Levator ani syndrome

@ch47, you may also be interested in this related discussion:
- Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/pelvic-floor-dysfunction-1/

This article may offer some help:
- Understanding Levator Ani Syndrome: https://www.healthline.com/health/levator-ani-syndrome

Does heat or a sitz bath provide relief?

Colleen,
Thank you so much for the Levator ani info…will make sure to flag this post and give these exercises a try…ch47

I've had this problem for 8 years now. When it began, I'd have it for a few awful minutes, but it got longer and worse with time.

Lucky for me, I happen to have been a doula, and I've got a whole stable of TENS units, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I started by placing the pads as I did for the labouring folks I worked with, but over the first year and a half after I got my first episode, they got worse, and I moved the pads lower and lower.

Now I'm placing two (no kidding) on either side of my anus and two more right above that, then cranking the machine up to 10.

Until last night, this has always provided immediate and full relief, though if I take them off, the pain returns, and I have to leave them on for 2-3 hours to be out of danger.

Sadly, last night, the relief was immediate, but not complete. It wasn't bad, but I'm not happy with that direction.

There's a chance that the pads were past their expiry date, so I might have to order new ones.

Anyhow, the upshot is that it's provided many years of relief for me and it may be worth a try for others.

Good luck!

So sorry that your relief mechanisms are changing…
Two years ago I just said that is enough and said I didn’t care, I am seeing any snd every doc I could to work this through. I have been seeing a fabulous pelvic therapist after not so fabulous ones. Urethra issues, bladder ones, rectal ones. Plus the pain. Dilators vag and rectal. Forget what it’s called, but learning how to pee with pads and a monitor. My urologist rx’d some muscle relaxers. Also had burser sac swelling in internal hip groin area, shots every 6 weeks to reduce swelling. Orthopedic doc.
My spine is doing bad, doing test injections for nerve ablation. That helped the areas worked in, and so we worked further down the spine.
Finally an injection in the coccyx bone. Heaven. Didn’t last, and can’t do ablation in that area. Just had steroids in nerves outside coccyx area, starting to help. Again, no ablation there, but can try stronger steroids in coccyx next time.
Of course I use on and off tens unit, which helps relax a little.
Another wonderful temporary thing to redirect brain, in a gel, is Arnica gel 98%. Put on lower spine, across upper buttocks. Amazon. I buy the tub. Really helps other aches, too.

So, after all that, my main cause for this horrible pain, seems to be my messed up spine (never would have connected) and pelvic tension connected to it.

With this very long journey, I have improved and are basically working on the spine. And forever pt.

May something in this post give you additional ideas for finding relief 🤞