Apollo Life hosted an awareness session and Panel Discussion on Pelvic Pain – Myths and Reality

The panellists for the event comprised of acclaimed experts in the field of health and fitness, Dr Rooma Sinha(Gynaecologist), Dr K J Reddy (Orthopaedic), Dr Ravi Andrews (Nephrologist) and Ms Dinaz Vervatwala (Fitness Expert). They elaborated on pelvic pain from their respective disciplines perspective, dispelled some myths and also addressed the queries of the audience present and few from the 10000 viewers over webcast.

Ms Upasana Kamineni, Managing Director, Apollo Life, in her opening remarks said, this panel discussion was being hosted to dispel myths about pelvic pain, which most women suffer during their lifetime. The expert panel from various specialities will demolish these common myths and give a sense of assurance to women.

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Rooma Sinha said, “Chronic pelvic pain is a common problem in women, felt either in lower abdomen or in the back which could be associated with cyclical periods or can be present all through the month. There are a wide variety of conditions that could lead to pelvic pain. If the pain is mild it could be treated with medication, but if it is persistent, lasts for six months or more, or fails to respond to treatment, often difficult to treat, it can be considered as chronic and may need further treatment including surgery through minimally invasive Laparoscopic or Robotic techniques and in rare complicated cases through Hysterectomy.

According to Dr. K J Reddy, almost every women in her lifetime is afflicted of low back pain at some point or the other, it is also the second most common cause for pain. However, on the brighter side, one can completely recover from back pain with just some simple measures. He said the common causes of low back pain is poor posture, obesity, spondylosis, disc prolapse, osteoporosis and rarely cancer. Simple measures like sitting properly on a chair, regular exercises like walking, swimming, cycling, taking simple precautions while lifting weights and carrying heavy things will prevent this problem. Also, during pregnancy if one exercises regularly, most back pains will be prevented. Hence, the best medicine to prevent and treat low back pain is regular exercises, he added.

Dr. Ravi Andrews said, “Pelvic pain is very common in women and nearly 75% of women get pelvic pain at some time or the other in their lives. Renal causes of pelvic pain include urinary tract infection (UTI), stones, cancers, prolapse of the bladder and past surgical scars. Of these, UTI is the commonest. One in three women get at least one UTI by age 24 and as they grow older, the rate increases and 50% of women get at least one UTI in their lifetime. Untreated UTI leads to fertility issues. The common myths for the cause of UTI are Pants or tight clothing; Tampons or pads; Bicycle; Showers, baths, bubble baths; Coffee, tea or alcohol etc, but the actual reality is UTI is caused by frequent sexual intercourse; Previous UTI; usage of Condoms, Diaphragm or Antibiotic abuse.

According to Ms Dinaz Vervatwala, “The musculoskeletal causes of pelvic pain could be very weak core muscle or tight hamstring muscles. Weak and tight back muscles could also give rise to pelvic pain. A good analysis by a physical therapist will help in diagnosing the problem and giving an accurate exercise prescription. Posture plays a major role in preventing pelvic pain. A regular exercise program under the guidance of physical therapists will help in the prevention of pelvic pain. Excess body weight could also be a reason for pelvic pain so therefore, a balanced diet will help in keeping weight under control.”

The President of Apollo Life, Ariz Rizvi, moderating the session said, “Women are the primary caregivers and it is unfair to load them with the responsibility of taking care of everyone and themselves too.” Thus, he advocated that men should take personal interest in the well-being of their partners.