By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Pasadena Pelvic pain knowledge is improving, but not as quickly as desired by suffering patients. Many of our page followers might have some or all conditions shown. Researchers and NIH now term them Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions (COPCs). Imagine if these symptoms and diagnoses were interconnected. Endometriosis, diagnosed via surgery biopsy, often overlaps …
Recognizing Pelvic Pain Awareness Month
Recognizing Pelvic Pain Awareness Month By PHRC TEAM May is recognized worldwide as Pelvic Pain Awareness Month, an observance that aims to raise awareness about pelvic pain and encourage education, research, and advocacy. Despite the prevalence of this condition, it often remains underdiagnosed and undertreated due to lack of awareness and understanding. The entire team at the Pelvic Health and …
You Are Invited to a Vulvar Pain Educational Fundraiser!
The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center cordially invites you to an exclusive fundraising and educational event in honor of Pelvic Pain Awareness Month! We extend our heartfelt invitation to join us in lending support to two vital nonprofit organizations that rely on your generous contributions to sustain their impactful initiatives. One of these organizations is Tight Lipped, a dedicated patient …
Vulvodynia: Do’s, Don’ts, + Symptom Management
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles The diagnosis of Vulvodynia can be confusing, scary, and overwhelming. Studies show that vulvar pain affects as many as 1 in 3 women at some point during their lives and the medical community is finally getting better at diagnosing and treating it! ‘Vulvodynia’ simply means pain in the vulva. We consider …
Embracing Sexual Health Awareness: Chronic Pain & Intimacy
By Emily Tran, PHRC Westlake Village September marks Sexual Health Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about the importance of sexual health and well-being. One often overlooked aspect of sexual health is the impact of chronic pain on intimacy. Millions of people worldwide suffer from chronic pain, and it can significantly affect their relationships and sex lives. In …
Healing Female Sexual Pain, and IG Live with Dr. Irwin Goldstein
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, DPT, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles On February 18th I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Irwin Goldstein on Instagram Live. Here is a little background on Dr. Goldstein: Dr. Irwin Goldstein is the director of San Diego Sexual Medicine, where he maintains his clinical practice, Director of Sexual Medicine at Alvarado Hospital and Clinical …
Vestibulodynia Explained with Follow Up Q&A
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Do you know the difference between vulvodynia & vestibulodynia? Vulvodynia simply means pain in the vulva, which includes the clitoris, labia, mons pubis, perineum, hymen, and vestibule. Tune into our IG Live about Vestibulodynia with special guest, Doctor Irwin Goldstein at 5:30PM PST, 2/18/2021. Vestibulodynia is pain in the vestibule, a more …
Integrative Health & Nutrition Services Now Offered Virtually Through PHRC!
By Jandra Mueller, DPT, MS, PHRC Encinitas I’m Jandra, and I am a pelvic floor physical therapist here at PHRC, and the Director of PHRC Encinitas. I am very excited to announce that I have just completed my Master of Science degree in Integrative Health and Nutrition from Maryland University of Integrative Health. A little about me: a few years …
Pelvic Pain Explained: Vulvodynia + Resource List
May is Pelvic Pain Awareness Month 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 and blog posts that we hope people find useful. This week, in our second …
NEW COURSE: Advanced Management of Complex Pelvic Pain Syndromes
By: Stephanie Prendergast, MPT After a five year break from traveling, lecturing, and teaching courses Liz and I are excited to announce that we are re-entering the classrooms! Many people who know us or follow us on social media know our work promoting pelvic floor physical therapy at medical conferences, my leadership role as the first physical therapist to …
Book Review: Why Pelvic Pain Hurts
By: Rachel Daof, DPT “Imagine the following: You feel a sudden new, surprising and sharp pain in your thumb while you’re at the office. You look at it and inspect the thumb. You touch it and feel around to see if there is anything out of the ordinary. You move it around. You discuss it with your coworkers and even …
5 Tips to Reduce Vulvodynia Symptoms
Vulvodynia can affect up to 25% of women in their lifetime.1 The vulva is the anatomical term for the external genitalia in women that includes the clitoris, labia, mons pubis, and vestibule (vaginal opening). Vulvodynia has received specific diagnostic terminology as we now know there are various causes and presentations of symptoms that can be considered “vulvodynia”.3 Box 1 contains …
Happy New Year!
By: Stephanie Prendergast, PHRC Cofounder 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 2018….and a peak forward to 2019. In no particular order, here’s what happened …
Managing Life on or after “The Pill”
By: Jandra Mueller, DPT, MS, PHRC Encinitas If you are a female reader of our blog, have experienced painful intercourse, and happened to have come to the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center (PHRC) for treatment, then you are probably familiar with our talk about how systemic birth control like oral contraceptives (OCPs) or “The Pill,” may be the underlying culprit. …
Part 1 of 2: What is a good pelvic PT session like?
Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center is proud to announce that we now have eight locations across the country. Our newest locations include Walnut Creek, CA, Bedford, NH and Westlake Village, CA. We pride ourselves on our constant commitment to give the best possible care for our patients. Patients suffering from long-standing pelvic conditions are often shuffled around from doctor to …
Sex Therapy and CBT for Pain with Sex
In 2012, The Journal of Sexual Medicine published an article, What we don’t talk about when we don’t talk about sex: results of a national survey of U.S. obstetrician/gynecologists. The results from the survey revealed that though Ob/gyns routinely (63%) assess their patients’ sexual activities, only 40% of them ask their female patients about sexual problems. Sexual problems may include …
Vulvodynia, Vestibulodynia, and Vaginismus: what’s the difference and why does it matter?
By Stephanie Prendergast, PHRC Cofounder As many as 28% of women experience painful sex at some point during their reproductive years and that sucks. Knowledge is power and May is Pelvic Pain Awareness Month so we want to provide women with useful information about the three most common diagnoses associated with painful sex: vulvodynia, vaginismus, and vesitbulodynia. Differentiating …
Vaginismus: Real Answers for Sexual Pain
Vag·i·nis·mus /ˌvajəˈnizməs/ Noun noun: vaginismus painful spasmodic contraction of the vagina in response to physical contact or pressure (especially in sexual intercourse). What is vaginismus? Above is the definition that comes up when you google vaginismus. You may have seen blogs or posts on social media about vaginismus or painful sex or may have experienced it …
A Biopsychosocial Approach to Vulvodynia
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 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 to treat vulvodynia, such as a physician …
When Sex Hurts: A Diagnostic Algorithm
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 would induce the same amount …
3rd World Congress on Abdominal and Pelvic Pain Pain Updates, Part I
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 Abdomino-Pelvic Pain, Convergences in pelvic-Perineal …
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