As a physical and occupational therapists specializing in pelvic floor disorders, specifically pelvic pain, I have noticed a strong correlation between chronic pain, the thyroid, and the endocrine system. I wanted to explore what hormonal imbalances can do to chronic pain. I won’t go into too much detail about persistent pain here, instead please refer […]
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 […]
Photo: David J Laporte By Melinda Fontaine Peaceful labor? Comfortable delivery? Calm childbirth? Do these sound like oxymorons? It’s true! Jane was a young woman who saw a segment on TV about HypnoBirthing. She saw pregnant women who looked like they were concentrating really hard on an abdominal workout or […]
By Elizabeth Akincilar-Rummer How many times have you heard a journalist say something like, “Researchers report a significant breakthrough…”, “Groundbreaking research shows… “, or “According to a new scientific study…”? The news constantly bombards us with “research” or “studies” to provoke an emotional response, whether it’s fear, excitement, or surprise. The point is, […]
By Shannon Pacella, DPT, PHRC Lexington Medical marijuana. You’ve probably heard of it. You’ve maybe even used it. But what you might not know about is the tug-of-war going on between researchers and lawmakers, and how this impacts the ability of this stigmatized substance to be studied – potentially missing out on an alternative […]
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek Meet Paul and Ashley. Paul and Ashley have an active sex life. They are taking the time to get to know each other’s bodies and pleasures as well as their own. They are trying new ways of being intimate and using toys. They are having fun […]
By Jandra Mueller In my last blog, One and Done: The IUD and the Future of Birth Control, I talked about how the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) are recommending long acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) as their preferred contraceptive option. The two main forms discussed were the implant and the IUD. In […]
By Admin The Kegel, the black box of the exercise world. Are you really doing it right? In today’s post we are going to review some simple exercises to help get to know the pelvic floor muscles. Now, I strongly recommend going through my past post “Exercises for Short/Tight Pelvic […]
Image permission via Cosmopolitan By Stephanie Prendergast The Facts 21% of women undergoing vaginal delivery had levator ani avulsion1 29% of women undergoing vaginal deliveries had pubic bone fractures2 60% of postpartum women reported Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI)3 64.3% of women reported sexual dysfunction in the first year following childbirth4 77% of women […]
Help!!! My pants are on FIRE!! Wait, what? Well, at least that’s what it feels like to a lot of people with pelvic pain. Because nerve pain can feel just like that – burning, tingling, like fire ants in your pants. In this post we are going to talk about how mediation can help. […]
By Melinda Fontaine The physical and occupational therapistss at PHRC work as a team to help each other figure out the most efficient ways to help our patients. One way we share information is through weekly case studies, where one of our physical and occupational therapistss describes a patient’s case, why they chose to evaluate […]
Hormones drive me crazy. As a woman, my biological clock seems to be more like an overactive alarm clock lately. For example, on a certain day I may see a baby and feel an intense urge to procreate. It is as if my uterus wants nothing more than for me to have 18 babies right […]
By Admin Disclaimer: I’m a PT and a Pilates instructor. Often, patients ask if Pilates is the answer for their pelvic floor dysfunction. You know that old saying, “Kegel-ing all day, keeps the urine at bay.” Well, unfortunately, this is not always true. At times Kegel-ing can make actually make your symptoms worse, be it […]
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Did you know that severe menstrual pain is not normal? If you experience severe pain during your period it is possible you are suffering from a very underdiagnosed disease called Endometriosis. Endometrial tissue lines the uterus. In response to hormonal influences, the endometrium of a healthy […]
By Stephanie Prendergast Last fall, I began seeing the logo you see above, appear in my Twitter feed and on Facebook. As a physical and occupational therapists, I was happy to see an organization committing to improving awareness about our field. It’s safe to say that most of the world has no idea what […]
For the past six months, Stephanie and Liz have been busily working on writing a book titled Pelvic Pain Explained: Everything you Need to know to Help you Navigate the Complex Terrain of Pelvic Pain. The book will be published by Rowman & Littlefield. (We don’t have the publication date yet, so stay tuned for […]
Last week our staff attended the 2014 Annual Meeting of the International Pelvic Pain Society (IPPS) in Chicago. During its nearly 20-year existence the IPPS has been a major driver of the progress made in the treatment of chronic pelvic pain. And what makes the Annual Meeting of the organization so exciting is that it […]
Part I in the “Demystifying Pudendal Neuralgia” Series For so many the term “pudendal neuralgia” conveys a frightening and mysterious chronic pain diagnosis. And to be sure, at one time, receiving a diagnosis of pudendal neuralgia, or “PN” as it’s commonly called, was truly terrifying, especially considering that it was against the backdrop of a […]
