By: Stephanie Prendergast Physical Therapist Wanted for PHRC Los Angeles! Do you want to become a leader in the field of pelvic floor physical therapy? Do you enjoy working with this patient population but are having a hard time finding mentorship? Do you want a collaborative supportive work environment vs being ‘alone on an island’? If so, PHRC …
MAY you rub? Yes, you may! Let’s Celebrate Masturbation Month
May is Masturbation Month! Now everyone knows that this is the time of year when the Masturbation Fairy delivers sex toys to all the good men and women of the world! It’s a time for giving to yourself instead of to others. A time for goodwill and cheer for your genitals. Well, maybe not, but the month of May has …
Slippery When Wet: Is your lubricant causing pelvic pain, infections, or fertility problems?
Lube is great! It adds moisture and decreases friction, but how do you pick from the multitude of different personal lubes on the market? Which one is the safest? Goop recently asked the same questions in response to watching an episode of Grace and Frankie in which Frankie makes her own lube.
Hormones: Your Body’s Frenemies
Hormones drive me crazy. As a woman, my biological clock seems to be more like an overactive alarm clock lately. For example, on a certain day I may see a baby and feel an intense urge to procreate. It is as if my uterus wants nothing more than for me to have 18 babies right now and then star in …
Sit yo’ a** down! The importance of sitting on the toilet
Sitting on the toilet!! Actually sitting, skin to porcelain. No more hovering! Even in public restrooms. I know, it’s going to be a tough paradigm shift since this issue is ubiquitous; one study, done in the UK, surveyed 528 women at a gynecology clinic and found that 85% reported that they crouched over public toilets while …
Exercises for Short /Tight Pelvic Floor Muscles
By Admin Disclaimer: I’m a PT and a Pilates instructor. Often, patients ask if Pilates is the answer for their pelvic floor dysfunction. You know that old saying, “Kegel-ing all day, keeps the urine at bay.” Well, unfortunately, this is not always true. At times Kegel-ing can make actually make your symptoms worse, be it urinary urgency, frequency, incontinence or …
Pelvic Myths: True or False?
By Melinda Fontaine Have you heard these common pelvic rumors? Can you guess which ones are true or false? As a pelvic floor physical therapist, I’ve heard quite a few old wives tales about the pelvis. Test your Pelvic IQ with these 16 true or false statements! T/F Drinking water will make me have to pee more. T/F …
Treatment Solutions for Endometriosis
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Did you know that severe menstrual pain is not normal? If you experience severe pain during your period it is possible you are suffering from a very underdiagnosed disease called Endometriosis. Endometrial tissue lines the uterus. In response to hormonal influences, the endometrium of a healthy uterus thickens and then sheds …
What is Get PT 1st?
By Stephanie Prendergast Last fall, I began seeing the logo you see above, appear in my Twitter feed and on Facebook. As a physical therapist, I was happy to see an organization committing to improving awareness about our field. It’s safe to say that most of the world has no idea what a pelvic floor physical therapist is or …
“How Hernias Can Cause Pelvic Pain”
This week, our guest writer Dr. Shirin Towfigh will discuss Inguinal Hernia’s and how they may be related to pelvic pain. Hi all. This is Dr. Shirin Towfigh. I am a Board Certified General Surgeon who specializes exclusively in all things hernia, with specialty in hernias among women and complications related to hernia repair. Inguinal hernias are a common …
What’s The ‘Right’ Way To Poop?
From NPR1 to Men’s Health 2, the right way to poop has become an increasingly hot topic for discussion. In fact “Put Your Constipation Woes Behind You,” is consistently our highest ranking blog every week. Oh, and if you haven’t seen the knight and unicorn bestowing the benefits of the squatty potty3, go watch it now! So, why is poop such …
Female Pelvic Pain Explained: Megan’s Success Story
By: Stephanie Prendergast The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center is excited to announce that Pelvic Pain Explained was released on January 13th! In honor of the book and the New Year, we are sharing stories from our patients that were kind enough to be interviewed for this book. Last week we spoke about Tommy’s recovery from pelvic pain. When Liz …
Coached Pushing vs. Maternal Pushing
Last winter a patient of mine, who we’ll call Sarah, shared her birth story with me. She was in the hospital laboring with her first child and everything was progressing as planned. Sarah started to develop strong urges to push and instinctively started to bear-down. The nurse in the room noticed what she was doing and told her to stop. …
The Role of Emotions in Relieving Pelvic Pain
This week guest blogger Lorraine Faehndrich talks about the role emotional awareness plays in the healing process. Here’s what she has to say: By Lorraine Faehndrich Persistent pelvic pain can, and often does, have an emotional component. The pelvis is a part of the body that for many reasons tends to hold emotion, and when that emotional component is addressed alongside …
Why Get PT 1st? Here are the facts
By Stephanie Prendergast Vaginal pain. Burning with urination. Post-ejaculatory pain. Constipation. Genital pain following bowel movements. Pelvic pain that prevents sitting, exercising, wearing pants and having pleasurable intercourse. When a person develops these symptoms, physical therapy is not the first avenue of treatment they turn to for help. In fact, physical therapists are not even considered at all. This …
It’s National Bladder Health Week!
It’s National Bladder Health Week and we want to dedicate this blog post to our favorite (and only) urine collecting organ! The bladder is a vessel that sits on the pelvic floor and its primary function is to collect and hold our urine. It is made out of a hollow muscle called the detrusor which stretches to allow urine to …
Taking a Closer Look at IPPS 2015
By Gabriella Chavarin As you may have noticed, IPPS is a pretty big deal around here. Every year, our PHRC physical therapists attend the International Pelvic Pain Society’s annual scientific conference. Additionally, Stephanie Prendergast has been on the IPPS Board of Directors since 2003, and was the first physical therapist to serve as president in 2013. Since our staff …
Pudendal Neuralgia Series 1: Interdisciplinary Conversations from IPPS 2015
By Stephanie Prendergast Pudendal Neuralgia seems to be a diagnosis that is more polarized and controversial than other pelvic pain diagnoses. Why? Over a series of posts we will look at the evolution of this diagnosis, and why we need the perspective of a pelvic floor physical therapist, pain management specialist Dr. Sheldon Jordan, and gynecologist/pelvic pain specialist/pudendal …
A Second Look at Pudendal Neuralgia.
By Stephanie Prendergast, PHRC Cofounder I treated my first patient with Pudendal Neuralgia in 2002. As a young, excitable pelvic floor physical therapist, I was on a mission to help people suffering from pelvic pain and thought it would be just like what they said in PT school: stretch, strengthen, achieve goals, discharge. So when my patient began treatment for …
A Balm for Belly Blues: Maya Abdominal Massage & Gynecological Health
This week, our guest blogger Bria Larson, MS, LAc, FABORM will discuss The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy. By Bria Larson The abdomen and pelvis are the source of our creativity and nourishment. They are also vulnerable to injury from physical and emotional trauma, disease and dietary stressors. Based on the healing traditions of the Maya, as taught by Dr. …
Clitoral Woes? Say It Ain’t So
By Sara K. Sauder In preparing the curriculum for my class on vestibulodynia (yes I will start talking about this class over and over because I am discovering so much and learning a lot while in the process of creating and teaching the curriculum and this is a blog that I write using real life experiences so why wouldn’t I write …