Chiropractic has been helpful for many people with a multitude of problems—not just the typical complaints of low back pain and neck pain. In the past few months, we’ve seen it can be helpful with such things as arthritis, pregnancy, and the immune system. Two more conditions where I’ve seen relief in patients are premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea.

Premenstrual syndrome is defined as a number of physical and mental conditions a woman may experience seven to 14 days before menstruation. The symptoms may include bloating, acne, anxiety, backache, cramps, headaches, fatigue, joint pain, depression, drastic mood swings, outbursts of anger, violence, thoughts of suicide, and several others. Primary dysmenorrhea is cyclic pain associated with menses during ovulatory cycles but without lesions (or in endometriosis) affecting the reproductive cycle. 

In a study in a well-known chiropractic journal, 11 women with histories of PMS that had occurred regularly for more than four months were evaluated and treated by an experienced chiropractor. The treatment extended through four menstrual cycles and consisted of spinal manipulations provided five to seven times per month.

The areas of the spine most often treated were the cervical spine and sacro-iliac joints.
The patients reported significant improvement in three categories: sexual drive (70.7 percent), social impairment (64.5 percent), and mood swings (60.8 percent). The overall improvement in all symptoms was 44.2 percent.

A 1992 study involving 45 women also showed favorable results for women suffering from PMS. All of the women in the study had a history of primary dysmenorrhea. They were randomly assigned to two groups; one of the groups received chiropractic adjustments, and the other did not. Back pain and abdominal pain were recorded both before and after each visit. The chiropractic group indicated a twice as great improvement in menstrual symptoms, back pain, and abdominal pain. The authors of this study concluded, “The data presented here support the anecdotal claims of women that SMT (spinal manipulative therapy) reduces the pain and symptoms associated with menstruation.”

Dr. Lewit, a medical neurologist, has also documented the positive results of the chiropractic adjustment in patients suffering from dysmenorrhea. He stated, “In another group of 70 women with menstrual pain and negative gynaecological findings, treatment of the spine mainly by manipulation gave excellent results in 43 cases, favorable in 13, and no change in 14…from these data we may conclude that…menstruation pain with otherwise normal gynaecological findings, especially when localized in the low back, is usually of vertebrogenic origin and often the first clinical manifestation of disturbance in the lumbosacral region.”

Proper exercise and nutrition are also key factors in decreasing the symptoms associated with PMS. Please consult your chiropractor and personal trainer before starting any regular exercise regime. Proper nutrition is extremely important in helping PMS. A daily multi-vitamin is key for everyone but especially in a patient who has underlying symptoms. Caffeine should be avoided at all costs. Studies have shown women who regularly consume caffeine are four times more likely than others to have severe PMS. I will discuss more about nutrition and its role in female-associated conditions next month when I concentrate on hormones and the new research on the negative effects of hormone replacement therapy.

You don’t have to suffer the unbearable pain associated with PMS. If you feel like your problems are “normal,” and there is no help in sight, you may be mistaken. Consult your chiropractor for a consultation, and you may just ease your monthly pains. TPW