HOW I CURED MY VULVODYNIA - PLEASE READ!!

Hello. Please read this, I want to help as many women as possible. One thing I have learned over the last 3 yrs suffering from this condition is NOT TO ACCEPT EVERYTHING YOUR DR TELLS YOU.

I posted on here a while ago claiming that I had experienced a large decrease in my provoked pain due to taking baking soda baths. Since then the pain came back with vengeance and I realised I was wrong. The depression hit again. Suddenly, a light bulb went on in my head - I had been bedridden the whole week of my miraculous 'cure' due to having the flu. I started to wonder whether my pain was something to do with my back, as it seemed to decrease to the point of almost disappearing completely when I was lying flat for a long period of time. Then, I remembered something else. Just before the onset of my pain, I had experienced a strange spasming and pain down the left side of my back, left leg, foot and toe. This pain and spasming was on and off and had been going on about 2 months previous but I never saw a doctor about it. Embarrassingly, the pain came to a head one time in the middle of sex when my toe started spasming and then shot out at a right angle, causing excruciating pain to run up and down the inside of my left leg. It was the time I had sex after this that my vulvodynia had started, at first only in the left hand side (then it eventually spread to all over the vulva). But I had completely shrugged this toe thing off until now, not connecting it with the vulvodynia. That's why I never mentioned it before. (also, its a bit embarrassing so I didn't really tell anybody!)

I asked a doctor who was experienced in vulvodynia about whether my problem could stem from these foot spasms, and he shot down the idea before I had even finished explaining it to him and put me on amitriptyline. Didn't even test my blood pressure or anything first. This is a Dr who claims to have been 'treating' women with vul. for 40 yrs, but who admits he has not ever found a definitive cure for any of his patients. Basically when I saw him (feeling completely miserable with and deserted by my body aged 18) he told me that it would be likely I would suffer from the condition my whole life. He didn't exatly sugar coat it and when I left the hospital I burst into tears. I decided I needed to take matters into my own hands.

Through the Vulval Pain Society I heard about a chiropractic group called the McTimoney Group based in the UK, who are carrying out research on whether back problems can cause vulvodynia. I contacted the group and booked an appointment.

My chiropractor identified that my pelvis was incredibly misaligned - the left side more than a centimetre higher than the right. The symptoms such as the spasming and shooting pain I described led her to believe that I had a trapped nerve somewhere in my back, probably caused by this twisted pelvis. When I started the chiropractic treatment, I came off the amitriptyline first to make absolutely sure that it wasn't just the drugs that were dulling my provoked pain. The first few sessions left me in incredible pain afterwards. The spasming that had mysteriously disappeared after the onset of the vulvodynia came back. I tried sex during this time and was forced to discontinue, it was so painful. I was sceptical of the treatment at first and it is certainly pricey.

However, after about seven sessions (a session a week) with the chiropractor sorting out my back and pelvis my pain has gone from about 9/10 to 0.5. It has pretty much disappeared completely and my chiropractor is now certain my vulvodynia was caused by a trapped nerve. She has completely straightened my pelvis and I have responded very well to the treatment. Everything is in the right place now! I will have to visit her intermittently throughout my life to make sure the pain stays away and my back / pelvis doesn't slip back to the way it was, but we are both optimistic that in a few more sessions my pain will have disappeared completely. I am over the moon.

I am now living my life the way I have wanted to for so long. I have a new boyfriend and painful sex is no longer an issue. It feels like a miracle. Manipulation from a chiropractor is all it has taken for me to go from feeling like hot pokers were on my skin during all sexual contact to no pain. I am so happy and relieved, but in a way I also feel quite guilty that I have found a cure when so many women out there are still suffering from this terrible affliction. PLEASE, even if you think it unlikely to be the cause of your pain, go see a chiropractor. It might be the best thing you ever do. The money is worth it, and at the McTimoney practice all patients' case studies will (anonymously) support their research, so you are doing your bit for other women with the condition!

I have an appointment to see my Dr in a few weeks to see 'how the amitriptyline is progressing'. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind. I think that many of the problems with this illness is Drs only want to treat the symptoms and not find the cause. In my opinion this is negligence. Tricyllic antidepressants are not pretty. The ami made me pile on weight and act a bit like a vegetable. Over 2 months after stopping it I am still suffering from terrible insomnia. It is not worth it when there are other methods to actually CURE vulvodynia.

I hope this helps. If anyone would like more information about the McTimoney Group and which particular chiropractor I visit please contact me, I am happy to help.

Good luck!!

PS: I would also like to add that my chiropractor has 2 more success stories where the vulvodynia has completely gone away for her patients. It certainly is very promising.

Thanks for sharing this ivyrose - soooo pleased it has worked for you!

I'm very interested in this as i've been having some chiropractic treatment for an unrelated condition but my chiropractor diagnosed me with misaligned pelvis and said it could be the cause of or a contribution to my vvd. I'm having treatment and my symptoms are mild at the mo though still hovering threateningly in the background! So I don't know how much of this is down to the chiropractic treatment (which at the moment is focussing on sorting out my neck/shoulder and arm problem which was the reason I went to see her after some over-enthusiastic gardening).

My chiropractor is not a McTimoney practitioner so I was wondering if you could give a brief outline of what your McTimoney chiropractor does for you so I can get an idea of how different it is to what mine does. The bit of my treatment that is definitely for my pelvic misalignment is that she places wedges under my hips (below hip on my left side and above my hip on the right side).

I would love to participate in this study but I live in the North East so i'm sort of hoping that McTimoney is not a lot different to 'normal' chiropractice so that I will still get benefits for my vvd if I continue to see my chiropractor.

Hello, at the practice the chiropractor works from the top of my spine downwards to the pelvic area and pubic bone, coccyx and also on my legs and feet. Mainly all the way down the spine and pelvic region though, and she also works a little bit on my shoulders. I started to see a decrease in pain after about five sessions. I've also been advised to start going to pilates to strengthen my core muscles and train them to hold the new bone positions in place.

Thanks for the info ivyrose. Sounds like she does the whole body! which makes sense if you take a holistic view of the body.

One other question - for the pelvic area and pubic bone what does she do exactly - massage, manipulation, pelvic blocks (presume nothing internal?)

My chiro also suggested pilates and i started a class last week so i'm hoping this helps too.

Very very interesting. Ive had chronic back, neck and shoulder pain for 5 yrs and my LSC started about 4 yrs after I started having back pain. I have pain that spreads down my Entire back, all the way to my lower back. My hips are always misaligned. I used to see my chiro quite often and just about the last year and a half I havent been seeing him as often. *bam* light bulb, my LSC pain started over a year ago. Lately my burning has been horrible and lately my back has been killing me, so perhaps its time I visit my chiro again. This would be a great break through if my chiro can actually help my vulvodynia. Im gonna call him on Monday. Thanks for the info.

hi ivyrose, so interesting reading your post about the chiropractor. Have been thinking of going to see one as have back pain (although not the shooting kind that you talk of), but nevertheless does seem valid. Just wondered if you could tell me the name and where you saw her?

Thanks so much, x

My doctor recommended physical therapy (or pelvic floor rehabilitation) for my vulvodynia. My first session is November 29, and I can't wait!

That is very interesting & gives me hope that my vulvodynia pain could be cured through chiropractic visits i have suffered with chronic mid. & lower back pain right after i gave birth to my first child.I also have pinched nerves in my lower back that sometimes shoots down my leg's & feet my chiropractor told me my pelvis is out of alignment too.Now i am convinced that my back pain is causing the vulvodynia pain my chiropractor want's me to get adjusted every other day i always thought that was a lot but now i would be willing to go that much if he can cure the pain.I could finally get off antidepressant's for good & not feel like i'm out of it all the time.Thanks for posting this info