Category: Migraines/Chronic Headaches

7 Questions to Ask Yourself As You Self-Check/Self-Examine
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Even though the national self-check month has ended, we at Clear Passage® are devoted to encouraging people to become more familiar with their bodies by performing a self-evaluation or medical self-check.
A “medical self-check” includes examining your body and then following up on any findings, as well as scheduling routine preventive care with your physician. By identifying symptoms early on—and addressing them— you can help yourself nip health conditions in the bud and prevent them from getting worse or causing you undue stress.
Here is what you need to know about the importance of asking medical questions during the rest of the year.
Why You Should Continue to Self-Check Even When it Feels Uncomfortable
It’s not uncommon to be experiencing a symptom of a health condition and put off addressing it with a medical provider. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Research has shown that being too embarrassed to ask a medical question is very common and can profoundly impact the quality of care that you receive and your relationship with your medical provider. That is why it’s essential to ask health questions, even when you’re unsure.
Sometimes, people feel:
- Unsure about whether a sign warrants attention.
- That symptom may be so vague or infrequent that it is easy to blow off.
It’s important to know that your symptoms may be having a profound impact on your life, but you feel shy or embarrassed to ask about them or regularly check on them. You may not even be aware that a symptom you’re experiencing can be addressed and managed with medical treatment. As you apply medium pressure on your joints, back, and abdomen, you might find areas for improvement.
7 Important questions to continually ask yourself as you do a medical self-check.
1. Ask yourself if you’ve noticed changes in your stool patterns.
It may seem strange to consider details of your bowel movements, but if you’re having any changes in your stool patterns—especially if you’ve had a consistent pattern for a long time that’s suddenly different—it’s essential to address. You can either bring this up to your clinician or seek help from pelvic floor physical therapists.
Ask yourself about any changes in your stool color or consistency. For example, changes in your stool color can stem from various causes (such as a new diet or medication), but they can also be a sign of a more critical condition.
Changes in the way that your stool looks—like if you suddenly have stringy poop—could indicate a change in the structure of your colon, among other conditions. If you’re having painful bowel movements, pelvic pain with bowel movements, or if you’re unable to have a bowel movement, you could have a partial bowel obstruction or a condition such as endometriosis. Your doctor may want to perform a more extensive investigation. Depending on your findings, you may be eligible for non-invasive management of your condition using the Clear Passage® approach.
2. Monitor your unexplained pain.
Be consistently considerate about any unexplained pain you may be experiencing. Sometimes, unexplained pain—especially stomach pain, abdominal pain, pelvic pain, or groin pain—can be caused by a condition known as adhesions, which are internal scars. Adhesions can develop from prior surgery, infection, or injury, and they can cause discomfort.
Sometimes, adhesions can lead to severe conditions such as small bowel obstructions.
Research shows that abdominal adhesions are the leading cause of small bowel obstructions. Managing adhesions can be tricky, as undergoing a surgical procedure to treat adhesions can often lead to the development of even more adhesions. However, a non-surgical, ‘hands-on’ physical therapy approach at Clear Passage® clinics has decreased adhesion pain and increased function without surgery or pharmaceuticals.
3. Consider any complexities in your sex life.
Your sexual relationships potentially represent the most private and personal aspects of your entire life. It can be intimidating to discuss your sex life with your partner or medical provider.
This is even harder if you’re:
- Having pain with intercourse (also known as dyspareunia)
- Experiencing low sexual desire.
- Have difficulty getting aroused or other sexual concerns.
Talking to your medical provider can significantly improve your quality of life and relationships with all these signs. Often, women are shy to speak specifically about intercourse pain (dyspareunia). Still, painful sex is a widespread condition (affecting nearly one in three women at one point in their lifetime) that can be improved with proper treatment.
A non-invasive, hands-on physical therapy approach can significantly decrease pain with intercourse. Research published in the Journal of Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Disorders showed that patients who received hands-on physical therapy using the Clear Passage® Approach for the treatment of painful intercourse reported:
- Increased (or first-time) orgasms
- Elevated desire.
- Increased arousal and lubrication
- 93% of patients reported improvements in overall sexual function.
4. Think ahead about your family planning and fertility concerns.
If you’re interested in getting pregnant in the future or trying to get pregnant now, you may feel hesitant about whether you will achieve your goal. But, according to the American College of Gynecologists, the definition of infertility is 12 months of trying to conceive without resulting in a pregnancy, and, in women over age 35, infertility is diagnosed after six months of conception attempts.
It’s crucial to be honest with yourself about your fertility and family planning intentions because there are many things you can do to improve your fertility. Still, you must first identify the cause of your infertility.
For example, a blocked fallopian tube contributes to their difficulty getting pregnant for up to 25 to 35 percent of women with infertility. While this condition is sometimes managed with surgical treatment or invasive procedures, a non-invasive, hands-on physical therapy method is also effective in restoring fertility.
5. While practicing self-checks, consider how to prepare for any upcoming surgeries.
Part of a thorough self-check includes anticipatory planning. When you see your doctor for a routine check-up, make sure to ask about how to prepare for any upcoming procedures or surgeries. That is especially important if you have a history of complications with surgeries such as small bowel obstructions or adhesions. If you know in advance that you have to undergo a surgical procedure, your doctor may recommend ways that you can strengthen your body ahead of time. Your doctor may also recommend a rehabilitation program, such as hands-on physical therapy in the immediate period following surgery, as this is a preventive way of decreasing the formation of adhesions in the first place.
6. Consider what lifestyle adjustments you can make to optimize your health.
Once you know any active symptoms or concerns you’re having and prepare for any upcoming medical events, it’s also a good idea to discuss how to manage your health proactively. Four main lifestyle adjustments to improve your health include:
1. Checking in about what you’re eating
2. How are you moving your body
3. Your sleep habits
4. Your stress level.
By staying on top of these four pillars of health, you can optimize your wellness and continue enjoying the highest possible quality of life.
7. Strongly consider pursuing physical therapy for your condition.
Identify a symptom on a self-check that leads to a formal diagnosis of a new condition. Your health professional may have provided you with several treatment options, including watchful waiting, lifestyle changes, prescription medications, procedures, or surgeries. It’s important to ask yourself questions about your treatment plan and whether your condition can also be managed with physical therapy.
The Clear Passage® Approach’s hands-on (manual) physical therapy methods can heal conditions traditionally managed with medications or invasive medical procedures. These conditions include:
- Endometriosis
- Menstrual pain
- Intercourse pain
- Post-surgical pain
- Infertility
- Chronic pain
- Headaches
- Pain from inflammatory bowel disease
- Discomfort from small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and;
- Many more.
Partnering with Clear Passage® to Address Your Health Concerns
It takes courage to regularly be considerate about your health concerns, especially when they involve highly personal areas of your life. However, you only stand to benefit when you are your own health advocate.
If a medical condition has been identified during a check-up with your medical provider, consider the role that physical therapy may play in your recovery.
At Clear Passage®, we help patients manage many health conditions with a safe, natural, non-invasive hands-on physical therapy technique. With us:
- Our highly skilled clinicians use a scientific, patient-centric approach.
- We are adept at transcending medical jargon to get to the heart of what’s bothering you.
- We are dedicated to achieving positive results for each of our patients.
- Our team of therapists, researchers, advisors, and support staff at Clear Passage® applies its excellence daily to get you back the life you know you deserve!
To learn more, request a consultation today.
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March 23, 2022
30 Internal Scarring Facts for National Self-Check Month
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February is National Self-Check Month. Internal scarring (adhesions) in your pelvic region can occur throughout your life due to surgeries, accidents, and even natural wear and tear. This self-check month is meant for you to implement preventative health measures. These can include making better dietary choices, performing self-examinations, or going to a wellness visit with your physician to seek early treatment for symptoms associated with health problems.
What questions should you ask your physician during your wellness visit? Depending on what issues need to be resolved, physical therapy may be the treatment you need, particularly if you are experiencing illness, pain, and other health problems caused by adhesions.
How can you know if you have adhesion-related health problems? This article offers answers to these and other questions and makes a case for why you should ask your physician about physical therapy for adhesion-related conditions.
National Self-Check Month at Clear Passage®
National Self-Check Month raises awareness about the importance of taking proactive steps to prevent health problems and addressing existing health problems. One might imagine that preventing or addressing health problems would be easy, yet people avoid seeking medical care for many reasons. They may:
- Feel that they are too busy.
- Worry about the costs associated with care.
- Have unfavorable opinions about health care providers, or;
- Assume that symptoms will eventually improve without intervention.
No matter what it is, the truth is that avoiding medical care is not a good idea.
Lack of treatment, at best, can result in avoidable discomfort or suffering, and at worst, can result in late detection and treatment of a disease with severe or potentially deadly consequences.
Suppose you are experiencing illness, pain, or other health problems. In that case, it is crucial to advocate for yourself by seeking early treatment, not just any therapy, but customized solutions that are most likely to provide the best results. Doing so can result in the restoration of your body to its best possible condition or even complete relief and healing.
7 Questions You Should Ask Your Physician
During your wellness visit, your physician will review your family history of illness, your medical records, and vital signs, and perform an exam. Explain to your physician what habits you have regarding diet and exercise, sleep, and stress management.
Refer to this list of questions to help you get valuable feedback from your physician during your wellness visit. Be sure to jot down additional questions that come to mind as you continue reading this article.
1. Based on your observations about my appearance, vital signs, and weight, what is your initial impression of my health?
  1. Ask for an explanation of your blood work results or other diagnostic test results, if available.
2. Do you have any suggestions regarding my health habits?
3. Am I prone to certain health risks based on my family history?
4. Should I continue taking medications? Should the dosages be adjusted?
5. Make a list of specific pains or other symptoms you may have experienced. Go through the list with your physician. Ask after each item, “Is this normal?”
6. What treatment options are available for (fill in the blank)?
7. Would I benefit from physical therapy for (fill in the blank)?
Surgery and/or Medication vs. Wurn Technique®’s Physical Therapy
Although surgery and medication play a vital part in healthcare, they come with risks and a long list of potential side effects. On the other hand, Physical therapy can provide effective, long-lasting results without the risks and side effects, especially for adhesion-related problems.
Demonstrated Positive Results With Physical Therapy
Studies from major medical journals, available from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), demonstrate the results of physical therapy using the Clear Passage® Approach®. This non-surgical treatment utilizes the Wurn (hands-on) adhesion release techniques for various conditions caused or exacerbated by adhesions. This landmark 10-year study and many others demonstrated how this specialized, hands-on physical therapy yielded pregnancy rates for women with PCOS, small bowel obstruction (SBO), and at rates similar to standard medical treatments but without surgery or pharmaceuticals.
A Deeper Look: What are Adhesions?
What are adhesions? Adhesions are a type of scar tissue that forms inside the body after an accident, fall, surgery, infection, inflammation, trauma, radiation therapy, or endometriosis. Since surgery to treat adhesions can cause more adhesions, it makes perfect sense to treat adhesions with physical therapy rather than surgery.
Many people associate physical therapy with treatment for injuries or range-of-motion issues, and rightly so, because physicians readily prescribe physical therapy for those problems. But did you know that physical therapy can also effectively treat symptoms associated with a wide variety of diseases and conditions?
Clients with these ailments have found improvement and relief with physical therapy.
- Lymphedema
- Muscular dystrophy
- Osteoporosis
- Respiratory issues, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease, and more,
When it comes to unexplained pain and dysfunction and biomechanical problems, physical therapy has a long track record of proven results. Physical therapists identify and treat the root cause of many peripheral problems, often a consequence of an underlying problem, such as adhesions.
The Comprehensive List of 30 Adhesion-Related Health Problems to Ask your Doctor about
Adhesions can squeeze nerves, organs, and joints – causing internal pain or dysfunction, including female infertility, life-threatening bowel obstructions, and numerous other problems. How can you know if you have adhesion-related health problems? This list provides some basic information about adhesion-related health problems and their causes.
1. Menstrual Pain / Dysmenorrhea – Adhesions pull ligaments, fascias, or connective tissues that attach the uterus to surrounding structures
2. Intercourse Pain / Sexual Dysfunction – Adhesions form between muscle cells deep within the cervix and/or attach to the vaginal wall, entrance, or other pain-sensitive structures.
  1. This reduces elasticity, potentially pulling the tailbone forward, and negatively impacts desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and satisfaction.
3. Endometriosis Pain – Adhesions pull on pain-sensitive structures caused by endometriosis.
4. Genital Mutilation – Adhesions can cause a lifetime of chronic pain and dysfunction.
5. Cervical Stenosis – Adhesions can tighten, narrow, or close the entrance to the uterus and pull on the uterus, causing inflammation, pain, and more adhesions.
  1. These can ascend within the uterus to block one or both fallopian tubes.
6. Mastectomy Pain – Adhesions can form in the chest wall, neck, shoulders, and arms, causing pain and tightness or a condition called “frozen shoulder.”
7. Hysterectomy Pain – Adhesions can form at the surgical site and connect to neighboring structures like the intestines, bowels, vagina, or bladder.
8. C-Section Pain – Adhesions can form at the surgical site and cause pain and tightness in the pelvic region.
9. Myomectomy Pain – Adhesions can form within the uterus and decrease the chances of successful implantation of a fertilized egg, increasing the likelihood of miscarriage, or form outside of the uterus and bind delicate reproductive structures together, impairing function.
10. Blocked Fallopian Tubes – Adhesions and internal scars are the primary causes of tubal blockage.
11. Hydrosalpinx – Adhesions can cause the swelling of the fallopian tubes.
12. Endometriosis Infertility – Inflammation that accompanies the endometrial swelling can continually cause more and more adhesions to form, impairing functions necessary for fertility.
13. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) – Adhesions can cover the ovaries.
14. Pre-IVF Treatment / Age, High FSH & Hormonal – Adhesions can form at the uterus, cervix (called stenosis of the cervix), and fallopian tubes, and the dura and skull (near the pituitary, the “master gland” of female reproduction), reducing FSH levels and decreasing implantation rates.
15. Unexplained Infertility (UI), a.k.a. Idiopathic Infertility – Adhesions are invisible on X-rays, ultrasounds, MRI, or CT scans.
16. Secondary Infertility – A reproductive tract traumatized by the initial pregnancy or birth can result in adhesions that interfere with future fertility.
17. Neck Pain – Adhesions can form when neck muscles are inflamed by poor posture, injury, or other causes.
18. Back & Hip Pain – Adhesions can form at the sacral joints, causing biomechanical and soft tissue dysfunctions.
19. Tailbone Pain – A misaligned tailbone can cause mobility problems, constipation, reproductive problems, and the formation of adhesions that aggravate all of these issues.
20. Childhood Surgery/Trauma – When adhesions and scar tissue that form with surgery do not grow and expand with the rest of the body as the child grows, problems can last a lifetime.
21. Migraines/Chronic Headaches – Internal scarring creates unnatural pressure that affects complex pain-sensitive structures in the head.
22. TMJ/TMD – Adhesions can cause tightness or asymmetries that affect the jaw or temporomandibular joints.
23. Myofascial Pain (MPS) – Adhesions cause mechanical problems with the body’s structure, resulting in pain.
24. Post-Radiation Pain – Radiation therapy adhesions cause irradiated tissues to adhere to nearby organs, muscles, bones, and connective tissues.
25. Pain After Abuse – Trauma causes adhesions that can remain in the body for a lifetime without intervention.
26. Abdominal Pain – Internal scarring can form between the ribs and the pubic bone, decreasing function and causing pain.
27. Pelvic Pain / Groin Pain – Internal scarring can form when the membrane covering the abdominal and pelvic organs becomes inflamed and or the infection spreads throughout the abdominopelvic cavity.
28. Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and Inflammatory Diseases – Adhesions are a significant concern for patients with inflammatory diseases, slowing digestion and causing pain, nausea, bloating, distension, constipation, or diarrhea.
29. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) – Adhesions can slow or stop bacteria from exiting the digestive system, contributing to the recurrence of SIBO and causing additional adhesions.
30. Small Bowel Obstruction (SBO) – Adhesions can interfere with or completely block the passage of food and waste material, causing stomach pain and “stringy poop.”
Do not avoid medical care or ignore illness, pain, or other health problems. During National Self-Check Month, make a wellness appointment, and be sure to ask your physician about physical therapy for any adhesion-related conditions you may have. Take a stand for your health by seeking treatment that will produce the desired results while avoiding the risks and side effects associated with surgery and medications.
Set up a free consultation today!
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March 23, 2022
Infertility Treatment
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Treating Female Infertility
With numerous studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals, Clear Passage®’s hands-on physical therapy has been featured on the ABC, CBS, and NBC television networks in the U.S., and internationally on Fox News. These citations and newscasts note infertility reversal for hundreds of women – without surgery or drugs. Our therapy can work independently or as an adjunct to your physician’s care. The following is an overview of our work treating female infertility.
Clear Passage® has been a world leader in treating female infertility since 1986. A landmark 10-year study of nearly 1,400 infertile women (Rice et al., 2015) showed that our hands-on approach equaled or surpassed many standard medical treatments — surgery and pharmaceuticals — for the most common causes of female infertility. We had high success rates treating infertility due to:
- Blocked fallopian tubes (often diagnosed as untreatable by physicians)
- PCOS (good success rates without surgery)
- Endometriosis (approximately equal to the surgical rate)
- High FSH, advanced reproductive age (there is currently no medical treatment for high FSH or advanced reproductive age)
Begin Your Journey
What We Treat For Infertility Issues
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Anti-Inflammatories and Reducing Inflammation Naturally
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Pelvic Pain in Women: Causes and Treatment
Pelvic pain — pain in the area between the hips and below the belly button — affects roughly half of Americans
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Sacroiliac Joint Pain
According to the journal The Physician and Sportsmedicine, sacroiliac joint dysfunction is “a treatable diagnosis for the millions of individuals
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Myofascial Pain Syndrome and Fibromyalgia: What Is the Difference?
Myofascial Pain Syndrome is sometimes confused with fibromyalgia, or the two terms are used interchangeably. This is incorrect as they
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Do I Have Mechanical Migraines?
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Why Do I Have Pain After C-Section?
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Patient Story: Overcoming Chronic Pain After Multiple Traumas
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Risks:
We avoid risks due to our thorough screening process. The major risk is temporary soreness. Side effects of therapy are generally positive, including increased female sexual function (libido, lubrication, orgasm) and decreased pain.
Success Rates:
Our success rates are published in peer-reviewed medical journals. Given the number of infertility patients we have treated since 1989, we can provide a reasonable estimate of your success rate with our therapy. View our success rates.
Long-term outcomes:
Unlike assisted medical treatments that may work for a single reproductive cycle, the results of our therapy appear to last for years. Many of our patients have had several full-term pregnancies (births) and continue to be fertile for several years after therapy here.
Published Results:
With published studies and citations in a dozen respected medical journals, Clear Passage® is the Gold Standard in the world for treating female infertility naturally. Study data authored by independent physicians support our credibility, efficacy, and success rates.
Clear Passage® constantly strives to measure our results scientifically and share them with the public – as reported in peer-reviewed medical journals. We have been developing our therapy since 1989 and publishing results since 1997; our infertility statistics are documented and housed in the U.S. Library of Medicine. Over the course of 30+ years, we have worked with gynecologists and scientists to develop a therapy that has been shown to be safe and effective for many infertile women.
Begin Your Journey
December 28, 2021
Abdominal / Pelvic Adhesions
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Testimonials of Clear Passage® patients receiving therapy for pelvic adhesions.
We Decrease or Eliminate Adhesions Without Surgery
Overview
Adhesions, the internal scars that tend to form whenever the body heals, are a major problem for patients and their physicians.
While these internal scars initially formed to help the body heal from tissue damage, adhesions tend to remain long after the initial tissue damage has passed. Once formed, adhesions can remain like a straitjacket around delicate organs, squeezing them tightly or binding them to one another. When this occurs, the delicate organs of the abdomen and pelvis can lose their normal function. Having lost the flexibility to expand and contract normally, these organs and the associated nerves become bound by a glue-like structure, often causing pain.
Adhesions tend to attach to digestive, reproductive, and endocrine organs throughout the abdomen and pelvis. When this happens, they can act like glue, binding those structures in straitjacket-like bonds, estimated at 2,000 pounds per square inch (140 kilos per square centimeter). When adhesions wrap around nerves, they can cause pain. Adhesions in muscles decrease normal mobility. When they form at an organ or gland, they can decrease the function of that organ, whether it is reproductive, digestive, or endocrine.
Adhesions are largely composed of collagen, a substance that surrounds virtually every structural cell in the body. Thus, most adhesions do not generally appear on diagnostic tests such as MRI, CT scan, or ultrasound. When the patients go to the doctor to learn what is wrong, their physician may tell them, “I don’t see a problem,” or “there’s nothing there,” or worse, “I think it’s all in your head.” Meanwhile, the patient is suffering from powerful internal bonds called adhesions that your doctor cannot see.
Adhesions can be strong enough to cause significant pain. People who suffer from adhesions may complain of “unexplained pain” in one or more parts of their body. Some patients even tell us, “It feels like I have straitjackets inside me.” Others say to “I have an internal pulling sensation.”
Adhesions can form throughout the abdomen after an infection. Once the infection has passed, adhesions tend to remain in the body like an internal straitjacket.
Since their doctor cannot see the adhesions on diagnostic tests, the patient may be referred from specialist to specialist, looking for relief from their symptoms. Thus, adhesion pain can often be a source of significant frustration and mild to debilitating pain.
Causes and Frequencies of Adhesions
Adhesions that form in the abdomen and pelvis are often caused by surgery; other common causes include trauma (accidents), infection, and endometriosis or peritonitis. When tissue trauma occurs, the membrane covering the abdominal and pelvic organs becomes inflamed. Next, the inflammation or infection can spread throughout the interstitial spaces of the abdominopelvic cavity – the spaces between organs, muscles, glands, and support structures. Frequent causes of peritonitis in our patients include burst appendix, ruptured cysts, infection, or leakage of bowel contents into the abdomen following surgery.
Adhesions form when thousands of tiny strands of collagen, like the strands of a nylon rope, come rushing in to cover and isolate injured tissue. These strands attach to each other with a molecular, chemical bond. Type 2 adhesions have a tensile strength that is stronger than steel. It has been estimated at 2,000 pounds per square inch (140 kilograms per square centimeter). When these tiny but powerful bonds form in the abdomen or pelvis, they tend to pull the trunk of the body forward in space. Trying to remain upright to see your computer screen or see where you are going, your back and neck muscles struggle valiantly to keep you up straight against the powerful pull of these adhesions. Thus, as well as the pain or discomfort in the abdomen and pelvis, patients with abdominopelvic adhesions tend to develop pain in their back, neck, and sometimes cranium, often with headaches, especially at the temple or base of the skull.
Adhesions can pull your body forward in space, creating an immense amount of pain and resistance to standing up straight.
Treatment Options
Experience life-changing relief from debilitating abdominal and pelvic adhesions with Clear Passage® Physical Therapy’s Free Consult and Request Info – discover their unique, non-surgical approach that has successfully treated hundreds of patients, potentially saving you from risky surgeries and giving you back the pain-free life you deserve. To learn more, visit our Apply to Therapy page.
While the patient may have an excellent sense of where the problem lies, their physician literally cannot see adhesions unless they do another surgery. Unfortunately, surgery is a primary cause of abdominopelvic adhesions. Adhesions create a major dilemma in modern medicine, as the surgery to decrease adhesions frequently causes new adhesions to form. Some doctors and patients note that “the cure can be as bad as or worse than the disease.”
Clear Passage®️ Therapy
Our therapists are experts in adhesion formation and deformation. Since 1988, our focus has been to decrease and eliminate adhesions without surgery or drugs. If you choose to come to therapy, we will work to decrease and eliminate the internal bonds that are causing your problems. Our goal is to return you to a life where your organs, muscles, and nerves are free of these internal bonds.
The work we have developed over the last 30+ years addresses these adhesions at the source. Using manual therapy, our focus is to dissolve the chemical bonds that attach each collagen’s strand to its neighboring strands. Over the course of 20 hours of decreasing adhesions, we tend to restore our patients’ health to what it was before these adhesions formed.
Clear Passage® is a ‘gold-standard’ in the non-surgical treatment of adhesions. It is the only therapy with published studies in peer-reviewed medical journals showing success rates in treating abdominal and pelvic adhesions. We encourage you to talk to us before you undergo another surgery – a procedure that may help you in the short term, but statistically is likely to create additional adhesions and additional problems for you in the future.
Over the last 25 years, our therapists have dedicated much of their professional careers to decreasing and eliminating adhesions non-surgically. Our network of clinics has treated hundreds of patients who came to us with adhesions that formed after an injury, trauma, or infection. Most complained of significant, often unexplained pain. While adhesion pain can occur anywhere (neck, back, hip, etc.), our patients often report unexplained pain and tightness in the abdomen and pelvis. The pain can be constant or intermittent, and may increase with certain movements or activities such as bowel movements, sexual intercourse, or diet changes.
Belinda Treating Back Pain
Results for these patients are generally very good to excellent after therapy; many of the patients we treated for adhesion-related disorders tell us, “You gave me back my life.” We believe therapy is generally successful for two reasons:
- It pulls apart adhesions non-surgically, like pulling apart the run in a three-dimensional sweater or pulling out the strands of a nylon rope.
- Unlike surgery, this therapy does not appear to create new adhesions, which is a major advantage for our patients.
Other Medical Treatments (Surgery, Drugs)
- Surgery
  - Unfortunately, medical studies show that surgery in these areas generally causes more adhesions to form. In a 50+ year study of thousands of abdominal and pelvic surgeries in the Western world, surgery was found to create new adhesions in 55% to 100% of cases. Unfortunately, no matter how skilled the surgeon, the body needs to heal from the surgery. In doing so, it lays down adhesions as the first step in healing.
Above is an example of a patient’s abdomen before and after abdominal surgery. You can see adhesions forming around the delicate structures of the pelvis and abdomen.
- Pain Medication
  - Since physicians are unable to find the root cause of your problem through diagnostic tests, they are unable to make a clear plan of action to treat your pain. Thus, they may prescribe pain medication to ease your symptoms, without fixing them.
Published Success Rates
We have been able to monitor and publish results in respected peer-reviewed medical journals, including ‘before and after’ X-ray films showing the structural changes we achieve for patients with conditions caused by abdominal and pelvic adhesions.
Testing results with pelvic adhesions. Several studies showed that the therapy opened totally blocked fallopian tubes. Because these tiny structures are generally blocked by adhesions, a review of dye tests conducted before and after therapy provides a good indication of success. In our largest such study, we opened fallopian tubes in 69% of patients — 180 women who had never had surgery on their fallopian tubes. When we included women who had undergone prior surgery on these tiny structures, we opened tubes in 61% of 235 patients.
Abdominal Cramps and Pain
Testing results with abdominal adhesions. One of the more serious, life-threatening conditions that forms from adhesions is small bowel obstruction. Published studies of our work, with before and after radiographic films, demonstrated that we cleared adhesive bowel obstructions – a life-threatening condition. Studies showed that the obstructions cleared, whether the bowel was kinked from the outside like a garden hose or constricted by an internal stricture – the hourglass-shaped narrowing of the bowel. Note: While radiographs cannot show adhesions, they can show their effect. Thus, physicians were able to use radiopaque dye to determine these results for clearing blocked fallopian tubes and blocked intestines.
To view a full list of Clear Passage®️ successes in treating adhesion-related disorders, please visit our Published Success Rates page.
Testimonials
To read past patient success stories, please visit our Testimonial page.
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March 21, 2021
Pain after Physical or Sexual Abuse
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We Treat Pain from Physical or Sexual Abuse Naturally
The physical scars and adhesions that develop in response to physical and sexual abuse can remain in the body for decades after the abuse has stopped. Often invisible to diagnostic tests, adhesions act like tiny straitjackets, binding sensitive structures and causing pain. They can also serve as palpable reminders of abuse, often with terrible memories.
While we may heal from a trauma to the body, so that no scars show on the outside…
Our therapists provide a safe and effective treatment to remove these scars in a caring and healing environment, helping victims of abuse to return to a normal life. Studies in peer-reviewed U.S. and international medical journals found that our manual physio/physical therapy significantly decreased pain and returned function for most patients we treat.
Complete the online Request Consultation form to receive a free phone consultation with an expert therapist to learn more.
Abuse Overview
Physical and sexual abuse can inflict both physical and psychological scars on its victims. While counseling can help people come to grips with the confusing and conflicting emotions so often associated with abuse, it does little to address the physical scars that remain in the body. These scars can exist deep within the body’s tissues decades after abuse has ended. Left untreated, the pain and memories associated with them can last a lifetime.
Physical and sexual abuse can not only cause deep psychological problems, but the physical scars from abuse can literally last a lifetime, binding internal muscles, nerves, and organs in powerful adhesions (internal scars), causing pain or dysfunction.
After freeing tissues that had been bound for years or decades, many have said that we helped them regain a new body – that our physical work was the “missing link” to help get them past their early traumas, at last.
Trauma causes adhesions (internal scars) to form as a natural part of healing. Once formed, they can remain in the body for a lifetime unless treated by a knowledgeable therapist. The trauma may be from a direct force, such as being hit or forcefully abused.
Adhesions may also form when a person develops a protective mechanism, such as constantly being ‘on guard’ against a recurrent perpetrator. The ongoing muscle spasm can cause physical adhesions to form slowly over time. In either case, the body creates internal adhesive straitjackets that can immobilize body tissues – whether from a single devastating incident or from a series of traumatic events.
Clear Passage®️ Treatment
We have treated the deep scarring that occurs from physical and sexual abuse for over 30 years, with expertise and understanding. We have treated numerous patients who developed multiple personalities to deal with the abuse from a large or authoritative aggressor. We find that physically treating the sites of past abuse requires expertise and great sensitivity. Our therapy helps locate, treat, and eliminate the physical pain and dysfunction associated with abuse. All of our work is performed by sensitive and caring therapists in private treatment rooms.
When we physically free these adhesive straitjackets using our manual therapy, the Clear Passage® approach, patients often experience great relief and a profound decrease or resolution of their symptoms. Their bodies become much more mobile and pain-free. Many of our patients have found that the process of freeing these internal physical bonds opens the door for healing their psyche and spirit, helping them leave behind the shadows of the past.
We are highly experienced in this area and sensitive to your need for a ‘safe place’ where you are nurtured and allowed to heal at your own pace. We are happy to consult and work with you and your counselor before, during, or after therapy if you request it.
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Chronic Pain
March 21, 2021
Pain after Radiation Therapy
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We Treat Radiation Pain Due to Adhesions
Radiation therapy can cause massive scarring or adhesions deep in the body. Clear Passage®️ is a world leader with over two decades of experience decreasing and eliminating adhesions. Studies published in peer-reviewed U.S. and international medical journals found that this manual physio/physical therapy decreased pain and increased function in various areas of the body where tissues were previously diagnosed as “beyond repair.”
Complete the online Request Consultation form to receive a free phone consultation with an expert therapist and learn more.
Causes and Frequency of Pain After Radiation Therapy
Frequently prescribed to treat cancer, radiation therapy can cause adhesions (internal scars) to form in the body. These adhesions can cause moderate to severe pain or dysfunction. Radiation therapy adhesions act like a very strong glue, adhering the irradiated tissues to nearby organs, muscles, bones, and connective tissues.
Where adhesions occur, organs and muscles can become bound together, losing their ability to function normally. Pain or other symptoms are frequent results. Symptoms may appear far from the site of the original trauma as adhesions spread to neighboring organs.
At a microscopic level, tiny cross-links, the building blocks of adhesions, form at the sites where the body needs to heal from the damage done by radiation therapy. These adhesions attach irradiated tissues with a tensile strength approaching 2,000 pounds per square inch (140 kilograms per square centimeter).
Abdominal Cramps and Pain
Treatments
Clear Passage®️ Treatment
We have treated countless patients who suffer from post-radiation adhesions. Our work, the Clear Passage® Approach, was developed by physical therapist Belinda Wurn and her therapist husband Larry over 20 years ago, to treat the adhesions that formed in Belinda’s body after she underwent surgery and massive radiation therapy to her pelvis. The radiation helped cure Belinda’s cancer but left her with adhesions that caused unexplained pain and organ dysfunction in various parts of her body.
With over 30 years of study and development, the primary goal of the Clear Passage® approach is to decrease adhesions. Reducing or eliminating adhesions with this therapy has been shown to increase mobility, decrease pain, and restore function to adhered areas of the body. We are highly skilled in palpating restricted areas of the body. Our focus is to reduce adhesions, decrease pain, and improve soft tissue mobility.
We treat the soft tissues of the body with our hands, using a site-specific bodywork we developed to decrease adhesions affecting muscles, organs, their connective tissues, and their attachments. Our conservative, non-surgical approach has been very effective in treating pain and dysfunction.
In this broader view, cross-links join collagen fibers to create curtains or ropes of adhesions that bind large structures together – often causing significant problems. Doctors and patients may have difficulty diagnosing the problem because adhesions do not generally appear on diagnostic tests – MRI, CT, or X-rays.
Stepping back in magnification, cross-links bind the cells of individual muscles or organs to each other, creating pain or immobility within those structures.
Other Treatment Options (Surgery, Drugs)
Other than pain-masking drugs, we are not aware of other options for people who suffer from pain after radiation therapy. We have found that unless we address the strong, underlying adhesions and scars that pull on pain-sensitive structures, patients are generally unable to find relief.
Most physicians agree that surgery to decrease radiation pain is a treatment of last resort. While surgery can address adhesions and other mechanical problems, the formation of new post-surgical adhesions can trap patients in an endless “surgery-adhesion-surgery” cycle, often worsening the original problem.
Testimonials
To read past patient success stories, please visit our Testimonials page.
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Chronic Pain
March 21, 2021
Myofascial Pain
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We Treat Myofascial Pain Naturally
Clear Passage®️ has over two decades of experience treating the adhesions that cause myofascial pain, which is closely associated with adhered soft tissue. We use a non-surgical, manual physio/physical therapy to decrease the adhesive pulls on delicate, pain-sensitive tissues, alleviating myofascial pain symptoms significantly. Complete our online Request Consultation form to receive a free consultation with one of our expert therapists.
Causes and Frequency of Myofascial Pain
Millions of Americans have musculoskeletal pain. An estimated 10 million suffer from either myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) or fibromyalgia (FM). While they have much in common, these are now recognized to be two distinct syndromes. MPS is a localized disorder, while FM is a systemic disorder. (Schneider, 1995)
Because patients with these two distinct conditions have similar symptoms, it is easy for both patients and physicians to be confused about the correct diagnosis. Although there are clear-cut differences between the classic manifestations of the two syndromes, many patients have symptoms that appear to be features of both conditions. Some diagnostic tests do not show abnormalities in either condition. Both MPS and FM are considered diagnoses of exclusion. This means that you must exclude the possibility that the patient’s symptoms are due to some other disorder before you can conclude that the proper diagnosis is MPS or FM.
Adhesions from prior life events can cause persistent pulls or pain in the back, hip or neck – or anywhere in the body.
Janet Travell, M.D., a pioneering researcher in the field of MPS, describes this syndrome as “a regional muscle pain disorder that is characterized by tender spots in taut bands of muscle that refer pain to areas overlying or distant to the tenderness.” (Travell & Simons, 1983) Some patients develop MPS following trauma, although they may not be aware of the connection since the trauma can precede the onset of pain by weeks or even months.
Besides trauma, other potential causes or perpetuating factors for MPS include muscle strain and frequent exposure to cold, overwork, and fatigue. Some mechanical problems with the structure of the body are also thought to be possible causes of MPS. These may include a short leg, an asymmetrical pelvis, a long second toe in the foot, and dental abnormalities. Other factors that are thought to lead to MPS are overly tight bra straps, as well as compression of the hamstring muscles on the back of the thigh by the edge of a seat. The typical sitting posture of today’s office worker at a desk or computer terminal, forward head posture, and slumped posture, has also been linked with the increased prevalence of MPS.
Symptoms
Symptoms of Myofascial pain include, but are not limited to:
- A tender knot in a muscle
- Pain that persists or worsens
- Difficulty sleeping due to pain
- Deep, aching pain in a muscle
Treatments
Clear Passage®️ Treatment
At Clear Passage®️, we treat difficult, persistent MPS pain using a “hands-on” approach to alleviate your symptoms and discover the cause of your pain. We have been successful in helping many patients who have been unable to find pain relief through other treatment methods, such as traditional physical therapy and medications.
We begin by treating tight and dysfunctional areas in your body. A few minutes into your first treatment session, our therapists will be providing a gentle stretch for a sustained period of time to areas of your body where we feel abnormal tensions. This has been very effective in decreasing adhesions and frequently resolving pain symptoms. Goals of treatment include restoring alignment, balance, and mobility to the pelvis, sacrum, thoracic and lumbar spines. We address headaches, neck, back, and hip symptoms. We will treat the affected connective tissues and abdominopelvic organs.
Our therapists follow soft tissue therapies with a stretching and strengthening program focused on the core of the body as well as areas of prior pain, dysfunction or decreased range of motion.
Other treatment goals focus on decreasing pain and restoring the range of motion. We work with you to improve your function and your tolerance for physical activity to return you to an active, productive lifestyle
Other Treatment Options (Surgery, Drugs)
Other treatment options for myofascial pain can range from self-care to pain medication to needle procedures.
Self-care treatments can include stretching and relaxing; however, if this does not resolve your pain, you may need to see a doctor.
Medications available to alleviate your pain include pain relievers, antidepressants, and sedatives. Pain relievers will treat the symptoms of your condition, making it easier to go about your everyday life, but they do little to effectively treat your condition. A variety of antidepressants can help to relieve pain in some patients and improve sleep if your pain is keeping you awake at night. Sedatives can also help to address the problem of poor sleep from persistent myofascial pain, as well as any anxiety that arises from your condition. However, with sedatives and pain relievers, there is the risk of addiction. It is also important to keep in mind that these medications are rather ineffective in treating your condition as a whole. Instead, they treat your symptoms and problems that arise from your symptoms.
Needle procedures aim to inject numbing agents and or steroids into trigger points of your pain. It has been found effective in some patients that the act of inserting the needle into the trigger point helps to break apart the muscle tension. Acupuncture also appears to be helpful in pain relief from myofascial pain syndrome.
Testimonials
To read past patient success stories, please visit our Testimonials page.
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March 21, 2021
TMJ/TMD
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We Treat TMD/TMJ Pain Naturally
We find that chronic TMD generally stems from ‘mechanical’ factors involving structures lower down the body – areas often overlooked or not fully treated by others. The jaw or temporomandibular joints (TMJs) can be affected by tightness or asymmetries in the neck, back, or even the pelvis. Asymmetry among the bones of the cranium can exacerbate the condition, perpetuating the pain and symptoms (Walczynska-Dragch, 2014). Unless these areas are fully addressed, TMD can recur and become a chronic, painful condition.
There is no reason to live with daily pain, locking jaws, or nighttime clenching. Manual therapy has been shown to be effective for treating TMD in published studies (Tuncer, 2013; Kalamir, 2010; Cuccia, 2010). Our non-surgical, drug-free physio/physical therapy has decreased or eliminated the mechanical restrictions that pull TM joints out of alignment, and returned patients to a symptom-free life.
Complete our online Request Consultation form to receive a free phone consultation with an expert therapist and learn more.
Causes and Frequency of TMD/TMJ
It is conservatively estimated that over 10 million people in the U.S. suffer from TMD. The condition appears to be more common in women than in men. Dr. Harold Gelb, a leading specialist in this area, proposes that TMD is a primary initiating factor in approximately 80 percent of all chronic pain disorders.
TMJ symptoms can include pressure or pain around the eyes, cheeks, or face, at the back or base of the skull, the jaw joint(s), upper shoulders, or upper neck. They may also include:
- headache or dizziness
- pain or ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- popping or clicking when opening or closing the mouth
- clenching and grinding the teeth at night or when stressed
- inability to open the mouth fully or having the jaw stuck open (Ohrbach, 2011)
TMJ symptoms sometimes include pressure or pain around the eyes, cheeks, or face, at the back or base of the skull, and at the jaw joint(s), upper shoulders, or upper neck.
Thus, our therapists use a structural, “whole body” approach to treat TMJ pain and related symptoms to return symmetry and comfort to your jaw.
Symptoms may begin after a motor vehicle accident, whiplash, or fall, or the removal of wisdom teeth or back molars. They have been linked to early thumb sucking, breathing through the mouth (rather than nose breathing), or an overbite.
TMJ pain can be disabling, affecting every aspect of a person’s life. Many people experience chronic pain that originates in and around one or both sides of the jaw. As time goes on, this can become the site of arthritis or other degenerative problems.
Contrary to what many believe, we find that chronic TMJ pain is more often an orthopedic problem than a problem with the teeth. We find the primary cause of TMD in most of our patients to be myofascial; thus, we view the TMJ in relation to the whole body. It is an extension of the spine, dependent on the symmetry and function of the entire mechanical structure below the jaw. Because it is located at the top of the kinetic chain, the jaw can be significantly affected by musculoskeletal imbalances that occur throughout the body.
Balance of the jaw requires a balanced alignment of all major structures lower in the body, down to the pelvis and sometimes into the legs. If tight areas below the jaw are not corrected, TMJ symptoms return after the patient begins to stand and walk.
Since the head rests at the top of the spine, TMD symptoms are often caused or exacerbated by poor biomechanics in the neck, back, or pelvis. Thus, it is sometimes necessary to treat biomechanical and soft tissue dysfunction in or around the sacroiliac joint in the pelvis (Saito, 2009). The sacrum acts somewhat like a universal joint in a car; it is the body’s center of gravity and stability, simultaneously negotiating forces transferred from the legs to the upper body. The joints of the pelvis represent significant structural and functional units during bending, lifting, twisting, walking, and other daily activities. We find that proper alignment of the bones of the pelvis is required for symmetrical, pain-free function of the jaw.
In short, if the pelvis, spine, or neck is out of alignment, the TM joints have to compensate. TMD pain sufferers are often unable to find relief unless we address the entire support structure.
Treatments
Clear Passage®️ Treatment
Clear Passage®️ therapists have successfully treated severe and recurring TMJ symptoms for over 30 years. We can work independently, or we are glad to work in tandem with physicians and dentists to address the TM joints. We have instructed dentists in manual approaches to treat TMD at annual meetings of the American Academy of Head, Neck, Facial Pain, and TMJ Orthopedics.
Adhesions that tighten muscles at the base of the skull are a primary focus for many patients who suffer TMJ symptoms.
Many of our patients find that the “missing link” in TMD therapy is our structural, “whole body” approach. We recognize that the alignment of delicate TM joints is dependent on the larger body structures that support them. If the body’s support structures at the pelvis, spine, and neck are under stress and misaligned, the TMJ has no choice but to compensate in response. By freeing and aligning the support structures, then working our way up the body and into the jaw, we generally see an excellent resolution of pain and symptoms.
The Clear Passage®️ approach is a protocol of over 200 manual techniques designed to treat the entire body, with a focus on areas of pain and dysfunction. We use a “hands-on” approach to create a stable foundation at the pelvis and lower back, which supports the spine, neck, and TM joints. While we may start with an evaluation of the head, neck, and jaw, we often find it beneficial to work up our patients’ bodies, starting at the larger structures of the pelvis. From there, we may work deeply into the lower, then upper back and shoulders – and finally into the neck and jaw. Our goals are to return a normal, pain-free range of motion and help patients return to a happy, productive quality of life. We will also teach you self-treatment techniques to help you maintain the gains you make with us.
We directly treat the powerful muscles of the cheeks and mouth while treating the delicate TM joint. We also move further down the body to address any asymmetry or tightness in its support structures.
The TMJ (temporomandibular joint) is a tiny joint that exists on both sides of the head. As such, it is greatly influenced by the muscles of the head and neck – and the symmetry of the much larger support structures below it (shoulders, spine, sacrum, and pelvis).
Other Treatment Options (Surgery, Drugs)
Other treatment methods to address TMD and facial pain symptoms include splints and night guards. Dentists may suggest grinding or building up the vertical dimension of the bite, or even surgery, to obtain the symmetry we generally achieve with our non-invasive therapy. While most agree that surgery is a last resort, some people do not obtain TMJ pain relief or restored function even after one or more surgeries. (Buescher, 2007; Valladares-Neto, 2014). If your dentist has already ground down (equilibrated) some of your teeth, or if you find a splint helpful to prevent headaches or teeth grinding, we strongly suggest a lower splint rather than an upper splint. We are glad to discuss this and other suggestions during therapy.
Testimonials
To read patient success stories, please visit our Testimonials page.
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March 21, 2021
Migraines/Chronic Headaches
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We Treat Migraine and Headache Pain Without Drugs

Testimonials of Clear Passage® patients who used to have Chronic Migraines/Headaches.
Migraine headaches can be caused by ‘mechanical’ factors, which are sometimes overlooked or left untreated by physicians. Clear Passage®️ therapists have successfully treated severe and recurring migraine headaches without drugs for over 20 years.
Our natural migraine headache treatment can decrease or eliminate the mechanical restrictions pulling on the base of the skull, the temples, the sinus, the jaws, or the top of the head.
Complete our online Request Consultation form to receive a free phone consultation with an expert therapist and learn whether our therapy can help you.
A key part of our therapy is a thorough evaluation of the biomechanics of headache symptoms. We review your history of traumas, infections, and surgeries. Then we look beyond our strong focus on the cranium and evaluate asymmetry and adhered areas in the neck, thoracic spine, shoulders, and throughout the body.
Causes and Frequency of Chronic Migraines and Headaches
Nearly 45 million people in the United States live with chronic headaches. About seven million people report debilitating headaches that last for hours at a time, at least every two days. It is estimated that 157 million workdays are lost due to headaches, and two billion dollars are spent on over-the-counter painkillers to treat headache symptoms each year.
Biomechanics of the head and neck
The head is comprised of 28 bones that articulate with each other, much like continental shelves on the Earth’s surface. Some bones define the surface of our skull, while others go deep into our head where they articulate with other cranial bones, connective tissue, the brain, and various glands (pituitary, hypothalamus, etc).
The central nervous system contains the tree-trunk-shaped structure (spinal cord) that connects most of the major nerves of our body to our brain. This entire structure is surrounded by strong connective tissues, which act as a protector and shock absorber, as our spinal cord joins and infuses with the tissues of the brain. From the brain, the spinal cord and its protective fascial sleeve (the dura) travel down through the vertebrae to its anchor at the coccyx.
Thus, the head is composed of remarkable and complex pain-sensitive structures, all of which are surrounded and infused with very strong connective tissues called fascia. Our body’s fascia is actually a continuous weave — a very strong three-dimensional ‘sweater’ that runs from the top of our head through our neck, shoulders, back, and down to our feet.
The head rests at the top of the spine within this fascial sweater. Restricted tissues below the head can create unnatural pressures on the delicate structures of our head and neck, creating a straitjacket effect that causes or perpetuates headaches.
Early on, we found that many of our chronic pain patients suffered migraine headaches. These required multiple drugs, sometimes multiple doctors, and still sent them for regular emergency room visits. Despite success in treating these headaches, some patients reported a persistent problem. We set out to find a more complete resolution for migraine headaches.
For this reason, we take a full-body approach when evaluating chronic headaches. In doing so, we find that headaches often accompany the stooped, forward head posture common to certain professions, such as dentists, hairdressers, gynecologists, and people who work in front of computers.
In essence, the head must adapt its position in space according to the position of the much larger structures below it–the spine, back, and pelvis. Thus, chronic or recurring headaches are often the result of sustained muscle contraction, compensatory postures, and fascial pulls or joint restrictions further down the body. For this reason, cranial imbalances that cause recurring headaches may occur from structural imbalance in the neck or torso, or even down into the pelvis, sacrum, lumbosacral junction, or base of the skull.
We find a major contributory factor to headaches to be mechanical and soft tissue dysfunction of the mid-back, where thick, tight mid-back muscles create a strong pull at the base of the skull and into the head.
Further down the spine, we find that dysfunctions of the sacral joints (in the pelvis) and surrounding musculature and fascia (connective tissue) may also contribute to chronic headaches. Strong connections from the low and mid-back can pull through the neck to the base of the skull, causing or perpetuating headaches. Unless these tissues are freed from their patterns of spasm and myofascial adhesions, the headaches will continue and eventually worsen.
In addition, there is very little ‘play’ in the dura, the fascial sleeve that surrounds the spinal cord, with attachments at the head, neck, sacrum, and coccyx. Falls, infections, or surgeries that pulled the tailbone forward often created a significant pull on the tissues at the base of the skull – and into the head.
Strong attachments of the dura to the tailbone (coccyx) can cause a significant pull up through the spinal cord to its attachment at the base of the skull. Thus, when a person falls onto her/his tailbone or has a physical trauma there (auto accident, physical or sexual abuse), the tailbone can be pushed forward. When that happens, the spinal cord can be pulled down sharply, often creating a strong pull on its next attachment at the base of the skull, causing headaches. We see this condition often in our approach to migraine headache treatment.
Why do I get persistent or chronic headaches or migraines?
While some headaches are caused by medical conditions such as hormonal or endocrine imbalances, we find that most recurring headaches are caused or exacerbated by mechanical factors. These include muscle tension of the facial, cranial, neck, and chewing muscles, and restricted cranial bone mobility. Muscles in spasm may impair circulation within the head and neck due to their pressure on blood vessels, causing pain. Compression of blood vessels at the base of the skull can cause headaches as blood flow is slowed from leaving the enclosed skull.
Any of these conditions may be exacerbated by poor work postures. Adhesions caused by inflammation at the head, neck, or related structures can also be a direct cause of headaches, as strong glue-like bonds pull on pain-sensitive structures within the head.
Patients with mechanical headache pain often report that they feel a place in their head or neck “where the headache starts or resides.” We generally find this patient feedback to be accurate and quite important. It helps us examine the mechanical forces that cause or impact the patient’s chronic headaches and relieve them using hands-on techniques, without surgery or drugs.
A migraine headache can be severe, with symptoms lasting anywhere between several hours to several days. The associated pain can be pulsating or throbbing on either or both sides of the head. The headache is sometimes accompanied by visual disturbances, sensitivity to light or sound, or digestive symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
In most cases, we have found that the direct cause of or a major contributor to migraine headaches is soft tissue tightness at:
- The base of the skull,
- One or both temples or eyes
- The top of the head was the direct cause
- Areas significantly below the skull (neck, shoulders, back, surgical scars, or the coccyx (tailbone)
We found that a missing element for these patients was a full body approach. Simply put, adhered tissues in the larger structures of the back, abdomen, pelvis and even legs were pulling on the delicate structures of the neck and head, perpetuating the pain.
Treatments
Clear Passage®️ Treatment
A key part of our therapy is a thorough evaluation that can help identify the biomechanics of headache symptoms. We look beyond the cranium to evaluate tightness and asymmetry at the neck, shoulders, back, and even tailbone — important areas that are often overlooked when treating recurring headaches.
The primary goals of our manual therapy, the Clear Passage® Approach, are to increase mobility and decrease pain. We are highly skilled in using our hands to palpate tightened areas of the head, neck, and back until the tensions release. Our unique therapy appears to reduce adhesions, decrease pain, and improve mobility.
Free of the glue-like adhesions, most patients find their cycle of recurring headaches to be significantly improved or completely eliminated after therapy. As pain begins to resolve, we work to restore alignment, balance, and mobility to the entire body, so that headaches do not return.
In many cases, the base of the skull acts as the anchor – and the place where headaches often started. Treating this area helped, as we found in our early cases. But when we treated adhered tissues in the lower body as well, our most challenging migraine patients started reporting profound, generally permanent relief.
Other Treatment Options
Traditional migraine headache treatment methods vary considerably, and many people do not obtain complete pain relief after conservative treatment such as traditional physical therapy or medications. Chiropractic care may help for a period of time, but unless we address the strong, underlying adhesions that pull the cranial structures out of balance, chronic headache pain tends to persist. Injections such as nerve blocks may address the symptoms but do little to treat the cause of the headaches. Surgery for headaches is extremely rare and considered a last-resort treatment.
Testimonials
Read one of our patient testimonials below:
“For most of my adult life, I had suffered from chronic headaches. These started in my mid-twenties, and by my early thirties, they were occurring on a daily basis and becoming more severe. I had consulted with a number of different internists and neurologists who estimated that these were essentially muscle-tension headaches, but often of migraine intensity. I had explored almost every treatment available, including medications that ranged from over-the-counter analgesics to narcotic painkillers. I had also investigated non-traditional methods such as acupuncture, biofeedback, and chiropractic adjustments, but none had much effect. By my late thirties, these headaches had become incapacitating to the point where they often limited activities and even resulted in trips to the emergency room. Needless to say, this health condition was having a substantial negative impact on my life.
In those twenty-some years, I had seen nearly a dozen medical “specialists” and yet none was able to ascertain the cause of my headaches. Things changed, however, when I met Larry and Belinda Wurn at Clear Passage®️ Physical Therapy. In simply observing my posture, they could tell that something was not right, essentially that the muscles in my back were contracted in a manner that put excessive pressure on my neck – the basis for the unbearable headaches. It’s difficult to ascertain the initial cause, but a critical car accident in my early twenties, along with many other falls and injuries over the years, most likely played a part. Incredibly, I felt relief after the first treatment, and within a few weeks, the headaches had been reduced to a point where I no longer needed medication. Today, I am nearly headache-free, and when they do occur, nothing more than aspirin is needed to relieve the pain. In all of those years, doctors never suggested such a simple solution to what is a relatively common problem. I’m very thankful to Clear Passage®️ for their resolution of this debilitating health issue and strongly recommend this very effective alternative to anyone in a similar situation.”
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Chronic Pain
March 21, 2021
Tailbone (Coccyx) Pain
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We Treat Tailbone Pain Without Drugs or Surgery
The tailbone (coccyx) is vulnerable to direct and often repeated traumas that can begin early in life. A fall onto the buttocks while walking, climbing, skating, or during other athletic activities can cause direct blows that injure this delicate area. Repetitive traumas to the coccyx can occur from prolonged periods of sitting at work, bicycle or horseback riding, or similar activities. Car accidents and a difficult childbirth are also frequent causes of tailbone injuries.
With an early focus on pelvic pain and dysfunction, Clear Passage®️ therapists have successfully treated coccyx pain since 1989. Our therapy is conservative and designed to relieve the pain permanently, without the risks of surgery or the need for pain medications. Studies published in peer-reviewed U.S. and international medical journals attest to our success in this area.
Complete the online Request Consultation form to receive a phone consultation with an expert therapist, at no cost to you, to learn more about non-surgical treatment for coccyx pain and whether it is appropriate for you.
Causes and Frequency of Tailbone Pain
The tailbone can cause pain or dysfunction when it is pushed or pulled forward
A fall, surgery, accident, or any of the examples above can move the tailbone out of its normal alignment and restrict its mobility, causing constipation, tailbone pain, or lower back pain. In these situations, the coccyx may be pushed into an awkward angle. The internal adhesions that form, along with the consequent pulls on support ligaments, muscles, and nerves, can cause moderate to debilitating tailbone pain. Reproductive and sexual function can also be affected by this mechanism. Examples of problems can include inability to have an orgasm, difficulty maintaining an erection, decreased libido, and infertility. When out of alignment or stuck in a forward position, the coccyx can act like a partly closed door, causing pain with bowel movements and during deep intercourse for women.
A fall, surgery, or accident can move the tailbone out of its normal place, causing constipation, tailbone pain, or lower back pain. In all of these situations, the coccyx may be pushed into an awkward angle. The consequent pull on support ligaments and nerves can cause moderate to debilitating tailbone pain. Reproductive and sexual function can also be affected by this mechanism. Examples of problems can include inability to have an orgasm or difficulty maintaining an erection, decreased libido and infertility.
The tailbone is vulnerable to numerous traumas in life, with blows from behind during a fall…
and from adhesions in front, which can pull the tailbone forward.
Symptoms
Tailbone pain (coccydynia or coccygodynia) can affect all aspects of a person’s life and the lives of their families and friends. Pain that persists for more than three months is considered chronic.
Symptoms may include:
- Constipation
- Severe Headaches
- Difficulty with sitting
- Independent or concurrent back pain
- Pain with deep penetration during intercourse (for women)
Treatments
Clear Passage®️ Treatment
Clear Passage®️ therapists have successfully treated tailbone pain since 1989. Many of our tailbone pain patients spend years searching for relief before finding us. For most of them, the search for pain relief ends with significant or total resolution after treatment at one of our clinics.
Our treatment of coccyx pain requires no surgery or medications. We will sometimes perform a slow and gentle stretch of the ligaments on each side of the tailbone, accessed by a gloved finger in the vagina or rectum. We work with tender areas in the pelvic floor muscles that attach to the front of the coccyx (obturator internus, coccygeus, iliococcygeus, pubococcygeus). These are important for many pelvic functions, including bowel movements and continence (the ability to retain bodily waste).
Due to its unique placement in the body, the coccyx can affect functions as diverse as bowel movements and the ability to walk or run symmetrically and without pain. To thoroughly treat this area, we may also address nearby muscles in the buttocks, hips, and lower back, freeing whatever tight and restricted areas we find. For example, the gluteus maximus, which extends the thigh, has strong attachments at the sacrum and coccyx. Freeing the soft tissues in this area of adhesions that developed in response to falls, surgeries, or even poor posture helps us correct any imbalances or restricted mobility of the sacrum, pelvic bones, and joints – as well as the coccyx.
Pain in the coccyx sometimes originates from or is exacerbated by problems in other locations. Because of this, we often find it important to treat the sacroiliac joint (junction of the sacrum and ilia), the hip, or the lower back.
Our initial goal is to decrease adhesive bonds and any consequent spasm, tightness, or tensions in the area. As we do this, bones and joints return to an earlier state of symmetry and improved mobility, one that occurred before problems at the coccyx.
Depending on the patient’s history, adhesions in the low back, hip, and coccyx can form over years – or even decades. Thus, as we treat, it can take some time (a few minutes to many minutes) for us to begin to make permanent changes in the body. During that time, the tissues begin to slowly relax; the molecular-chemical bonds that bind collagen fibers together, causing adhesions, appear to dissolve or detach. This process is designed to slowly return the body to an earlier state of pain-free mobility. Simply put, rather than forcing change, we work within your body’s limits.
A displaced tailbone can cause persistent or recurring headaches due to the pull of the dura, which stretches from the tailbone to the skull.
When working “with” the body and allowing change to happen at the body’s “own pace,” we created more permanent changes. We take the time required to achieve lasting results.
Depending on your goals, we may teach you stretching exercises for the involved muscles, such as those in the pelvic floor, buttocks, hips, and lower back. We also provide a home program that may involve exercises to relax and strengthen the pelvic area.
Few clinics or physicians offer treatment for tailbone pain other than medications to mask the pain. While chiropractic adjustments may help temporarily, trying to “force” the coccyx into a more normal position doesn’t generally provide a lasting solution, in our experience. We find that long-term pain resolution requires decreasing the strong, underlying adhesions that attach to the coccyx, pulling it out of its normal alignment and causing pain or dysfunction.
Clear Passage®️ therapists have extensive experience treating this delicate area. We do so with the patient’s permission, respect for their privacy and comfort, and professionalism. Patients are totally draped to preserve their modesty at all times during this treatment. We explain what we are going to do, the reason it will help, and explain what we are doing while we are treating.
Experience relief from debilitating tailbone pain with Clear Passage® Physical Therapy’s gentle, non-invasive approach – Request Information and schedule your Free Consultation today to discover how our expert therapists can help you regain comfort and mobility, then visit our Apply to Therapy page to take the first step towards a pain-free life.
Other Treatment Options (Surgery, Drugs)
Most physicians agree that surgery is a treatment of last resort for coccyx pain. While surgery can address adhesions and other mechanical problems, surgery also causes more adhesions to form as the body heals from the surgery. Surgically removing part of the tailbone has brought relief for some; for others, it has brought a lifetime of debilitating pain. If you are considering surgery to remove your coccyx, visit our Avoid Surgery to Remove the Tailbone page.
Testimonials
To read past patient success stories, please visit our Testimonials page.
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March 21, 2021