By Courtney Edgecomb, DPT In Part 2 of my 2-part post I will cover different therapeutic strategies for postpartum pain. As a new mom, self-care and appropriate medical attention is critical to ensure you stay as healthy as possible for your little one. I am sure it is daunting to find time for yourself at the moment, but it will …
The 4th Trimester: Postpartum Pelvic Pain is Common but Not Normal
By: Courtney Edgecomb, DPT Postpartum Pelvic Floor Physical and Occupational Therapy is increasingly utilized to help new moms recover from pregnancy and delivery. Is pain normal after giving birth? Of course that is an extremely open-ended question and I would get different answers from almost every single mom (and from each of her pregnancies). But it is hard to tease …
Moisturize My Vagina?! What you need to know
By: Shannon Pacella, DPT, PHRC Lexington If you are anything like me, you most likely have a plethora of moisturizers at home (hand lotion, face lotion, body lotion, etc.), but what you probably do not have is a vaginal moisturizer. You might ask, “What is a vaginal moisturizer?” A vaginal moisturizer rehydrates dry mucosal tissue, is absorbed into the skin …
Endometriosis: Beyond the lesions
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 meeting of the International Pelvic …
Pain as the Ultimate Protector
By Admin I recently attended a course with pain researcher and clinical neuroscientist, Lorimer Moseley. He, along with his colleague David Butler, have changed the face of pain science and helped many clinicians and patients understand how pain works. If you want to see Lorimer in action, and explain pain better than I ever could, check out his TED …
Pudendal Neuralgia Series 1: Interdisciplinary Conversations from IPPS 2015
By Stephanie Prendergast Pudendal Neuralgia seems to be a diagnosis that is more polarized and controversial than other pelvic pain diagnoses. Why? Over a series of posts we will look at the evolution of this diagnosis, and why we need the perspective of a pelvic floor physical and occupational therapists, pain management specialist Dr. Sheldon Jordan, and gynecologist/pelvic …
A Second Look at Pudendal Neuralgia.
By Stephanie Prendergast, PHRC Cofounder I treated my first patient with Pudendal Neuralgia in 2002. As a young, excitable pelvic floor physical and occupational therapists, I was on a mission to help people suffering from pelvic pain and thought it would be just like what they said in PT school: stretch, strengthen, achieve goals, discharge. So when my patient began …
Foreskin or No Skin? Let’s Talk About Circumcision
By Rachel Gelman In my previous post I talked about the anatomy of the male pelvic floor. The blog stirred up a lot of conversation among readers, with many requesting a part two. So here we are! This time, we’ll take a look at a small part of the male anatomy that comes with a large amount of controversy: The foreskin. …
The Tailbone: A literal and figurative pain in the butt
The tailbone (also known as the coccyx) is often dismissed by some as a vestige of our prehistoric ancestors. Whether or not that is true, this is a bone that we need to examine further in order to appreciate. Not only is it a major attachment site for the pelvic floor muscles, but it can also become a huge source …
Real Patients, Real Stories: Amanda’s Journey
By Sara Stuart Pelvic pain can present itself in a number of ways. For Amanda* (name has been changed for anonymity), her symptoms began with her first menses. “I remember being on a cruise to Mexico with my mom and trying to learn how to put a tampon in for the first time. I spent the time either …
8 Pregnancy Tips from a Pelvic Health Physical and Occupational Therapists /Mom
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek I recall being eight months pregnant treating other pregnant women or new moms. I would always hear, “How are you still working full time on your feet?” I still think the most honest answer is, “Pure luck”. Every pregnancy is different, and there are a lot of things that are out of …
Gwyneth’s Goop and the Pelvic Floor: What They Missed
By Stephanie Prendergast Last week, Gwyneth Paltrow’s popular newsletter featured an article on pelvic floor muscles, which prompted numerous emails and tweets in my direction. Apparently this is a topic that makes my friends and colleagues think of me. While pondering why everyone, except for me, seems to be reading Goop, I took a look. I am glad to see …
Vagi-what? A rough guide to Vaginismus
If you’ve ever said the following: “It feels like there’s a wall there.” “I can’t insert a tampon.” “I can’t have penetrative sex with my husband.” “I was told I need to drink a glass of wine right before sex, but that still doesn’t help.” You might be experiencing vaginismus symptoms. DEFINITION What exactly is vaginismus? Vaginismus, pronounced vaj-uh-niz-muhs, is …
Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner! Proper Body Mechanics for Parents
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT Having a baby is like running a marathon with your pelvic floor and pelvic girdle muscles. Did you know that: 65% of women who had low back or pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy reported persitent symptoms 14 months after delivery1 20 -70 % of new moms experience stress urinary incontinence 2 24% of women still experience …
Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections: the proverbial ring of fire
Urinary tract infections (UTI) are considered to be the most common bacterial infection in humans, costing the US health care system about $1.6 billion dollars per year. These infections plague millions of people at some point or another throughout the lifetime. In fact, some research suggests that a female’s lifetime risk of getting one is as high as 1 in …
Where’s the Yeast? When pelvic floor dysfunction mimics yeast infections
Vaginal yeast infections aka candidiasis, are an uncomfortable and common issue that many women find themselves dealing with at some point. Three out of four women will experience at least one vaginal yeast infection in their lifetimes-many will experience two or more. If you’ve had one you know that the symptoms can be enough to drive you crazy: -severe vaginal/labia …
Coffee with Lorimer
This week guest blogger and esteemed LA colleague, Julie Weibe, PT talks about her conversation the brilliant Lorimer Moseley, Ph.D., B.App.Sc. Her posts sums up one of the reasons Steph and Liz asked Dr. Moseley to write the forward for their book, Pelvic Pain Explained. Here’s what Julie has to say: November 17th 2014 Well, we didn’t actually have coffee. …
PHRC’s Boston Office is Opening March 16th!
We’re thrilled to announce that PHRC is opening its Boston-area clinic next month with patient care starting March 16th! Liz, who will be re-relocating to the East Coast, will be spearheading the running of the clinic, the exact location of which is 303 Wyman St., Ste. 369, Waltham, Massachusetts. The clinic is in the greater Boston area, west and slightly …
Our FAVE Pelvic Health Resources, Products!
By Gabriella Chavarin Our FAVE Pelvic Health Resources, Products! It’s that time of year when we all make “New Year’s resolutions.” If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably resolved to sleep longer, be more active, and eat healthier. But what about your pelvic health? One of the questions I’m asked most often at PHRC is: “Do you have any recommendations …
Should I give Acupuncture a Try?
By Guest Blogger Michael Yang If you haven’t tried acupuncture/dry needling for your pain, you may be missing out on a safe and often effective treatment. In this blog post, guest blogger, acupuncturist Michael Yang, answers some common questions about this alternative treatment approach to pelvic pain. Take it away Michael! Where’d this whole needling thing start anyhow? Well, …
Pelvic Floor-Friendly Exercise, Diet Advice for the New Year
Like so many of you, my new year’s resolutions include exercising more and eating healthy. As I embarked on my plan for doing both, I got to wondering where my pelvic floor health fell into the mix. “Shouldn’t my exercise plan take my pelvic floor issues into consideration?” I wondered. I certainly didn’t want to start a fitness routine that would …