Interstitial Cystitis is a pelvic pain syndrome that is characterized by painful bladder symptoms including pain with bladder filling, pain with urination, pain after urination, urinary urgency and frequency and pelvic pain. This pelvic pain syndrome affects roughly 3 – 8 million women in the United States and 1-4 million men.
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The symptoms of Interstitial Cystitis are present in the absence of infection even though the symptoms mimic infection, which can lead to diagnostic confusion.
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The majority of men and women diagnosed also have pelvic floor dysfunction, therefore the American Urologic Association recommends pelvic floor physical therapy as 1st-line and effective treatment.
By Elizabeth Akincilar, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack As pelvic therapists, we work closely with patients experiencing chronic pelvic pain and urinary dysfunction. One of the most challenging and often misunderstood diagnoses we see is Interstitial Cystitis (IC)””also referred to as Bladder Pain Syndrome (BPS). Thanks to recent research, we’re beginning to understand this condition in […]
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, PHRC Pasadena Here at PHRC we help people recover from irritative bladder symptoms with pelvic floor physical and occupational therapy. Bladder symptoms plague millions of people on a daily basis and anyone suffering can explain how much the symptoms compromise their quality of life. Multiple terms and diagnoses have been […]
By Jandra Mueller, DPT, MS, PHRC Encinitas September is Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS) Awareness Month! This diagnosis deserves attention! Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS), is a chronic pelvic pain condition affecting an estimated 12 million people in the United States, and a diagnosis that we see all too often. Despite its prevalence, the causes […]
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Pasadena Urinary leaking during sneezing and coughing is common. Constipation affects millions of people. Irritative bladder symptoms plague women at multiple points in their life for a number of reasons, and bother men too. If one stops to think about orthopedic surgeries for broken ankles and shoulder dysfunction, […]
By Lauren Rogne, PT, DPT, PHRC San Francisco The case of the mysterious pelvic pain – Exploring the clinical presentation of Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS) Background Ben is a 35 year old with sudden onset of urinary tract-like infection symptoms, including urinary frequency, urgency, pain and burning. He visited his doctor, and […]
By PHRC Admin Interstitial Cystitis/ Painful Bladder Syndrome is a treatable pelvic pain syndrome affecting roughly 12 million people in the United States alone. If it affects so many, what are the causes? We”™re glad you asked! There”™s many! Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Multiple studies conducted in the US and abroad show that up […]
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome (IC/PBS) is considered a chronic overlapping pain condition (COPC) and it is common, affecting up to 12 million people in the United States alone. The good news is ”“ it”™s treatable! Symptoms of IC/PBS can include, but are not limited […]
By Molly Bachmann PT, DPT, Birth Doula, PHRC San Francisco How does your brain know when it is time to empty the bladder? As the bladder begins to fill with liquid, receptors within the walls of the bladder perceive stretch. When the receptors perceive that the bladder is full with about two cups of […]
By Molly Bachmann PT, DPT, Birth Doula, PHRC San Francisco, CA Have you ever pulled into the driveway after a long day and suddenly had the urge to urinate? Like Five-Alarm Bell, clear the driveway sprinting to the bathroom to make it in time? You are not alone! You might have even heard of […]
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, PHRC West Los Angeles What is Interstitial Cystitis? IC is a pelvic pain syndrome characterized by irritated bladder symptoms. This condition is associated with painful sex, pelvic floor dysfunction, vestibulodynia, endometriosis, and gut dysbiosis. What are the symptoms? Symptoms include bladder pain, urinary urgency, urinary frequency, pain worsened with bladder […]
By Tiffany Yuen, DPT, PHRC Los Gatos The History of Kevin”™s Symptoms and How He Found PHRC “Tiffany did an excellent job helping to loosen the muscles in my pelvic area; I experienced minimal discomfort during our sessions but saw marked improvement in urgency and frequency as long as I showed up and did […]
By Molly Bachmann PT, DPT, PHRC San Francisco Urination is one of the most reliable body functions a person can have. You go about your daily routine, you receive a little message to your brain that says “Hey there! It”™s me, your bladder. We”™re pretty fully down here. Do you think you could empty […]
By Jason J. Kutch, PhD and Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, PHRC West Los Angeles Interstitial Cystitis/ Bladder Pain Syndrome (BPS) is a pelvic pain syndrome that is characterized by urgency/frequency and pelvic pain, affecting up to 7.9 million vagina owners and roughly 10% of penis owners in the United States. It is a clinical diagnosis, meaning […]
Recently, I decided to look into the confusion surrounding Interstitial Cystitis. A couple searches down a Pubmed rabbithole, I realized there was much more to it than I initially realized. In order to really make sense of what might be going on, I decided to go back to the basics and to the beginning. This […]
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 […]
By Stephanie Prendergast, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles If you are a man suffering from what feels like ”˜prostatitis”™, this blog and our upcoming informational event is for you. Did you know?”¦ 10% of men experience prostatitis-like symptoms at some point in their lives. 97% of these men do not have a prostate […]
By Guest Blogger Jessica Drummond MPT, CCN, CHC One of the reasons that relieving pelvic pain is so challenging is that pain in different systems within the pelvis can overlap. For example, in rats where experimental colitis (colon irritation) was induced, many of the rats also experienced bladder and urethral pain (Yoshikawa et […]
By Guest Blogger Nicole Cozean, PT, DPT, WCS and author of The Interstitial Cystitis Solution Pelvic floor physical and occupational therapy is the most proven treatment for interstitial cystitis. It”™s the only therapy given an evidence grade of ”˜A”™ by the American Urological Association and recommended in the first line of medical treatment. […]
By Stephanie Prendergast “Thousands of people with Interstitial Cystitis live healthy, pain-free lives and so can you.” -Â The Interstitial Cystitis Solution, Nicole Cozean PT, DPT, WCS In honor of Bladder Health Month this week’s blog is dedicated to Interstitial Cystitis/ Painful Bladder Syndrome. IC/PBS is a treatable pelvic pain syndrome affecting roughly […]
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Urinary tract infections hurt. It hurts as your bladder fills, you constantly feel the need to pee and when you do it feels like knives are coming out of your body. You do not experience post-void relief and immediately feel like you need to pee […]
By Elizabeth Akincilar-Rummer, MSPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles When is the last time you heard a little voice inside you that tried to give you advice or warn you of danger? Some describe it as ”˜butterflies,”™ others a ”˜gut feeling.”™ That feeling can be attributed to the extremely extensive network of over 100 […]
