Women’s Health: Dyspareunia and Physical Therapy

Dyspareunia is one of the major causes of interpersonal conflicts in marriages that affect approximately 20% of women in the United States. Dyspareunia is a medical condition where there is some recurring pain during intercourse which occurs when there is deep penetration, initial penetration or when there is a lack of lubrication. It may occur before, during or after sexual intercourse.

Painful intercourse usually affects the physical health, body image, relationship, conception and mental health of a woman. It can be a very disturbing condition that needs support and care to the patient. This is what drives our loving and trained physical therapists at Fusion Physical Therapy when dealing with your case. They are by your side during the entire process until you fully recover.

Symptoms of Dyspareunia

• Pain during penetration
• Burning pain during intercourse
• Deep pain in case there is thrusting
• Aching pain during intercourse
• Throbbing pain after intercourse
• Painful when inserting a finger or tampon

There are various causes of pain in women during intercourse. Here are some of the causes:

• Lack or inadequate lubrication – this may occur if there is no sufficient foreplay, taking some antidepressants, menopause, childbirth, certain medications etc.
• Infection and Irritation
• Inflammation
• Skin disorder
• Injury and Trauma
• Congenital abnormality
• Vaginismus
• Previous treatment and surgeries
• Certain illnesses like uterine prolapse, cystitis, uterine fibroids, endometriosis etc.
• Previous sexual abuse
• Psychological issues like stress, anxiety, intimacy fear, physical appearance concerns, depression, and relational problems.

At Fusion Physical Therapy we carry out a thorough medical examination to determine the cause of your pain before administering the treatment program to you. Our certified physical therapists will be there to assess your posture, strength, movements, mobility, and breathing so as to know how you use your body. They will also conduct a visceral examination of the vaginal wall, vulva, and muscles at the pelvic floor to determine their strength, tension, and tightness.

After all the examination and evaluation, our caring physical therapists will give you a take-away treatment program and exercises to follow when at home. To ensure you get the best results, our therapists at Fusion Physical Therapy will do follow-ups. Contact us today and say goodbye to painful intercourse.