Endometriosis is a painful condition that affects women during their menstrual cycle. It can cause an extreme amount of pain and discomfort, but there are exercises that can help relieve some of the symptoms associated with endometriosis. Doctors commonly recommend the following six exercises to patients suffering from this condition, so keep reading!
Endometriosis
According to a study, there are about 176 million women worldwide who have been diagnosed with endometriosis.
Endometriosis is a condition that occurs when the tissue lining the uterus starts growing outside of it, resulting in internal irritation and inflammation. In most cases, this can lead to severe pain during menstruation as well as infertility problems if left untreated for a long period of time.
For many women, this condition can impact their quality of life. As a result, endometriosis has become an important topic among doctors and patients alike in recent years.
Does Exercise Help Endometriosis Pain?
Exercise helps by reducing the severity of endometriosis pain and by increasing movement in the muscles, which can help reduce some of the adhesions caused by this condition.
Doctors recommend a few common exercises to relieve some of the discomfort associated with this condition. Many people with endometriosis said that they find relief by doing these exercises regularly and recommend doing them to other women suffering from the same condition.
6 Best Exercise For Endometriosis
1) Abdominal Pelvic Tilt
This is the most basic of all exercises and can be done while lying on your back. The common mistake that many people make when doing this exercise is not holding their breath while performing it, so pay close attention to how you breathe during the movement.
Hold for about six seconds at the top position before releasing slowly. Repeat for four reps at least three times a day.
If you find that this exercise is too difficult for you, try holding in a position that feels more comfortable. You can also do this exercise with your knees bent instead of straightened if it's easier on the lower back.
See this video on how to do the abdominal pelvic tilt correctly:
2) Kegels
Kegels are another important exercise for people with endometriosis. Many women find that these exercises help reduce the intensity of their symptoms by strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, which can help alleviate some of the pain associated with this condition.
Kegels are very easy to do, and all you need is a bit of time alone in order to perform them properly.
To do a kegel, start by contracting the muscles you would use to stop urinating. Once you've done this for about three seconds, release and repeat several times in order to get your pelvic floor muscles used to it.
After doing this for two weeks or so, try holding the contraction longer until eventually reaching ten seconds before releasing slowly.
Once you're able to contract your pelvic floor muscles for ten seconds, aim for three sets of ten reps every day. Once this becomes easy enough, try tightening the muscle around your anus as well by contracting it inward towards the vaginal canal.
Check this video for more information on Kegels exercise:
3) Child's Pose Stretch
This kind of stretch is beneficial for endometriosis because it effectively reduces the lower back pain that the condition can cause. To do this exercise, you should kneel on a mat or blanket and then stretch your arms in front of you.
Then, drop your head forward as far as it can go and let the weight of your body rest against the ground for about 30 seconds to one minute.
It is also important not to hold your breath while doing this exercise because breathing deeply will help you to relax. So, it is important that you breathe in and out slowly as your body rests against the floor with each breath.
This stretch can be done three times a day for about 30 seconds to one minute per session. You should also aim to do this exercise at least once every two hours throughout the day so that you achieve optimal results.
See this video to do the child’s pose stretch correctly:
4) Cat/cow Yoga Poses
Doing poses like cat and cow yoga can help ease endometriosis pain because it improves posture, which is usually disrupted by this condition.
To do these poses, start by getting on your hands and knees with a flat back while resting your head in between your arms. Then drop the stomach towards the ground until the back begins to arch like an angry cat while the chest remains open.
Once you've done this, hold for about two seconds before arching your back while sticking out your butt like a cow.
You should aim to do these poses every day at least three times so that they can have maximum benefits on your posture and help alleviate some of the pain associated with endometriosis.
See this video on how to do a cat/cow yoga for energy:
5) Pelvic Tilt On An Exercise Ball
Balls are a great tool to use if you want to improve your posture and help alleviate some of the pressure that endometriosis causes on a daily basis. One example is pelvic tilts, which can be done while lying face down on an exercise ball with only your feet touching the ground.
To do this pose, start by placing your hands next to your waist. Then, tighten your abdominal muscles while gently pressing your lower back into the ball and hold for about five seconds before releasing slowly.
Doing this exercise can help strengthen your core, giving you a better posture throughout the day to reduce pain caused by endometriosis.
To perform the pelvic tilt on an exercise ball correctly, check this video:
6) Floor Stretches
Finally, you can also do floor stretches to help reduce endometriosis pain. Simply get down on the floor and stretch your legs out in front of you before slowly allowing them to fall towards either side until a comfortable position is achieved. You should feel some tightness but not too much discomfort while doing this exercise which can be done at least three times a day.
Check this out for more information:
Symptoms Of Endometriosis
The most common symptoms of endometriosis are pelvic pain during menstruation, lower back pain, and abdominal cramping.
The severity of these symptoms vary from person to person but can range anywhere from mild to severe depending on how much endometrial tissue has built up in the reproductive area over time.
Painful intercourse is also a common symptom of this condition, making it more difficult for couples to get intimate.
It's important that you tell your doctor about any symptoms of endometriosis so they can help diagnose the problem and offer treatments like pain medication or even surgery in serious cases where other options have failed.
Another symptom of endometriosis is fatigue. This is because of the inflammation and scarring caused by endometriosis, which can cause adhesions inside your pelvis. Adhesion formation can also lead to pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS).
When you have PCS, blood has a hard time draining from your uterus and other reproductive organs due to all of these formed adhesions that can cause severe pelvic pain and cramps.
In the end, the above exercises can help reduce pain and discomfort associated with endometriosis by strengthening your pelvic floor muscles and improving posture, but only if done daily. So, it's important that you try to do at least one of these exercises every two hours throughout the day to achieve the best results possible.
A balanced diet is also recommended when trying to achieve optimal results. So, you should eat foods rich in omega-three fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation throughout the body, including the pelvic region, where endometriosis is most common.
Finally, try not to push yourself too hard while exercising because it could cause more pain and discomfort if done incorrectly.
So, it's important that you only do the exercises as much as your body can handle and listen to what it tells you because, ultimately, your own comfort is more important than anything else.
Do not forget to breathe deeply throughout each exercise session and always stop if any pain or discomfort occurs while doing them so that you don't make things worse by pushing yourself too hard.
