By Emily Tran, PHRC Westlake Village When it comes to overall health, there is one area that is often overlooked or under-discussed: pelvic health. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the importance of taking care of their pelvic floor muscles, and they pay little attention to the myriad of issues that can arise from […]
By admin According to the Center for Health Care Strategies, “a trauma-informed approach to care acknowledges that health care organizations and care teams need to have a complete picture of a patient’s life situation — past and present — in order to provide effective health care services with a healing orientation.” In the image […]
Did you know that your foot can affect your pelvic floor? Foot and ankle positioning has an effect on the pelvic floor by influencing changes in muscle activation up the legs ultimately resulting in changes with pelvic tilt positioning. There are biomechanical changes from the ground up. The connection in brain mapping of motor […]
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles To start, there are various functions we can thank our pelvic floor, but let’s get into the MAIN functions: Part of core muscles The pelvic floor supports your core muscles: transversus abdominis, rectus abdominis, and the external oblique muscles. The PFM tends to act reflexively […]
By Emily Tran, PHRC Admin, Westlake Village Pelvic pain can be a source of significant stress and anxiety for individuals. Living with chronic pelvic pain can often lead to feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and even depression. It’s important to recognize the impact pelvic pain can have on mental health. Here are a few ways […]
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles and Elizabeth Akincilar, MSPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack Optimal pelvic health and biomechanics involves the iliopsoas muscle. When this muscle is not functioning properly pelvic, hip and and back pain can become a problem. The psoas muscle portion originates from T12/L1. It is a powerful hip […]
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, DPT, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles April is Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month, so we felt it was most appropriate to discuss bowel mechanisms and the ‘right way’ to poop. According to a study by Shahid (et al in 2012), “constipation affects up to 28% of Americans.” More Americans […]
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 Lauren Opatrny, PT, DPT, PHRC San Francisco, CA Ischial bursitis, or ischiogluteal bursitis, is a condition where the bursa that lies between the ischial tuberosity and the gluteus maximus muscle becomes inflamed.(1) Ischial tuberosities are the bones that we sit on and are commonly referred to as your “sits bones.” They provide support […]
By Elizabeth Akincilar, MSPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack Ehlers Danlos Syndrome is a rare inherited connective tissue disorder. It affects the skin, joints, and blood vessel walls. It causes joint hypermobility (joints that move too much!) which can result in joint dysfunction and pain. If many joints are affected, it can cause muscle dysfunction throughout […]
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Let’s talk scars and facts: Scar tissue is of poorer quality than regular tissue; therefore it is more sensitive to UV light. Be sure to protect your scars with SPF! Don’t be surprised when hair doesn’t grow back in your scars. Hair follicles and sweat […]
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Trigger points can cause local pain at the site of the trigger point and/or they can cause referred pain in a location distant from the trigger point itself. Trigger points in each muscle have common referral patterns that have been well documented in the medical […]
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Getting enough restful sleep is paramount for a healthy body. The benefits are too many to name here. It can be a challenge to get a good night’s rest for many people. Here are some basic tips to improve the quality of your sleep! […]
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Welcome 2023, goodbye 2022! It’s been another year full of changes for Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center. With the start of the new year, we would like to acknowledge all of the changes that have occurred both virtually and in person. Last year….. PHRC […]
By Lauren Opatrny, PT, DPT San Francisco, CA What is Low Anterior Resection Surgery? Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States (1), and low anterior resection (LAR) is the preferred surgical treatment for rectal cancer. During this procedure, the part of the rectum with cancer will be […]
By Elizabeth Akincilar, MSPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack, Kim Buonomo, DPT, PHRC Lexington, Molly Bachmann, DPT, PHRC San Francisco The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center recently returned from their second trip to Nairobi, Kenya to teach a pelvic health course to a second cohort of physical and occupational therapistss. We taught the first cohort of physical […]
By Elizabeth Akincilar, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack In a post-Roe world, conversations and questions about birth control options are on the rise. Currently, everyone still has a constitutional right to contraceptives. There are many ways to prevent pregnancy, including oral medications, implantable devices, injectable medications, barrier methods, surgical interventions, fertility awareness, and abstinence. There […]
By Alexa Savitz, DPT, PHRC Pasadena Reflecting on my previous years as a former professional dancer, I too often heard dressing room conversations with cast members sharing stories of accidents or urinary leakage happening over a few laughs, during partnering, while lifting, or jumping. At that time there was little to no education around what […]
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles “Can you please define to us what exactly is pelvic pain when sitting. Over the bladder? In the groin? On the labia? Rectum? Sit bone? Like period cramps? What is the most common definition? I’d love for this to be a post or a question […]
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Let’s talk Myofascial Trigger Point (MTrPs) Facts: MTrPs are contracted fibers with a muscle. MTrPs are painful when compressed. Active MTrPs cause pain and/or dysfunction whereas latent MTrPs do not currently cause pain and/or dysfunction but have the potential to. MTrPs can cause pain locally […]
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Over the last few week’s, we have received various inquiries about Myofascial Trigger Points. Why do they occur? What are they? How can we fix them? This week we do a deep dive and answer our most frequently asked questions! Q: Never heard of […]
