Menstrual Pain

More Inside about Menstrual Pain

Menstrual pain is not a serious problem but of course this is not a pleasant thing for some women who experience it. lucky for minority of women who do not feel pain or only slight pain, but for the majority of women who experience painful cramps and the pain that burns with little in the way of help or relief. one part of the life of each woman is menstrual period the monthly. Menstruation starts at puberty, at the age of 13-14 in females and continues till menopause that occurs at the age of 45-50.The age cannot be specifically mentioned, for it varies from one female to the other. Menstruation accompanied by severe pain or cramping and a trauma for many women. Little or tolerable pain occurs for all women but for some, periods are very painful and troublesome. During adolescence is usually a lot more pain and continued but usually diminish and disappear after birth of child. 

Menstrual pain is mostly located in the region of the lower abdomen either centrally (suprapubic or umbilical) or on the sides and may radiate to the thighs or lower back. gradually the pain tends to subside as menstrual flow. This pain is something that affects all women to varying degrees.

Menstrual pain is known in medical terms as 'dysmenorrhea'. This usually occurs in the lower abdomen and pelvic area of women. Dysmenorrhea is the condition that causes these painful cramps. 

There are two types of dysmenorrhea :

- Primary dysmenorrhea refers to menstrual pain in healthy women. The pain is not related to any problems with the uterus or pelvic organs.

* Primary dysmenorrhea can be caused by the following:

* Strong uterine contractions

* Anxiety and stress

* Blood and tissue being discharged through a narrow cervix

* Displaced uterus

* Lack of exercise

- Secondary dysmenorrhea is menstrual pain that is attributed to an underlying disease or structural abnormality either within or outside the uterus.

* Secondary dysmenorrhea can be caused by the following:

* Endometriosis (inflammation of the lining of the uterus)

* Blood and tissue being discharged through a narrow cervix

* Uterine fibroid or ovarian cyst

* Infections of the uterus

* Pelvic inflammatory disease

* Intrauterine device

* Abnormal pregnancy, such as ectopic pregnancy

Symptoms Associated With Menstrual Pain

- Dull or throbbing ache in lower abdomen and pelvis.
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Urge for frequent urination.

Causes of Menstrual Pain

Primary dysmenorrhea is caused by strong contractions of the uterus triggered by prostaglandins, chemicals in the body that are involved in inflammation and pain. Generally, the higher the levels of prostaglandins, the more menstrual pain.

Secondary dysmenorrhea can be caused by:
  
- Endometriosis, inflammation of the lining of the uterus

- Blood and tissue being passing through a narrow cervix

- Uterine fibroid or ovarian cyst

- Infections of the uterus

- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)

- Intrauterine device (IUD)

Menstrual Pain Treatment

Primary dysmenorrhea treatment

- Drug therapy - the following types of drugs are known to be effective against menstrual pain

- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID's) like ibuprofen, piroxicam, diclofenac, etc.

- Other prescription pain relievers (including narcotic drugs), such as pentazocine, tramadol, codeine, etc.

- Hormonal contraceptives (birth control pills)

- Non-drug therapy - the following non-drug home remedies have been reported to relieve or at least reduce menstrual pain in some women.

- drinking warm beverages

- taking warm showers or baths

- applying a heating pad over the lower abdomen, below the belly button

- doing light circular massage with the finger tips over the lower abdomen

- avoiding heavy meals (eating light but frequent)

- increasing intake of dietary fibres (taking more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc) and reducing intake of salt, sugar, alcohol and caffeine (coffee).

- keeping the legs elevated while lying down or lying on ones side with the knees bent

- practicing relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga

- doing regular exercises, including pelvic rocking exercises

- controlling ones weight (losing weight if overweight)

Treatment of secondary dysmenorrhea such as :

- Antibiotics, for instance in treatment of PID and STD's

- Surgery, e.g. for fibroids, ovarian cysts, etc

- Hormonal therapy, e.g. in treating endometriosis

- Anti-depressants, e.g. in the management of PMS

- Nutritional supplements, e.g. thiamine (vitamin B1), magnesium, vitamin E, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, etc, have been shown to relieve or reduce menstrual pain, especially in primary dysmenorrhea. Thiamine, in particular, has been shown to provide a cure, rather than mere pain suppression, in many women with primary dysmenorrhea.

Jaw Pain

Long Suffering when You Have Jaw Pain

If you have jaw pain, better for you to be calm especially, this pain caused by trauma or pain from your body and are directed to the teeth or jaws. UFC fighter was used to experiencing a broken nose, ear and jaw. This kind of experience will cause a person trauma in some parts of their body like their jaws. If you have a broken jaw will continue to give side effects to you and give a pain in the most unexpected times.

You will feel unhappiness and frustration if you have jaw pain. because your jaw is painful then you will be miserable all the time, when you're stressed, when you chew and even when you come home after a long day and feel like big yawn, it hurts then too. 

Maybe you are one of the many of us experience discomfort in the jaw joint or what in medically appropriate terms is known as the Temporomandibular Joint or TMJ, It establishes the connection between the lower jaw in one's mouth with the temporal bone in the skull. However, this joint has adequate flexibility which allows the individual to open or close mouth up and down, as well as sideways. There are many reasons that may lead to the dysfunction of this joint.

Symptoms of Jaw Pain

- Pain when you talk, yawn or chew

- Ringing of the ears

- Clicking or locking sounds while opening or closing the mouth

- An abnormal position of the mouth while biting or chewing food can be symptoms of TMJ disorder.

- Headaches or neck pain

- Stiffness in the jaws

- Inability to open your mouth wide

- Inability to open your mouth more than a couple inches

- Consider the following when you are trying to pinpoint why this pain is going on.

Pain in Jaw Causes

- Sudden clenching of the jaws out of anger or eating something can cause such pain. This is mainly because the clenching action puts unnecessary pressure on the flexible and soft joint and creates tight muscles of the face, jaw and neck.

- You may need to go to the doctor to get rid of TMJ arthritis because arthritis can affect any joint.

- Sleeping on your tummy pushes the head to one side and can cause tight muscles and pressure on the jaw.

- Sometimes the ball and socket keeping the joint in place may slip off from their normal positions causing the jaw to open and/or close imperfectly.

- If you are a fan of chewing gum, better to avoid when you have jaw problems because it will continue to put a strain on the jaw joints and jaw muscles if the ball and socket is not placed correctly.

- Sometimes when you eat things like a jawbreaker or stick-jaw candies it can cause the jaws to open or close improperly or put a lot of strain on the TMJ causing lock-jaw. Our instant reaction is to pull our jaw open which can cause further damage to the TMJ.

Jaw Pain Relief

- Stop Chewing Gum

When you constantly chew gum, you should not overuse the muscles around your jaw. It will cause fatigue and aches and pains eventually. This will then lead to damaged muscles and temporo mandibular joint disc-which is the main reason why you will have jaw pain and difficulty chewing.

- Stretcing

Tight neck muscles can often contribute to unwanted pains and improper movement of the temporo-mandibular joint. Try to stretch your neck everyday for about 10 minutes (late in the afternoon or before sleeping) and you will prevent yourself with having jaw pains and other jaw-neck problems. Follow these simple neck exercises:

• Forward flexion (bend your neck forward)
• Back extension (bend your neck backward)
• Rotation to the right (turn your neck to the right)
• Rotation to the left (turn your neck to the right)
• Lateral flexion to the right (bend your neck to the right)
• Lateral flexion to the left (bend your neck to the left)\

- Apply Pressure
 
Pressure on you jaw muscles will help stimulate the muscles and promote smooth movements. Using your forefinger, palpate or feel the muscles in the jaw region concentrating more on the fibers that are just located above the sharp angle of your jaw. Once located, apply deep pressure using your forefinger or your thumb. The pressure should be enough to create an achy sensation but not too much that it can cause pain. Maintain the pressure for as long as you can and as long as it is tolerable 30 seconds is enough. Do this as frequent as possible. For best results, you can add a few movements. So while the pressure is still there, slowly open and close your mouth. Do not force it to open widely.

- Grinding

The jaw pain could be caused by grinding at night.  If you think that this is a problem, consider meeting with a dentist.  If the dentist does think that this is the problem of your jaw pain, they can fit you for a jaw bite that can help with the grinding.

References

“How to Get Rid of Jaw Pain”. http://www.mygetridofguide.com/how-to-get-rid-of-jaw-pain/ ( october 7, 2013 )