What's in the Pelvis?
Understanding the complexity of the pelvis goes a long way in understanding why it may be difficult to pinpoint and treat the exact source of your pain and discomfort.
The pelvis is a tight area with many organs and structures. It includes your bladder, uterus, Fallopian tubes, ovaries, bowels, muscles, nerves, skin, and more!
The body transmits information from all these parts and places to the spinal cord, which sends the signal to the brain for processing. The problem lies in the fact there are only a few spots in the spinal cord available to transmit all of this information.
From the picture you can see in the picture how complex and interwoven the parts of the pelvis are, and how a pain signal might get confused on its way to the spinal column and brain.
As a result, what your brain receives is "there's pain somewhere in my pelvis." Because the brain is not sure of the origin of the pain or the severity, it has to guess. And on top of that, the brain can become so confused that the organ and skin pain signals get mixed up. So, while it may be that your bladder needs attention, you feel it in the muscles and skin of your buttocks.
Without knowing the source of the pain, getting a firm diagnosis is a challenge. Which is why a pelvic pain specialist can help. S/he can untangle where your pain is coming from, which is often more than one site, and develop a course of treatment.
Aredo J, Heyrana K, Karp B, Shah J, Stratton P. Relating chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis to signs of sensitization and myofascial pain and dysfunction. Seminars in Reproductive Medicine. 2017;35(1):88-97.
