By Stephanie Prendergast
The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center, Femina Physical Therapy, and the Milli, the first Expandable Dilator, are teaming up to bring Shelby Hadden and her animated short film about vaginismus, Tightly Wound, to Los Angeles on Saturday, May 19th! Many of you may know of Shelby and her past struggles with pelvic pain. Her journey getting diagnosed and treated combined with her skills as a filmmaker inspired her to create Tightly Wound to help raise awareness about vaginismus and pelvic pain, helping women get diagnosed and get the help they need.
As pelvic pain physical therapists, we understand all too well the challenges women face getting diagnosed and successfully treated for such personal issues. Every day we witness the emotional and physical drain pelvic pain syndromes have on our patients, threatening everything from one’s sexuality, daily comfort, relationships, and professional and personal lives.
Pelvic floor physical therapists are well-positioned to help women navigate the complicated medical system to get the help they need. A key to recovery is knowing you can and will get better. That’s why we teamed up with Shelby and three other patients to share their success stories, struggles, and how they ultimately recovered from pelvic pain.
May is Pelvic Pain Awareness Month, we want to do our part to help, so here are our plans and goals. We hope you join us!
Our Goals
- Raise awareness about female pelvic pain
- Host a seminar for patients:
- To meet women who have recovered from pelvic pain & regained the ability to have pleasurable sex
- Learn tips about sexuality and intimacy while recovering from pelvic pain
- Tightly Wound to Los Angeles screening with filmmaker Shelby Hadden (screening and Q and A!)
- Raise money for Tightly Wound’s distribution (Filmmaker’s Collaborative, 501c3)
Patient Seminar: Becoming UnWOUND: A Conversation about Female Sexual Health & Pelvic Pain with Screening of Animated Short Film“Tightly Wound”
On Saturday morning, May 19th from 10:00am to 1:00pm the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center in Los Angeles is hosting an event for women recovering from pelvic pain. This event is intended for patients, their partners, and anyone who is interested in this conversation.
To be frank, pelvic pain is a beast. Women in the throes of it often wonder if they will ever recover and have enjoyable sex. We are using this morning to say the answer is YES and remind those struggling that they are not alone!
The Panel
Three amazing women who successfully recovered from pelvic pain are teaming up with their pelvic floor physical therapists Stephanie Prendergast, Heather Jeffcoat, and Jandra Mueller, to share their stories. The treatment process for pelvic pain is challenging, in this physical therapist/patient panel we will discuss how we troubleshooted problems and eliminated pelvic pain.
Stephanie Prendergast, Heather Jeffcoat, and Jandra Mueller
Experience has taught us that even when the pelvic pain is gone the transition from ‘patient’ to ‘person’ isn’t easy and comes with it’s own challenges. Women often tell us that is hard to bring their sexy back. This is more common than not! We get it, you are not alone, and we want to provide resources to help.
Erica Marchand, PhD, psychologist and sex therapist is joining us to share tips and strategies on sexual pleasure and intimacy while recovering from pelvic pain. Erica practices in Los Angeles and is also the creator an online program for women to have more, better, and easier orgasms, even with pelvic pain.
And finally, we are proud to offer a special screening of Tightly Wound and a Question and Answer period with director Shelby Hadden!! Shelby was brave enough to create this film based on her own experience and we are honored to be sharing it.
We are requesting a non-refundable tax-deductible donation of $25.00 (or more if you can!) to help Shelby meet her financial goals for the film. 100% of the proceeds go support Tightly Wound’s distribution. Space is limited, register NOW! Please RSVP to donate and reserve your spot here.
Financial contributions were also made by the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center, Femina Physical Therapy, and Milli, the first expandable dilator. Stay tuned to our blog and social media for more information about Milli!
Light refreshments will be offered and of course there will be breaks and time to mingle.
Please share, retweet, and post this blog to help us spread the word about pelvic pain and improve the diagnosis and treatment landscape for patients!
FAQ
What are pelvic floor muscles?
The pelvic floor muscles are a group of muscles that run from the coccyx to the pubic bone. They are part of the core, helping to support our entire body as well as providing support for the bowel, bladder and uterus. These muscles help us maintain bowel and bladder control and are involved in sexual pleasure and orgasm. The technical name of the pelvic floor muscles is the Levator Ani muscle group. The pudendal nerve, the levator ani nerve, and branches from the S2 – S4 nerve roots innervate the pelvic floor muscles. They are under voluntary and autonomic control, which is a unique feature only they possess compared to other muscle groups.
What is pelvic floor physical therapy?
Pelvic floor physical therapy is a specialized area of physical therapy. Currently, physical therapists need advanced post-graduate education to be able to help people with pelvic floor dysfunction because pelvic floor disorders are not yet being taught in standard physical therapy curricula. The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center provides extensive training for our staff because we recognize the limitations of physical therapy education in this unique area.
What happens at pelvic floor therapy?
During an evaluation for pelvic floor dysfunction the physical therapist will take a detailed history. Following the history the physical therapist will leave the room to allow the patient to change and drape themselves. The physical therapist will return to the room and using gloved hands will perform an external and internal manual assessment of the pelvic floor and girdle muscles. The physical therapist will once again leave the room and allow the patient to dress. Following the manual examination there may also be an examination of strength, motor control, and overall biomechanics and neuromuscular control. The physical therapist will then communicate the findings to the patient and together with their patient they establish an assessment, short term and long term goals and a treatment plan. Typically people with pelvic floor dysfunction are seen one time per week for one hour for varying amounts of time based on the severity and chronicity of the disease. A home exercise program will be established and the physical therapist will help coordinate other providers on the treatment team. Typically patients are seen for 3 months to a year.
What is pudendal neuralgia and how is it treated?
Pudendal Neuralgia is a clinical diagnosis that means pain in the sensory distribution of the pudendal nerve. The pudendal nerve is a mixed nerve that exits the S2 – S4 sacral nerve roots, we have a right and left pudendal nerve and each side has three main trunks: the dorsal branch, the perineal branch, and the inferior rectal branch. The branches supply sensation to the clitoris/penis, labia/scrotum, perineum, anus, the distal ⅓ of the urethra and rectum, and the vulva and vestibule. The nerve branches also control the pelvic floor muscles. The pudendal nerve follows a tortuous path through the pelvic floor and girdle, leaving it vulnerable to compression and tension injuries at various points along its path.
Pudendal Neuralgia occurs when the nerve is unable to slide, glide and move normally and as a result, people experience pain in some or all of the above-mentioned areas. Pelvic floor physical therapy plays a crucial role in identifying the mechanical impairments that are affecting the nerve. The physical therapy treatment plan is designed to restore normal neural function. Patients with pudendal neuralgia require pelvic floor physical therapy and may also benefit from medical management that includes pharmaceuticals and procedures such as pudendal nerve blocks or botox injections.
What is interstitial cystitis and how is it treated?
Interstitial Cystitis is a clinical diagnosis characterized by irritative bladder symptoms such as urinary urgency, frequency, and hesitancy in the absence of infection. Research has shown the majority of patients who meet the clinical definition have pelvic floor dysfunction and myalgia. Therefore, the American Urologic Association recommends pelvic floor physical therapy as first-line treatment for Interstitial Cystitis. Patients will benefit from pelvic floor physical therapy and may also benefit from pharmacologic management or medical procedures such as bladder instillations.
Who is the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Team?
The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center was founded by Elizabeth Akincilar and Stephanie Prendergast in 2006, they have been treating people with pelvic floor disorders since 2001. They were trained and mentored by a medical doctor and quickly became experts in treating pelvic floor disorders. They began creating courses and sharing their knowledge around the world. They expanded to 11 locations in the United States and developed a residency style training program for their employees with ongoing weekly mentoring. The physical therapists who work at PHRC have undergone more training than the majority of pelvic floor physical therapists and as a result offer efficient and high quality care.
How many years of experience do we have?
Stephanie and Liz have 24 years of experience and help each and every team member become an expert in the field through their training and mentoring program.
Why PHRC versus anyone else?
PHRC is unique because of the specific focus on pelvic floor disorders and the leadership at our company. We are constantly lecturing, teaching, and staying ahead of the curve with our connections to medical experts and emerging experts. As a result, we are able to efficiently and effectively help our patients restore their pelvic health.
Do we treat men for pelvic floor therapy?
The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center is unique in that the Cofounders have always treated people of all genders and therefore have trained the team members and staff the same way. Many pelvic floor physical therapists focus solely on people with vulvas, this is not the case here.
Do I need pelvic floor therapy forever?
The majority of people with pelvic floor dysfunction will undergo pelvic floor physical therapy for a set amount of time based on their goals. Every 6 -8 weeks goals will be re-established based on the physical improvements and remaining physical impairments. Most patients will achieve their goals in 3 – 6 months. If there are complicating medical or untreated comorbidities some patients will be in therapy longer.