By Gabriella Chavarin As you may have noticed, IPPS is a pretty big deal around here. Every year, our PHRC physical and occupational therapistss 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 and occupational therapists […]
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 and occupational therapists, pain management specialist […]
By Stephanie Prendergast, PHRC Cofounder I treated my first patient with Pudendal Neuralgia in 2002. As a young, excitable pelvic floor physical and occupational therapists, 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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
By Stephanie Prendergast In a previous blog post I described my experience while participating in an International Nomenclature Consensus Conference. As you may recall, the motivation for a consensus meeting originated because there was “an unmet medical need for a comprehensive, evidence-based set of vulvovaginal pain diagnoses that […]
By Rachel Gelman In my previous post I talked about the anatomy of the male pelvic floor. The blog stirred up a lot of conversation among readers, with many requesting a part two. So here we are! This time, we’ll take a look at a small part of the male anatomy that comes with a large […]
By Wendy Powell, Postpartum Exercise Expert, Founder + CEO of MuTu System This information relates to every woman who is having, has had, or will ever have a baby, who wants to regain full use and look of her beautiful pre-baby body (who doesn’t?). Whether she has just had a baby, has teenage children, or if […]
The tailbone (also known as the coccyx) is often dismissed by some as a vestige of our prehistoric ancestors. Whether or not that is true, this is a bone that we need to examine further in order to appreciate. Not only is it a major attachment site for the pelvic floor muscles, but it can […]
By Stephanie Prendergast It has been an eventful few weeks in pelvic health news! We’ve summarized the top stories and included our commentary. “Pelvic pain may be common among reproductive-age women, NIH study finds.” From the National Institute of Health Article summary: Pain reports were highest for women with endometriosis, however ⅓ of those without […]
By Sara Stuart Pelvic pain can present itself in a number of ways. For Amanda* (name has been changed for anonymity), her symptoms began with her first menses. “I remember being on a cruise to Mexico with my mom and trying to learn how to put a tampon in for the first time. […]
Earlier this year Liz and I completed our manuscript for our book, Pelvic Pain Explained. Writing it was a challenging process, to say the least. We are hopeful that this book will raise awareness about and help to demystify pelvic pain. By sharing our combined clinical experience we want to help people with […]
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek I recall being eight months pregnant treating other pregnant women or new moms. I would always hear, “How are you still working full time on your feet?” I still think the most honest answer is, “Pure luck”. Every pregnancy is different, and there are a lot of […]
By Stephanie Prendergast Last week, Gwyneth Paltrow’s popular newsletter featured an article on pelvic floor muscles, which prompted numerous emails and tweets in my direction. Apparently this is a topic that makes my friends and colleagues think of me. While pondering why everyone, except for me, seems to be reading Goop, I took a look. […]
“If you “play with sex steroid hormones” using finasteride (propecia) – the goal of finasteride (propecia) is to reduce the synthesis of the sex steroid hormone – dihydrotestosterone – then you will likely “play with your sex life” – as sexual function is very much related to sex steroid hormone levels”, says sexual medicine expert and urologist […]
Next week, the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center will turn NINE. In 2006, Liz and I wanted to be more involved in the field than our current work situation permitted. So, we quit our jobs, hoped we could pay our mortgages and started the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center. We wanted to provide the highest quality […]
I remember coming of age as a hormonal teen- before the days of google (believe it), hearing whispers about “orgasms”. It was like I went home for summer break with all of my childhood intact and when I came back to school in the fall, my peers were suddenly obsessed. I was bombarded with comments […]
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT Having a baby is like running a marathon with your pelvic floor and pelvic girdle muscles. Did you know that: 65% of women who had low back or pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy reported persitent symptoms 14 months after delivery1 20 -70 % of new moms experience stress urinary incontinence 2 […]
By Stephanie Prendergast, PHRC Cofounder 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 […]
Urinary tract infections (UTI) are considered to be the most common bacterial infection in humans, costing the US health care system about $1.6 billion dollars per year. These infections plague millions of people at some point or another throughout the lifetime. In fact, some research suggests that a female’s lifetime risk of getting one is […]
By Stephanie Prendergast, PHRC Cofounder What is Vulvodynia? Is it a symptom, a disease, or a syndrome? What does the term ‘Vuvlodynia’ mean to people with vulvar pain, pelvic pain specialists, medical professionals, and the community in general? In a previous blog post I wrote about how in the pelvic pain world, diagnosis does not dictate treatment. […]
