Women's Health

If you have pelvic pain, visiting your neuromusculoskeletal medicine (NMM) doctor can help because osteopathic medicine understands our bodies as interconnected systems. Pelvic pain often comes from multiple overlapping causes, including musculoskeletal imbalance, nerve irritation, organ dysfunction, posture issues, and even stress. NMM doctors are trained to view all these factors collectively. Rather than focusing just on the area that hurts, an NMM physician understands how the pelvis, spine, hips, abdominal muscles, and surrounding structures might influence each other and lead to discomfort and pain.

Your NMM physician can administer osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). These hands-on techniques work with your body and can help restore mobility to joints in the pelvis and lower back, release tight muscles, and improve blood flow and lymphatic drainage in the affected area. For some people, pelvic pain might come from sacroiliac joint dysfunction, pelvic floor muscle tension, or postural patterns that place uneven stresses on the pelvis. By finding and addressing these biomechanical contributors directly, OMT helps reduce pain, improve function, and support the body’s natural ability to heal.

NMM doctors appreciate that each person is unique, and emphasize individualized care. We can evaluate daily habits, exercise patterns, ergonomics, sleep, and stress levels that may aggravate pelvic pain. A DO can recommend targeted stretches, strengthening exercises, and lifestyle modifications to support pelvic alignment and reduce uncomfortable strain on surrounding tissues. This preventive, whole-person approach can lead to better long-term outcomes than symptom-based treatment alone.



Importantly, NMM doctors are fully licensed physicians; we combine hands-on care with complete medical evaluations, so we can rule out underlying gynecologic, gastrointestinal, urologic, or other causes of pelvic pain, order imaging when needed, and coordinate with specialists. This means patients get the benefits of integrative, manual therapy and comprehensive medical care, making osteopathic care a strong option for anyone seeking a more holistic and effective approach to managing or resolving their pelvic pain.

Many pregnant people choose to see an osteopathic neuromusculoskeletal medicine (NMM) physician because of our whole-person, structurally informed approach to care. Pregnancy brings rapid and dramatic changes to the entire musculoskeletal system: ligament softening, postural shifts, changes in gait, and increased pressure on the back, pelvis, and ribcage. NMM physicians are trained to understand how these changes affect the body as a coordinated system rather than being just isolated pockets of symptoms. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) can help support mobility, ease muscular tension, and improve overall comfort during pregnancy. For many, this hands-on, individualized care complements routine prenatal visits and supports both physical well-being and stress reduction.

Pregnant patients also seek NMM care for support with issues like back pain, sciatica, rib discomfort, or pelvic asymmetry, all of which can become more noticeable as pregnancy progresses. NMM doctors can use many techniques that help safely resolve restrictions in motion, encourage healthy alignment, and support the body’s natural ability to adapt to these many changes. Because NMM comprehensively integrates specialized structural assessment and medical knowledge, we can tailor care to each stage of pregnancy and coordinate it with standard prenatal management.



OMT is safe during pregnancy when performed by properly trained osteopathic physicians. Techniques for pregnant patients are selected specifically to avoid pressure on the abdomen, understanding and accommodating the physiological changes in pregnancy. Complications from OMT in pregnancy are rare, and NMM doctors know when certain techniques are appropriate and when they should be avoided. Importantly, NMM physicians receive full and complete medical training, including education in obstetrics and gynecology. This means we understand fetal development, the physiology of pregnancy, and obstetric conditions, enabling us to integrate hands-on treatment safely within broader prenatal care to relieve discomfort and identify if referral or medical intervention is needed for the safety and well-being of you and your baby.