By: Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek Darnell took a trip to Europe a few months ago with his spouse. They had planned a wonderful vacation, but what they didn’t plan for was Darnell not being able to urinate or have a bowel movement (BM) for nine days! He took magnesium citrate which helped […]
By Peter and Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek Pelvic Physical and Occupational Therapy (PPT) has been a wonderfully life changing experience for me following prostate cancer treatment. It has been a nearly three year journey, and I cannot speak highly enough of the benefits of my kind, caring, and immensely skilled PPT therapist. What […]
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek Peter was a 63 year old experiencing urinary urgency and leakage three months after having his prostate surgically removed for prostate cancer. Luckily, his surgeon referred him to a pelvic floor physical and occupational therapists. He was using at least two incontinence pads per day, but was mostly […]
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek Symptoms Many families struggle with constipation in children. Maya is a 10 year old who likes to swim, camp, and play with her little brother. She had suffered with constipation and fecal incontinence most of her life. A year ago, an x-ray showed that she had an enlarged […]
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek Did You Know…. Pelvic floor exercises are equally effective as sildenafil (Viagra) in treating erectile dysfunction. Pelvic floor physical and occupational therapy can help incontinence, erectile dysfunction, post void dribbling, overactive bladder, premature ejaculation, and pelvic floor tension myalgia. Erectile dysfunction is associated with twice as much […]
By Melinda Fontaine, Clinic Director of PHRC Walnut Creek Child: “Ms. Melinda, why did you choose to do what you do?” Ms. Melinda: “Two reasons: I get to wear sneakers to work, and I get to laugh at potty humor forever!” Did you know that pelvic floor physical and occupational therapistss also work with children?! […]
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek You may have read my last blog on lube, Slippery When Wet, but when I read it again recently, I realized I have more to say now. 65% of women report using personal lubricant in the last month, and why wouldn’t you? Lube makes everything better, simply because […]
By: Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek You know that feeling when you just drank the equivalent to a big gulp and you haven’t had a bathroom break in over four hours. That sensation of your body telling you to get to the bathroom ASAP is called “urgency.” In case you wonder if urgency and […]
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PT, PHRC Walnut Creek 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 […]
Introduction by Melinda Fontaine, article by guest bloggers Eloise Theisen, AGPCNP-BC and Timothy Byars From Melinda: For years, I have seen my patients using cannabis to treat a variety of conditions. A common complaint is the lack of guidance to do so. Recently, I found a medical professional who is not afraid to make specific […]
By Melinda Fontaine When you hear mention of “the talk” do you also picture a red faced kid and an adult with sweaty palms talking awkwardly around the topic of the birds and the bees? Thinking back on my childhood, I have to give credit to my parents and teachers for attempting this […]
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, Walnut Creek At the 3rd World Congress on Abdominal and Pelvic Pain organized by the International Pelvic Pain Society, Professor Qasim Aziz spoke about Autonomic Dysregulation in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders. Qasim Aziz, MBBS, FRCP, PhD is Professor of Neurogastroenterology at Barts and The London School of Medicine and […]
By Melinda Fontaine The majority of women experience some emotional fluctuations known as the Baby Blues in the first three weeks after they give birth, and it is natural. A smaller, but still significant percentage of women will experience Perinatal Mood and/or Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) before or after giving birth. There is a pressure […]
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek What would men’s health month be without a blog about prostate cancer? One in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime. Will this number be affected by the recent change in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s change in recommendations on screening for […]
By Melinda Fontaine Mary is an amazing story because in a matter of months, she went from not having any penetrative sex for many years to having unrestricted intercourse with her partner. When Mary was a young woman, she saw a gynecologist for a routine exam. Now, lying on the exam table with your […]
Photo: David J Laporte By Melinda Fontaine Peaceful labor? Comfortable delivery? Calm childbirth? Do these sound like oxymorons? It’s true! Jane was a young woman who saw a segment on TV about HypnoBirthing. She saw pregnant women who looked like they were concentrating really hard on an abdominal workout or […]
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek Meet Paul and Ashley. Paul and Ashley have an active sex life. They are taking the time to get to know each other’s bodies and pleasures as well as their own. They are trying new ways of being intimate and using toys. They are having fun […]
By Melinda Fontaine Julia called me yesterday to ask some questions about pelvic pain and pregnancy. She was 38 weeks pregnant and getting ready to give birth. She had a history of some pain with intercourse prior to getting pregnant and was surprised to feel some vaginal pain at her last OB appointment as […]
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.
By Melinda Fontaine The physical and occupational therapistss at PHRC work as a team to help each other figure out the most efficient ways to help our patients. One way we share information is through weekly case studies, where one of our physical and occupational therapistss describes a patient’s case, why they chose to evaluate […]
