Yes, when I went to physical therapy and lied flat on my back, I couldn't even raise my legs to 45 degrees. That's how tight my hamstrings were. I'd also have to roll out my IT band daily. I had swollen hips, which plagued me during my last year on my college track team. These are all things I have improved on, but still have a long way to go.

I completely agree that proper body mechanics are essential. I am also curious if my incredibly short stride is a result of wound up muscles in my pelvis. I really want to go back to pelvic floor physical therapy, but I am trying to limit doctor appointments during the pandemic. Maybe it is worth it though, to take the risk and go in? One of my biggest questions is whether a pelvic floor physical therapist should be doing more treatment than just dilation therapy. Like, providing some ways to actually relax the entire pelvic area, rather than just using dilators, which I could do by myself if I actually put my mind to it. Especially since I have endometriosis too. I am going to have to do some research into pelvic floor physical therapists who have a more holistic approach that focuses on how pelvic issues influence body mechanics.

I appreciate you commenting on how much emotion is tied up in trying to get pelvic muscles to work right, especially when you have dissociated from them for so long. That has definitely been my experience. I don't really know how to articulate my feelings, because they aren't really rational. My emotions surrounding pelvic physical therapy come from a mixture of pain, memories of pain, and subconscious rejection of that part of my body due to the pain I associated with it.

Thanks so much for your help!

These are amazing insights. Thank you! Yeah, I have seen a pelvic floor physical therapist before, but I'm an expert at avoiding treatment when it comes to vaginismus, probably because I've struggled with it ever since I was 13 and experienced excruciating pain trying to use tampons. One thing they often say about vaginismus patients is how good they are at avoiding treatment, and that is pretty accurate of me. I associate so much pain with that part of my body that I just avoid dealing with the issue altogether. However, I think if I reframe my thinking around running, I will be more motivated to work on curing vaginismus, especially now that I've heard vaginismus can be affected by endo.

I appreciate what you said about having a tight diaphragm and malfunctioning muscles in the pelvis, because I wonder if I am experiencing anything like that. If I am, maybe working to treat these conditions through pelvic floor physical therapy can make me a faster and more efficient runner.

I love the physical therapist I've been working with for my calf injury, and I'll ask her if she can help with the muscles of my pelvis. Probably can't, so I'll have to look for someone else.

Thank you so much for the insights and the link to Dr. Sarrel. I will definitely look into her website. Sorry to hear that you have experienced this pain, but thank you for telling me about it. Glad to know others have gone through this and that it could be connected to endometriosis. I'm sort of at the point where I'd prefer the pain to be endo rather than an ab strain, because I'm willing to work through pain as long as exercising isn't causing damage to my body. I also have vaginismus, which is a pelvic floor dysfunction. Last year when I was competing in running competitions I was also having a lot of weird pelvic spasms. I wonder if it is all connected.