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Dermatomes: Let’s Get Into It

In Female Pelvic Pain, Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Male Pelvic Pain, Male Pudendal Neuralgia, Pelvic Pain by Emily TranLeave a Comment

By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles   At PHRC we love anatomy! As physical therapists we have advanced training in the neuromuscular systems of our body. Knowing where things come from and where things go help make us expert diagnosticians and treatment providers! Here is insight into which nerve roots are responsible for sensation in our pelvis. As …

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As The Pelvis Turns: Top Blogs of 2023

In Endometriosis, Female Pelvic Pain, Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Male Pudendal Neuralgia, Pelvic Health, Pregnancy and Postpartum Pelvic Health, Vulvodynia by Emily TranLeave a Comment

By PHRC Admin Team   As we find ourselves on the cusp of a new year, it’s time to take a nostalgic walk down memory lane and revisit the top blogs of 2023. This year has been a rollercoaster ride, filled with insightful discussions, enlightening discoveries, and inspiring stories from all across the globe. So, let’s wrap up the year …

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Obturator Internus: Anatomy, Dysfunction and Symptoms

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Male Pudendal Neuralgia, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain by Stephanie PrendergastLeave a Comment

By Stephanie A. Prendergast, DPT, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles The Obturator Internus (OI) muscle is an external rotator and an abductor of the hip. It is also a pelvic floor muscle, with half of the muscle belly sitting right next to our Levator Ani muscles. The muscle also forms part of Alcokc’s Canal, which houses the perineal branch of …

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Ilioinguinal Neuralgia: Causes and Treatment

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Male Pudendal Neuralgia, Pain, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain by Stephanie Prendergast1 Comment

By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles   Ilioinguinal neuralgia is typically caused by a surgical procedure or an inguinal hernia.   A hernia is when tissue pooches through the abdominal wall due to a weak point in the abdomen. An inguinal hernia, which is a hernia in the inguinal canal, can put pressure on the ilioinguinal nerve, …

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Pelvic Neuralgias: General Info, Causes, and Treatment

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Male Pudendal Neuralgia, Pain, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain by Stephanie PrendergastLeave a Comment

By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles When considering neuropathic pain in the pelvis most people think of the pudendal nerve, but there are several other pelvic nerves that can also contribute to pelvic pain!  The genitofemoral nerve supplies a portion of the genitals as well as the front of the thigh. This nerve is sometimes confused with …

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Pudendal Neuralgia Frequently Asked Questions- Answered

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Male Pudendal Neuralgia, Pain, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain by Elizabeth AkincilarLeave a Comment

By Elizabeth Akincilar, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack Over the last couple of years PHRC has shared many YouTube videos and educational material on Instagram educating our viewers and readers about pelvic health. We have received an overwhelming response to several of our posts discussing pudendal neuralgia. Listed below are some of the most common questions we’ve received and our answers. …

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How Alexandra Recovered from Pudendal Neuralgia at PHRC

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain by Stephanie PrendergastLeave a Comment

By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Why do my sitz bones hurt with sitting, but not when sitting on the toilet? Alexandria’s Success Story with Highs and Lows throughout the Healing Process    The History of Alexandria’s Pain and How She Found PHRC   Alexandria is a 62-year-old female who showed up to PHRC with eight out …

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Pudendal Neuralgia Resources [UPDATED]

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Male Pudendal Neuralgia, pelvic floor physical therapy by Emily TranLeave a Comment

By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC West Los Angeles Did you know that June is Men’s Health Awareness Month? To follow up that month, we wanted to update the resources we have for Pudendal Neuralgia. Below you will find the latest and greatest information both in blog and video format! We compiled information from guest speakers, Do’s and Don’ts, yoga …

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IG Live Q/A: Pudendal Neuralgia + Pudendal Nerve Entrapment

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Male Pudendal Neuralgia, pelvic floor physical therapy by Elizabeth AkincilarLeave a Comment

By Elizabeth Akincilar, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Lexington   In May we went live on Instagram with Mark Conway, MD, gynecologist and pelvic surgeon specializing in pelvic neuralgias. We compiled a list of questions from social media to answer during our live about your inquiries about Pudendal Neuralgia. So what is Pudendal Neuralgia? It is a treatable pain condition that consists …

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Pudendal Neuralgia Resource List

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Male Pudendal Neuralgia by Stephanie PrendergastLeave a Comment

By Stephanie A. Prendergast, DPT, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles May is Pelvic Pain Awareness Month and 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 …

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Recovered From Pudendal Neuralgia: Sheyoume’s Success Story

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Male Pudendal Neuralgia by Stephanie Prendergast26 Comments

By: Stephanie Prendergast, PHRC Cofounder Pudendal neuralgia is a syndrome characterized by burning, stabbing pain in the territory of the pudendal nerve, which has a vast distribution in the pelvis. The symptoms can wreak havoc during ordinary daily activities such as sitting, exercising, going to the bathroom, and having sex. Nerves are physiologically different from muscles, therefore they heal differently …

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Is Cryotherapy an effective treatment for Pudendal Neuralgia?

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Male Pudendal Neuralgia by pelv_admin13 Comments

  People recovering from pudendal neuralgia will tell you there is a lack of understanding about this diagnosis and treatment options in the medical community. Week after week, our blog, How do I know if I have PN or PNE,  is one of our most read posts. Recently there has been discussion about cryotherapy treatment for pudendal neuralgia. Sara Saunders, PT, …

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A Mesh of a Situation

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Pelvic Organ Prolapse, Post-Surgical Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation, Stress Urinary Incontinence by Elizabeth Akincilar7 Comments

  By Elizabeth Akincilar, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack   In May 2015 a Delaware jury ordered Boston Scientific, a medical device company, to pay a woman $100 million for pain complications following vaginal mesh placement for treatment of pelvic organ prolapse. A few months prior to that a Texas woman was awarded $73 million for similar complications. Some think that …

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Pudendal Neuralgia Series 1: Interdisciplinary Conversations from IPPS 2015

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Male Pudendal Neuralgia by Stephanie Prendergast7 Comments

  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 therapist, pain management specialist Dr. Sheldon Jordan, and gynecologist/pelvic pain specialist/pudendal …

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Pudendal Neuralgia Media Wrecking Ball: Why words matter

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Male Pudendal Neuralgia by Stephanie Prendergast29 Comments

By Stephanie Prendergast, PHRC Cofounder Most people dealing with the symptoms of Pudendal Neuralgia (PN) will tell you reading about PN, mostly online, can be traumatizing. “Chronic” conditions often translate to gloomy situations for both patients and providers. In recent years, the knowledge of pain science and PN has advanced tremendously. In the medical community there is overwhelming evidence to …

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Pudendal Nerve Entrapment (PNE): Your Questions Answered Part II

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Low-Tone Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, Male Pudendal Neuralgia by Stephanie Prendergast42 Comments

This week’s post is the second half of a Q&A on the controversial diagnosis of pudendal nerve entrapment and the decompression surgery associated with it. For this post, we chatted with two of the leading experts on the topic: Michael Hibner, M.D., a gynecologic surgeon at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz. and Mark Conway, M.D., a …

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Pudendal Nerve Entrapment (PNE): Your Questions Answered

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Low-Tone Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, Male Pudendal Neuralgia, Post-Surgical Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation by Stephanie Prendergast171 Comments

Part III of our “Demystifying Pudendal Neuralgia” Series  How does PNE (pudendal nerve entrapment) occur? How is it diagnosed? When is a patient a good candidate for the pudendal nerve decompression surgery? When are they not? These are among the questions we asked two of the leading experts on the controversial diagnosis PNE and the decompression surgery associated with it: …

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The Role of Physical Therapy in Treating Pudendal Neuralgia

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Male Pudendal Neuralgia, Post-Surgical Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation by Stephanie Prendergast159 Comments

Part II in the “Demystifying Pudendal Neuralgia” Series       In the previous post in our “Demystifying Pudendal Neuralgia” series, I talked about the difference between PN and PNE. In addition, I reviewed a list of treatment options for PN. Physical therapy was at the top of that list. Today, in this second post in the series, I will …

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How do I know if I have Pudendal Neuralgia or Pudendal Nerve Entrapment?

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Male Pudendal Neuralgia by Stephanie Prendergast561 Comments

  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 medical community that didn’t …