Stretching Away Period Pain
Stretching can help to increase blood flow to muscles, help with flexibility and mobility, and helps decrease stress. Another thing stretching can do? Help alleviate period cramps and pain. According to an article posted on DoYouYoga “Over 80% of women suffer from period-related pain at some point in their lives”. Finding ways to manage and decrease period related pain is important to ensure that a period is the least disruptive as possible to our daily routines.
Suzanne Trupin, M.D., a gynecologist explains in an article posted on Shape that stretching and yoga can help ease the pain as “Yoga incorporates deep breathing, which helps relieve the effects of oxygen deprivation to the tissues, one of the main causes of cramps”. Pelvic muscles get tight and inflamed during your period, and moving that area can help alleviate both.
Stretches can help target cramps and provide some relief. The Camel pose opens up your hip flexors and helps to relieve tension. A reclined butterfly, where you lie down and place the soles of your feet together and open your knees, can help to relax tension in your abdominal area, open up your hips, ease tension, and helps to regulate your breathing. Another stretch to try is the cobra stretch, which can help with back pain, and provide a stretch in the front. Remember that no stretch should ever feel painful.
Back pain can be a frustrating PMS symptom. According to an article posted on Elite Daily, “Back pain happens during your period because of hormonal changes … specifically, hormones called prostaglandins”. As the hormones are released it can have an effect on low back muscles. In addition, pain from cramps experienced in the abdominal area can radiate into the lower back. Performing stretches that target the back can help to alleviate back pain. Happy baby opens the hips and releases the lower back, a seated figure four stretch can help reach the piriformis muscle, a muscle that runs from your very low back into the butt, a reclined spinal twist releases your back and lets you lie down while you’re doing it, and child’s pose can help relax hips and soothe the low back. Check out this article on Elite Daily for pictures of how to do each stretch.
A study published in the Oman Medical Journal, compared the impact of stretching on decreasing period pain versus the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. What they found was that during the first cycle the pain intensity in the exercise group was higher than those taking the drug. However, during the second cycle the pain reduction in the exercise group was higher, than for those taking medication. The results suggested that stretching exercises were as effective as medication in the treatment of period pain, and that “the effect of exercise on relieving menstruation pain increase over time”. This indicates that incorporating regular stretching into your routine could help to reduce pain and cramps for future periods!
Assisted stretching can help you find stretches that feel good for your body and help ensure that you are doing the stretches safely. The Stretch Therapists will help to provide you with stretches you can perform at home, to practice and incorporate during your period, and which can help reduce pain for periods to come.
Everybody is different and every period is different. What might work for you may not work for others. Always do what feels right to you, and that includes going to see a doctor if the pain is too much. Stretching could be a tool that could help reduce pain caused by your period, so if it feels right, why not give it a try?
Sources:
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/the-5-stretches-to-help-alleviate-period-pain
https://www.doyou.com/6-yoga-poses-to-relieve-menstrual-cramps-37359/
https://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/best-exercises-for-period-cramps
https://aaptiv.com/magazine/exercises-and-stretches-to-ease-period-pain