By Stephanie A. Prendergast May is Pelvic Pain Awareness Month and at PHRC we want to do our part to help people better understand pelvic pain syndromes and more importantly, help people suffering with these diagnoses get the help they need to recover. Since knowledge is power we created 5 videos and blog posts that we hope people find useful. …
Recovered From Pudendal Neuralgia: Sheyoume’s Success Story
By: Stephanie Prendergast Pudendal neuralgia is a syndrome characterized by burning, stabbing pain in the territory of the pudendal nerve, which has a vast distribution in the pelvis. The symptoms can wreak havoc during ordinary daily activities such as sitting, exercising, going to the bathroom, and having sex. Nerves are physiologically different from muscles, therefore they heal differently than most …
Is Cryotherapy an effective treatment for Pudendal Neuralgia?
People recovering from pudendal neuralgia will tell you there is a lack of understanding about this diagnosis and treatment options in the medical community. Week after week, our blog, How do I know if I have PN or PNE, is one of our most read posts. Recently there has been discussion about cryotherapy treatment for pudendal neuralgia. Sara Saunders, PT, …
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 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 PN, I …
Pudendal Neuralgia Media Wrecking Ball: Why words matter
By Stephanie Prendergast Most people dealing with the symptoms of Pudendal Neuralgia (PN) will tell you reading about PN, mostly online, can be traumatizing. “Chronic” conditions often translate to gloomy situations for both patients and providers. In recent years, the knowledge of pain science and PN has advanced tremendously. In the medical community there is overwhelming evidence to support …
The Role of Physical Therapy in Treating Pudendal Neuralgia
Part II in the “Demystifying Pudendal Neuralgia” Series In the previous post in our “Demystifying Pudendal Neuralgia” series, I talked about the difference between PN and PNE. In addition, I reviewed a list of treatment options for PN. Physical therapy was at the top of that list. Today, in this second post in the series, I will …
How do I know if I have Pudendal Neuralgia or Pudendal Nerve Entrapment?
Part I in the “Demystifying Pudendal Neuralgia” Series For so many the term “pudendal neuralgia” conveys a frightening and mysterious chronic pain diagnosis. And to be sure, at one time, receiving a diagnosis of pudendal neuralgia, or “PN” as it’s commonly called, was truly terrifying, especially considering that it was against the backdrop of a medical community that didn’t …
Pudendal Nerve Entrapment (PNE): Your Questions Answered Part II
This week’s post is the second half of a Q&A on the controversial diagnosis of pudendal nerve entrapment and the decompression surgery associated with it. For this post, we chatted with two of the leading experts on the topic: Michael Hibner, M.D., a gynecologic surgeon at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz. and Mark Conway, M.D., a …
Pudendal Nerve Entrapment (PNE): Your Questions Answered
Part III of our “Demystifying Pudendal Neuralgia” Series How does PNE (pudendal nerve entrapment) occur? How is it diagnosed? When is a patient a good candidate for the pudendal nerve decompression surgery? When are they not? These are among the questions we asked two of the leading experts on the controversial diagnosis PNE and the decompression surgery associated with it: …
Have a pain in the a** while sitting on your bike saddle? Optimize your saddle using pressure mapping!
Guest post by Justin Lucke and Morgan Conner In bike fit, oftentimes small changes can lead to profound improvements, but in practice it can be hard to quantify the impact. In this blog post Morgan talked about her quest to find a better seat and how using trial and error found something that worked a lot better. And it is …
Online Clinical Mentorship
Online Clinical Mentorship At PHRC, we understand that getting the clinical mentorship and access to the thought process behind advance clinical decision making for pelvic health can be a challenge. For this reason, the co-founders at PHRC are making themselves available for online mentorship for clinicians in this unique space. One - on - One Professional Mentoring | Clinical and ...
PHRC is Offering Online Mentoring and Pelvic Floor Continuing Education!
By Stephanie Prendergast As the COVID-19 pandemic continues we are adjusting to the new normal here at PHRC. Our business has been significantly affected, with many of our offices being totally closed for weeks or months. We are slowly reopening carefully and in accordance with the CDC guidelines. We launched a digital health program for patients and are happy to …
Digital Healthcare | Virtual Appointments
Digital Healthcare Virtual Appointments are available. Please use the calendar below to schedule an appointment. Due to the COVID-19 threat, our government has directed a ‘Safer at Home’ directive. Even though we are considered an essential business we closed many of our offices and are reopening slowly with enhanced cleaning and precautionary measures as recommended by the CDC. Please visit …
As the Bicycle Turns: Cycling and the Pelvic Floor
By: Kim Buonomo Who doesn’t love a leisurely bike ride? People with pelvic floor dysfunction! While biking is great cardio, there are a lot of aspects that make it not very pelvic floor friendly. Most of this comes down to blood flow to the pelvic floor, which is what I want to discuss today. Anatomy Review In order to understand …
NEW COURSE: Advanced Management of Complex Pelvic Pain Syndromes
By: Stephanie Prendergast, MPT After a five year break from traveling, lecturing, and teaching courses Liz and I are excited to announce that we are re-entering the classrooms! Many people who know us or follow us on social media know our work promoting pelvic floor physical therapy at medical conferences, my leadership role as the first physical therapist to …
Happy New Year!
By: Stephanie Prendergast January is often the time to reflect on the past year and set goals for the future. So, in that spirit, we thought it would be fun to dedicate this post to a few top Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center events of 2018….and a peak forward to 2019. In no particular order, here’s what happened and what’s …
Join The Team
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 is the place for you! PHRC Mission Liz and Stephanie created the …
Our Services (OLD)
Here at Pelvic Health & Rehabilitation Center, we can help in the 8 primary clinical categories of pelvic health. Please click on the topic you’re interested in to explore, learn more, and to jump to the menu section. Pelvic Pain Bladder Dysfunction Bowel Dysfunction Pregnancy & Postpartum Post-Surgical Rehabilitation Pelvic Organ Prolapse Transgender Pelvic Health Pediatric Pelvic Health 1. Pelvic …
PHRC teams up with Innovative Wellness in Walnut Creek!!!!
By Stephanie Prendergast The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center is expanding to Walnut Creek! We are excited for a unique opportunity to team up with Rachael Cabreira, RN, BSN, MSN, FNP-C and Certified Sexual Health Clinician inside her new private practice, Innovative Wellness. People who know us at PHRC know that we believe in coordinated, interdisciplinary care for …