Every month, millions of women and menstruating individuals prepare for their menstrual cycle not just with hygiene products—but with heating pads, ibuprofen, and maybe even days blocked off the calendar. Cramping. Fatigue. Mood swings. Nausea. It can feel like your body hijacks your life. But what if your pain is not just “part of being a woman”? What if it is a deeper signal from your nervous system?
You are not weak. You are not overreacting. Your brain and body are trying to communicate. And understanding that message can change everything.
Pain That Disrupts Your Life
Menstrual cramps, or dysmenorrhea, are often brushed off as normal. But when pain interrupts school, work, or daily function, something more complex may be going on. Functional neurology looks at how your brain, spine, and peripheral systems interact with hormones, inflammation, and pain. It asks: how is your nervous system handling the signals being sent from your reproductive organs? And is that signal regulation healthy—or out of balance?
What Is Really Going On During Your Cycle
To understand menstrual pain, we need to look at the phases of your cycle and the hormonal changes that come with them:
1. Follicular Phase (Day 1–14)
- Starts on the first day of menstruation.
- Estrogen levels gradually rise to rebuild the uterine lining.
- Your brain communicates with the ovaries via FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone).
2. Ovulation (~Day 14)
- Surge in LH causes an egg to be released.
- Estrogen peaks.
3. Luteal Phase (Day 15–28)
- Progesterone rises, preparing the uterus for possible pregnancy.
- If fertilization doesn’t occur, estrogen and progesterone drop, triggering the shedding of the uterine lining.
Here is where the trouble starts.
Cramping: More Than Just Muscle Spasms
When hormone levels drop at the end of the cycle, the uterus contracts to expel the lining. These contractions are triggered by prostaglandins, hormone-like substances that promote inflammation and pain. Too many prostaglandins = stronger, more painful cramps.
But this is not just a reproductive issue—it is also a neurological one. Prostaglandins affect the brain’s pain centers, including the thalamus and limbic system, which are responsible for pain perception and emotional response. If your nervous system is already sensitive—due to stress, trauma, poor sleep, or gut inflammation—your brain may amplify pain signals.
Common Accompanying Symptoms
You might notice other symptoms that fluctuate with your cycle. That is because hormones and the nervous system are deeply intertwined. Common symptoms include:
- Fatigue or insomnia
- Mood swings, anxiety, or depression
- Brain fog
- Headaches or migraines
- Bloating and digestive changes
- Breast tenderness
- Low back or leg pain
These symptoms are not isolated. They are clues that your autonomic nervous system and neuroendocrine axis are struggling to maintain balance.
Why Visceral Work Matters: Addressing Anatomy, Not Just Inflammation
Visceral manipulation is not just about relaxing the nervous system—it is about restoring the physical alignment and mobility of internal organs. The uterus, bladder, colon, and ovaries are suspended in a fascial network of ligaments and connective tissue. Over time, adhesions, scar tissue, or structural imbalances can limit their mobility.
Common anatomical reasons for menstrual pain:
- Tilted uterus: A retroverted (tipped backward) or anteverted (tilted forward) uterus can compress nerves or reduce proper drainage from pelvic organs.
- Fascial adhesions: Post-surgical scars, infections, or inflammation can cause connective tissue to stick and restrict organ movement.
- Restricted organ motility: The natural movement of organs during breathing and posture is essential for circulation and lymphatic flow. Without it, congestion and inflammation build.
Visceral work helps restore gliding and balance between organs and their surrounding fascia. This reduces local inflammation, improves vascular and lymphatic drainage, and sends calming input back to the brainstem via the vagus nerve—reducing pain and improving regulation.
What About Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition in which tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus—on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, bowel, bladder, and even nerves. These tissues respond to hormonal changes and can bleed and inflame during the cycle, leading to debilitating pain.
It is not just a reproductive condition—it is also a neurological and immune condition.
In endometriosis, we often see:
- Increased central sensitization: The brain becomes hypersensitive to pain signals from the pelvic region.
- Neuroinflammation: The inflammatory environment can irritate nearby nerves, especially the sacral plexus and pelvic splanchnic nerves.
- Cross-talk with the gut-brain axis: Many with endometriosis also struggle with IBS-like symptoms due to inflammation affecting both systems.
Functional neurology helps support people with endometriosis by:
- Regulating pain pathways (thalamus, insula, anterior cingulate cortex)
- Balancing autonomic tone through vagus nerve rehabilitation
- Using myofascial and visceral therapies to reduce local tension and neural irritation
- Supporting immune modulation through nutrition and lymphatic work
While surgery or medical management is sometimes necessary, supporting the brain-body system with holistic tools can drastically improve quality of life for those with endometriosis.
A Functional Neurology Perspective
Functional neurology sees menstrual pain not as a standalone problem, but as part of a bigger picture—brain-body communication.
Here is what might be out of balance:
- Brainstem dysregulation: This area controls autonomic functions like digestion and vascular tone. If the brainstem is irritated (from trauma, inflammation, etc.), you may be more sensitive to pain.
- Cortical inhibition: When your brain does not efficiently dampen pain signals, even minor cramps can feel severe.
- Viscerosomatic convergence: The spinal cord receives both visceral (organ) and somatic (body) input in the same area. Miscommunication here can cause referred pain or increased pain perception.
Holistic Treatment Options That Make a Difference
Your body is intelligent. It just needs the right support. Functional neurology combines neurological rehab with holistic methods to improve brain-body regulation.
Here is what that can look like:
1. Myofascial Therapy
Tight pelvic and abdominal fascia can restrict blood flow and lymphatic drainage, contributing to pain and inflammation. Myofascial release techniques gently reduce tissue tension and improve nerve glide, helping the nervous system process sensory input more clearly.
Relevant research shows that manual therapies can significantly reduce menstrual pain by improving circulation and reducing central sensitization (Langendoen & Keizer, 2021).
2. Visceral Manipulation
The uterus, ovaries, and intestines are all connected by fascia and suspended by ligaments rich in mechanoreceptors. Visceral work supports organ mobility, enhances parasympathetic tone, and can normalize autonomic input to pelvic structures. This can decrease spasm and improve hormonal regulation via the vagal nerve.
A 2018 study found that visceral mobilization significantly decreased pain severity in patients with primary dysmenorrhea (Taspinar et al., 2018).
- Nutritional Strategies
Your cycle is impacted by what you eat. Specific nutrients can help modulate inflammation, support hormone detoxification, and reduce neural excitability.
Key nutrients:
- Magnesium: Calms nerves and muscles; lowers prostaglandin production.
- Omega-3 fatty acids: Found in fish oil; reduce inflammation and help modulate pain perception.
- B-vitamins: Crucial for neurotransmitter production and hormone metabolism.
- Iron-rich foods: Replace blood loss and support energy.
Avoid processed sugar and seed oils, which can spike inflammation and disrupt insulin and cortisol balance.
4. Castor Oil Therapy
Castor oil packs applied to the lower abdomen can stimulate lymphatic drainage, reduce inflammation, and calm the nervous system. The active component, ricinoleic acid, interacts with prostaglandin receptors, helping to reduce cramping intensity. It also improves visceral circulation, which enhances detoxification and immune modulation.
Though more research is needed, clinical and anecdotal use of castor oil in natural medicine remains strong and well-regarded.
5. Targeted Neurological Rehab
Functional neurology uses gentle sensory-motor stimulation to regulate brain regions involved in hormone feedback loops, such as the hypothalamus, brainstem, and cerebellum. This can include:
- Eye movement exercises for midbrain regulation
- Vestibular stimulation to calm the autonomic nervous system
- Breathwork and vagal nerve activation to enhance parasympathetic tone
These interventions help shift the brain from a “threat” response into a healing state, improving your body’s ability to manage hormonal and inflammatory changes each cycle.
You Deserve Better Than Just Coping
You were not meant to suffer every month. Pain is not a punishment—it is a signal. With the right tools and a better understanding of how your nervous system, hormones, and tissues interact, you can finally experience your cycle without fear.
You don’t need to fight your body. You need to partner with it.
If menstrual cramping is interfering with your life, do not settle for band-aid solutions. A functional neurology approach offers a new path—one that acknowledges the complexity of your symptoms and supports your whole system, not just your uterus.
If you or someone you love is suffering from menstrual discomfort and you would like to learn how chiropractic neurology can help, contact the team at Georgia Chiropractic Neurology Center today. We look forward to hearing from you.
Written by Sophie Hose, DC, MS, DACNB, CCSP
Peer-Reviewed Sources:
- Taspinar, F., Yesilyaprak, S. S., Cakar, E. S., & Karadag-Saygi, E. (2018). The effects of visceral manipulation on dysmenorrhea: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 22(1), 87–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2017.06.002
- Langendoen, L., & Keizer, D. (2021). Manual therapy for primary dysmenorrhea: A systematic review. The Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, 29(2), 76–84. https://doi.org/10.1080/10669817.2020.1838634
- Wong, C. L., Farquhar, C., Roberts, H., Proctor, M., & Martin, D. (2009). Oral contraceptive pill for primary dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (4). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD002120.pub3
- Harel, Z. (2008). Dysmenorrhea in adolescents and young adults: Etiology and management. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 21(6), S41–S47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpag.2008.04.011