Exploring Treatment Options for Pelvic Pain: What You Might Not Have Tried Yet
Pelvic pain is complex. It’s not just one type of pain, one cause, or one treatment. And for many women, it’s not only physical — it affects mood, energy, relationships, work, and the ability to simply enjoy life without bracing for the next flare-up.
While traditional treatments like medications, physiotherapy, and psychology absolutely have their place, there’s one approach that’s often overlooked. And for many of our clients, it’s been the game-changer:
Exercise. Real, targeted, therapeutic movement.
Let’s take a look at some of the options available, and why exercise physiology should be part of the conversation if it’s not already.
First: Yes, Non-Exercise Therapies Are Incredibly Valuable
There are many forms of support that can help women living with chronic pelvic pain. These include:
Pelvic floor physiotherapy to assess and retrain the pelvic floor and surrounding muscles
Pain relief or hormonal medication often prescribed for pain control or conditions like endometriosis
Mental health support including psychologists or counsellors experienced in chronic pain
Surgical options sometimes used to address underlying issues like endometriosis, fibroids, or adhesions
Lifestyle medicine covering sleep, stress management, and nutrition
Each of these can play an important role. But despite the wide range of supports available, many people never hear about how movement can be used as medicine, not just to get stronger, but to rewire pain pathways and improve overall function.
Now Let’s Talk About Exercise and Why It Matters So Much More Than You Think
Exercise physiology is not about pushing through pain or being told to just keep active. It’s about using movement in a targeted, clinical way to help your body adapt, regulate, and rebuild.
Here’s how it helps:
1. It calms the nervous system
Chronic pelvic pain often involves a sensitised nervous system, meaning your body is on high alert and can interpret even normal sensations as pain. Therapeutic movement helps regulate this system and sends signals of safety and control back to the brain.
2. It builds capacity, not just strength
We often hear, “I’m so fatigued. I can barely tolerate simple tasks without pain.”
A structured exercise plan, delivered by an Accredited Exercise Physiologist, helps gradually increase what your body can handle. That means less pain, fewer flares, and less post-activity crash.
This is key. You're not just building strength — you're improving your body’s ability to function well in everyday life.
3. It changes your body’s physiology
Movement influences everything — your circulation, immune function, hormone regulation, energy metabolism, and even gut and pelvic organ function. Over time, these changes help the body modulate pain more effectively and reduce many of the symptoms linked to chronic pelvic conditions.
4. It retrains dysfunctional movement patterns
Chronic pain often leads to compensations. You might grip, brace, or overuse certain muscles like the glutes or pelvic floor. Exercise physiology helps restore functional movement so your body works with you rather than against you.
5. It gives you back a sense of control
One of the hardest parts of chronic pelvic pain is the unpredictability. With the right movement strategies, you can begin to see what works, what doesn’t, and how to confidently move forward. That feeling is powerful.
If You’ve Tried Everything Else, It Might Be Time to Try This
So many of our clients say,
“Why didn’t anyone tell me about this earlier?”
At HER Exercise Physiology, we specialise in working with women experiencing chronic pelvic pain. We offer virtual consultations across Australia and design exercise programs that meet you exactly where you are. Together, we build strength, reduce pain, and help you return to a life that feels more spacious and in control.
You don’t need to figure this out on your own.
