By Shannon Pacella, DPT, PHRC Lexington First things first: if you haven’t already read the Part 1 to this post, please do so first! There are a few updates since my first post regarding laws and legislature for marijuana (cannabis) use throughout the United States. Updates Currently, 29 states plus Washington, D.C. have legalized […]
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 guest blogger Steve Hodges, MD with an introduction from Elizabeth Akincilar As pelvic floor physical and occupational therapistss, we often notice a common denominator among our patients suffering with pelvic pain: CONSTIPATION. Probably more frequently than not, our patients with pelvic pain also struggle with constipation currently, or have at some point […]
By Stephanie Prendergast The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center is expanding to Walnut Creek! We are excited for a unique opportunity to team up with Rachael Cabreira, RN, BSN, MSN, FNP-C and Certified Sexual Health Clinician inside her new private practice, Innovative Wellness. People who know us at PHRC know that we believe […]
Throughout my years of practice I’ve treated many women with vulvodynia. I’ve noticed that it’s rare for women to return to 100% solely with physical and occupational therapy treatment; even though their musculoskeletal impairments may have returned to normal, some women continue to feel pain. In my experience, it takes a team of practitioners […]
For those of you following our journey through the 3rd World Congress on Abdominal and Pelvic Pain (#WCAPP17), here is another light-bulb lecture explaining the interconnections of chronic visceral pain. The presenter, Melissa A. Farmer, PhD, is a researcher at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University with a long-standing relationship with the […]
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 […]
Most people know that I am a fan of sexy science. So when I saw that the World Congress on Pelvic Pain (WCAPP) had an entire section dedicated to sexual dysfunction I was pretty stoked. You may already be imagining some very arousing presentations; or you may think listening to a talk on intercourse […]
By Katie Hunter I had the pleasure of attending Dr. Kenneth Peters’ lecture on the role of the Peripheral Nervous System(PNS) in the development and management of pelvic pain. Kenneth Peters, MD is a urologist practicing at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oaks, MI, who specializes in treating complex pelvic pain including interstitial cystitis. […]
By Stephanie Prendergast, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles January is often the time to reflect on the past year and set goals for the future. So, in that spirit, we thought it would be fun to dedicate this post to a few top Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center events of 2017….and a peak forward […]
Many patients find that managing chronic pelvic pain conditions can sometimes be difficult. Oftentimes there is no one “thing” or pathology that symptoms can be tied to which, understandingly, can be frustrating or overwhelming. More accurately, chronic pelvic pain is a complex interaction of both physiological and psychosocial components. It is not only the […]
By Shannon Pacella While attending the 3rd World Congress on Abdominal and Pelvic Pain organized by the International Pelvic Pain Society, I had the privilege of listening to Rhonda K. Kotarinos, DPT, MS give a lecture on the topic of urologic chronic pelvic pain and manual physical and occupational therapy. Rhonda K. Kotarinos, […]
By Elizabeth Akincilar Understanding and effectively treating chronic pain continues to challenge the medical community. Now more than ever, there is a sense of urgency to treat this disease. With the astounding reports of opiate addiction and opiate related deaths in this country, we now know that throwing drugs at chronic pain is […]
By: Jandra Mueller, DPT, MS, PHRC Encinitas In our second post of our series covering the Third World Congress on Abdominal and Pelvic Pain, I will cover the lecture titled Endometriosis-associated pain, why should we consider the central nervous system? If you missed our first post, click here. This year at the annual […]
By Stephanie Prendergast Last month, pelvic pain enthusiasts traveled from all over the globe to attend the 3rd World Congress on Abdominal and Pelvic Pain in Washington, DC. The World Congress on Abdominal and Pelvic Pain is joint scientific meeting between the International Association for the Study of Pain Special Interest Group on […]
By Stephanie Prendergast “Thousands of people with Interstitial Cystitis live healthy, pain-free lives and so can you.” – 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 Lorraine Faehndrich If you’re suffering with pelvic pain it’s very likely that you’ve spent a lot of time worrying and obsessing about your symptoms. Maybe you’ve spent hours online searching for answers, reading stories of others’ experiences with pelvic pain, or participating in “support” groups that leave you even more stressed, worried […]
By Diane I suffered with pelvic pain for years. I want to share my story, so others won’t have to suffer needlessly. It started in February 2009 when I tried having sex with my boyfriend. Intercourse was extremely painful, and each time, my perineum tore a bit. I’d be sore for days afterward. […]
By: Dr. Lisa Valle What if the cure for adding more luster to your life is a fulfilling, sex life? But what happens when a woman feels distress about her sex life? Or she experiences sexual pain? Is there anything that she can do about it? The answer is an emphatic yes! […]
By Jessica Newman, LMHC Living with persistent pelvic pain is, by definition, painful physically. What can be hard to talk about (especially for folks with pelvic pain) is just how emotionally distressing the pain is. And because the mind and body are a functional whole (think: a Mobius strip) emotional distress can trigger or […]
