# Back pain before your period – why it's not always worth looking only at the spine

> Back and lower back pain before your period – what causes it and why it's not always about the spine. We explain the causes and suggest what may help.

Źródło: https://fizjostyl.pl/en/back-pain-before-your-period/ · język: en · pełny opis gabinetu: https://fizjostyl.pl/llms.txt

Blog · Konrad Niziankiewicz

Back and lower back pain before your period – where it comes from and why it's not always about the spine. We explain the causes and suggest what may help.

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## Does your lower back pain get worse before or during your period?

If lower back pain regularly appears or gets worse at a similar point in your cycle, the recurring pattern of symptoms is itself important information during the assessment. It doesn't automatically mean the cause of the pain is the reproductive system, but it's worth looking more broadly than just at the lumbar spine.

It also matters whether other complaints appear together with the back pain, such as abdominal pain, painful periods, painful intercourse, constipation or other pelvic symptoms. These complaints are worth assessing together, as they may form a single picture of the problem.

So during the interview, what matters is not only **where it hurts** , but also:

- when the pain appears in relation to your period,
- how long it lasts,
- whether it occurs in every cycle,
- whether it's accompanied by abdominal or pelvic pain,
- whether your periods are painful,
- whether you experience pain during intercourse,
- whether the symptoms affect your work, training, sleep or everyday life.

## What could the pelvis have to do with lower back pain?

The lumbar spine doesn't function independently of the pelvis. In this area, the lumbar spine, sacrum, sacroiliac joints, abdominal and hip muscles and the pelvic floor muscles all work together.

That's why, with back pain that is linked in time to your cycle, it's worth including several areas in the assessment.

**1. The pelvic floor muscles**

The pelvic floor is formed by a group of muscles that close the pelvis from below. These muscles are responsible not only for controlling urinary and sexual function, but also work together with the abdominal muscles, the diaphragm and the structures responsible for controlling the trunk.

The problem isn't always weakness. For some patients, increased tension or difficulty properly relaxing the pelvic floor muscles may also play a part.

That's why – where appropriate – both their strength and their ability to relax can be assessed during the examination.

**2. The lumbopelvic region**

The structures responsible for movement and control of the pelvis may also matter, including:

- the gluteal muscles,
- the abdominal muscles,
- the paraspinal muscles,
- the multifidus,
- the hip muscles,
- the sacroiliac joints.

Their function can be assessed during movement, walking, squatting or other activities that provoke the symptoms.

**3. The diaphragm, abdomen and pelvic floor**

The diaphragm, abdominal muscles and pelvic floor work together, among other things, during breathing and changes in pressure inside the abdominal cavity.

That's why the assessment may also look at your breathing pattern, the tension of the abdominal wall and how the pelvis responds to movement.

This doesn't mean that any one of these structures is automatically "the cause of the pain". The point is to check whether any element of the lumbopelvic system may be relevant to a particular patient's symptoms.

**4. Coexisting complaints**

It's especially important when back pain occurs together with:

- very painful periods,
- lower abdominal pain,
- pelvic pain,
- painful intercourse,
- constipation,
- other urogynaecological complaints.

In that case, treating the lumbar spine alone may not give the full picture of the problem. It's worth taking a detailed history covering the whole cycle and any coexisting symptoms.

## When should you see a physiotherapist about back pain before your period?

If the pain appears only occasionally and doesn't significantly affect your everyday life, the main thing is to observe when in your cycle it occurs and how long it lasts.

However, it's worth getting advice when:

- the pain appears regularly before every period,
- it becomes more severe from month to month,
- it makes work, training or sleep difficult,
- abdominal or pelvic pain occurs together with the back pain,
- your periods are very painful,
- you experience painful intercourse,
- other pelvic floor complaints appear.

"That's just how I am before my period" doesn't always have to be the end of the story. If the pain regularly limits your everyday life, it's worth checking whether, apart from the lumbar spine itself, the function of the pelvis and pelvic floor may also play a part.

During a visit to FizjoStyl we take a detailed history of your symptoms and cycle, assess the lumbopelvic region and, where appropriate, the function of the pelvic floor. Then, based on the assessment, we choose the therapy and agree a further plan of action.

Need help in person? [Physiotherapy in Kraków – FizjoStyl](https://fizjostyl.pl/en/) : clinics in Kliny and at ul. Wolska 2a.

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## Want to talk it over with a physiotherapist?

Book a free 15-minute consultation. We will talk about your problem and, if you wish, continue straight into a full visit.

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Advice from our physiotherapists

## See how you can help yourself

 [More on Instagram →](https://www.instagram.com/fizjostyl.krakow/)

The exercises in these videos are general guidance. If your pain is severe, getting worse or not going away, book a consultation.

## Wolska 2a clinic

Prokocim, next to the Bieżanowska stop. Parking in front of the building.

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## Kliny clinic

ul. Wicherkiewicza 23/K. 2 parking spaces for patients.

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