
as a cramping, spasmodic pain, and commences a few hours or immediately
before menstruation. It is usually at its most severe on the first
or second day of menstruation. The pain is located in the lower
abdomen and can radiate to the back, buttocks and upper inner
thighs.
One
in two women
Dysmenorrhoea
is one of the most common female gynaecological complaints. Over
50% of women are affected by painful periods, which have the potential
to cause widespread personal and health problems.
Up to 10% of women are unable
to function at their full potential at some point during their
periods. Research in the US estimates absenteeism
from work and school resulting form dysmenorrhea at 600 million
hours, equalling a loss of 2 billion US dollars per year.
Dysmenorrhoea is more frequent
in teenagers, and this frequency decreases after the age of 30.
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Chiropractic
findings on dysmenorrhoea
The
body’s ability to respond to external and internal environmental
stimuli depends on the correct functioning of all its simple and
complex reflexes. If these are in some way disturbed, the body’s
response to stimuli can be significantly altered. There are three
major types of spinal reflexes which serve to regulate body function
all of which have the potential to be altered as a direct consequence
of spinal problems.
The symptoms of painful periods
usually appear in the lower back and legs. The nerve supply for
this region comes from the part of spine where chiropractors find
the most problems in women with painful periods. Muscle tightness
is also found in the same area. Another area also found to be affected
is the spinal area where the ribs end.
Such tightness may be capable
of causing deep-seated lo back pain and abdominal discomfort such
as the pain suffered by dysmenorrheic women.
Chiropractic
management of dysmenorrhoea
When
treating women who suffer from dysmenorrhea, the majority of chiropractors
address only problems located in the areas directly involved in
causing the symptoms. In a study conducted to establish which treatments
are most frequently used by chiropractors for dysmenorrhea, manipulation
was used in 100% of the cases.
A chiropractor’s role is to normalise
the functions of the body by correcting spinal problems. The rationale
behind the chiropractic treatment of dysmenorrhea is to treat its
spinal and skeletal aspect
Chiropractic provides the mechanisms
through which dysmenorrheic women can be relieved of their pain
in a drug-free environment and even go on to live a life free of
period pain.
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