Premenstrual Syndrome and the imbalance of the hormones estrogen and progesterone can cause many different symptoms, pain sources and discomforts for millions of women.
One of the most common complaints that women have includes excruciating lower back pain and some upper back pain as well as overall back pain late in the menstrual cycle.
What is it that can be done to help women get through this monthly event without this serious group of pains?
How can we relieve the pain or prevent it from occurring? Just what is premenstrual syndrome and why does it cause back pain?
The medical term for this condition is Dysmenorrhea. Dysmenorrhea is a condition of muscle cramping in the back and abdomen during a women’s menstrual cycle. Any type of back pain during the menstrual cycle can be so serious and so debilitating that it can cause a woman to be bedridden for days or even a week. The pain might be found in the upper, middle, side or lower back but the most common and the most debilitating of these is the lower back.
There are several types of back pain associated with pms and dysmenorrhea comes in two types itself. There is primary dysmenorrhea and secondary dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea is what we usually think of in terms of pms oriented back pain and cramping. Secondary dysmenorrhea is the same type and level of pain however the cause is different. In addition to pms this type of dysmenorrhea is caused by fibroids, pelvic inflammations, copper IUDs, STDs and sometimes ovarian cysts.
Contractions of the womb and/or endometriosis can also cause this type of pms induced back pain. With endometriosis the lower back pain can be excruciating and debilitating. It usually starts in the premenstrual phase of the cycle and lasts through the bleeding phase. The longer the woman has endometriosis the worse the pain gets. Surgery is the main solution to this type of lower back pain. In the case of the womb contractions you are basically dealing with severe cramping caused by the build up during the Follicular phase of the menstrual cycle of excessive uterine lining. This excess lining is washed away along with the blood during the bleeding phase. However from premenstrual through Luteal phases the woman will suffer severe back pain.
“Some evidence shows that prior to menstruation, a woman’s lower back and abdomen contract and tighten, which can cause the back pain and discomfort associated with PMS. Additional research suggests that premenstrual water retention that creates the common PMS bloating puts pressure on a woman’s lower back, causing her to feel back pain.” qualityhealth.com/pain-articles/back-pain-pms
So what can be done? Exercises, yoga and stretching will help but they will not prevent or alleviate the pain. Hot tubs, warm baths with Epson salts, hot pads or pain medications can also offer some temporary relief. A deep tissue massage can also be very helpful. However it does seem that there are some natural remedies such as vitamins, herbs and minerals that can be more effective than any of these in not just treating the back pain but preventing it to begin with.
If you have this type of PMS associated back pain, you will be looking anywhere and everywhere for an answer. And you will find a wide variety of potential answers. You might choose to treat this pain with prescription medications or over the counter (OTC) analgesics (pain relievers) or NSAIDS (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory DrugS). NSAIDS are sometimes effective because during the menstrual cycle the woman’s body over produces prostaglandins which cause inflammation and that inflammation causes much of this lower back pain.
These answers might include vitamins, supplements, minerals and herbs as well as exercise, stretching, yoga and other natural solutions.
“According to Obgyn.net, a study was conducted on women who suffer with dysmenorrhea and found that after giving these women vitamin E supplements, 70 percent of the women tested experienced improvement in menstrual cramping after two cycles. Vitamin B3 can also be helpful in combating menstrual cramps if taken every two to three hours when cramps begin. The recommended dose is 100 mg twice per day throughout the month, and 100 mg every two to three hours when experiencing menstrual cramps.”
livestrong.com/what-vitamins-are-good-for-period-pain/
You can see from these two studies that menstrual cycle pain can be effectively countered with vitamins, herbs and minerals. In addition to Vitamin B3 and Vitamin E, there are many others that can help to deal with pms and back pain in particular. One of these is cranberries and cranberry juice. They are a solid source of potassium that is known to prevent muscle cramping and the pain that accompanies cramps.
There is Vitamin C in cranberries and cranberry juice which helps to fight stress which can be a major cause of pms back pain. The antioxidants in cranberries have the same impact as Vitamin C in reducing stress and the pain associated with it. Most importantly for lower back pain, cranberries afford the user with the anti-inflammatory properties needed to lessen the pain. Vitamin D is also a player in reducing inflammation and the pain that usually accompanies it.
Raspberry Leaf Tea is also a great herb to use for this premenstrual back pain as it is very helpful in reducing the contractions and pelvic spasms that can cause or add to lower back pain. The herb ginger also affects the production of prostaglandins that lead to increased inflammation and increased pain. Pine bark can also be used as a substitute for prescription and OTC (over the counter) analgesics (pain killers).
Calcium, Vitamin B and magnesium are all needed to help with lower back pain in woman with premenstrual syndrome. Herbal teas also help, especially Lavender and Chamomile, but perhaps the very best remedy is a combination of many herbs, vitamins and minerals called Period Vitamin. Period Vitamin has strong anti-inflammatory properties and agents to relieve the production of pain causing prostaglandins and cramps.
You take Period Vitamin once a day and have the benefit of premenstrual syndrome fighting herbs such as chaste berry to balance the hormone production and calm the swelling and cramping. Evening Primrose Oil reduces cramps and pain.
There is a study done in London at St. Thomas Hospital with 70 women who are suffering from back pain related to PMS. All these women were given EPO (Evening Primrose Oil) three times a day. Of the 70 women, 47 of them had complete relief from the pain. 15 women had some but not total relief. Of these 62 women none had received any relief from the more conventional cures.
White Willow Bark in Period Vitamin is an herbal analgesic (pain medication) that predates aspirin. Native American and Chinese women used this herb for pms pain long before it was ‘discovered’ by the modern world. White Willow Bark also lowers those troublesome prostaglandins. This is such strong pain killer that it can also treat conditions such as arthritis, headaches, cramps, muscle pain and both acute and chronic pain. This is one of the strongest ingredients in Period Vitamin for dealing with the excruciating back pain. Black Cohosh is another excellent herbal remedy for cramping spasms and pain. It is a proven anti-spasmodic.
Then there are the minerals in Period Vitamin that will help to attack the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. The first of these is calcium which is proven to reduce back pain associated with PMS. The University of Massachusetts-Amherst did a ten year study of women with PMS that included back pain. They found that taking enough calcium either in diets or supplements reduced PMS symptoms 30%. Another study in Boston at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that calcium was effective in treating PMS induced back pain, bloating and cramps.
The next mineral, magnesium helps the body to take in and use the calcium mentioned above as well as increasing the effectiveness of herbs like EPO (Evening Primrose Oil). Several studies have shown that back pain, caused by cramps that are induced by the increase of prostaglandins, is helped tremendously by taking a magnesium supplement. This mineral helps to minimize cramps by helping the muscles to relax.
Then there are the vitamins present in Period Vitamin. We have already discussed the impact of Vitamin E, Vitamin B3 and Vitamin C previously. There are several additional vitamins in Period Vitamin including the entire remaining B complex vitamins, Vitamin K and Vitamin A.
Vitamin B6 is known to reduce swelling and pain while Folic Acid or Vitamin B9 helps to develop healthy blood cells which are the key to any attempt to fight the symptoms of pms including severe back pain. Other herbs that are very effective in dealing with pms include Black Cohosh, Damiana and Red Clover.
The major advantage to a compound like Period Vitamin is not just in what ingredients it includes, but especially in offering you the correct dosage of each herb, mineral and vitamin every day. It would be very difficult for you to try to self-dose all 20 herbs, vitamins and minerals correctly if you tried to deal with each one individually. Period Vitamin does this for you. You will get the most efficient and safest blend of these extraordinary ingredients to treat and prevent your pms associated back pain in Period Vitamin.
