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Is your internal thermometer working correctly? Persisting pain and your thyroid

In Female Pelvic Pain, Male Pelvic Pain, Post-Surgical Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation by pelv_admin2 Comments

As a physical therapist 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 to the blog post Pain as the …

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Physical Therapy Treatment for Interstitial Cystitis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

In Female Interstitial Cystitis / Painful Bladder Syndrome, Male Interstitial Cystitis / Nonbacterial Chronic Prostatitis / Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome by Stephanie Prendergast2 Comments

  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 again. Your doctor asks you …

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Calling Bull*!@# on Science

In Female Pelvic Pain, Male Pelvic Pain by Elizabeth Akincilar2 Comments

  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, to catch your attention. Here …

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The Blunt Truth About Medicinal Marijuana and Pelvic Pain

In Endometriosis, Female Pelvic Pain, Male Interstitial Cystitis / Nonbacterial Chronic Prostatitis / Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome, Male Pelvic Pain by Shannon Pacella10 Comments

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 treatment option for a multitude …

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Chew on This: Diet and Your Pelvic Floor

In Female Pelvic Pain, Low-Tone Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, Male Pelvic Pain by pelv_admin2 Comments

When I was younger, the phrase “You are what you eat,” totally confused me. Doughnuts are so delicious and sweet, therefore if I eat a half dozen of glazed old fashioned doesn’t that mean that I would also be sweet and highly desirable? Obviously, I now know that my logic as a kid was inaccurate, otherwise I would still be …

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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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Ketamine May Offer Rapid Relief from Persistent Pelvic Pain

In Female Pelvic Pain, Male Pelvic Pain by Allison Wells4 Comments

  By Allison Wells, MD   Chronic pelvic pain is at a difficult intersection of anatomical pain generators and mood disorders like depression and anxiety that are coincident with or caused by the pain itself. To effectively relieve chronic pelvic pain you need a treatment that addresses the pain and the mood disorder issues. Ketamine infusions do both.   Ketamine …

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The Brain Below: The Role Your Gut May Play in Pelvic Pain

In Female Interstitial Cystitis / Painful Bladder Syndrome, Male Interstitial Cystitis / Nonbacterial Chronic Prostatitis / Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome by Elizabeth Akincilar5 Comments

  By Elizabeth Akincilar-Rummer, MSPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles   When is the last time you heard a little voice inside you that tried to give you advice or warn you of danger? Some describe it as ‘butterflies,’ others a ‘gut feeling.’ That feeling can be attributed to the extremely extensive network of over 100 million neurons that make up …

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Letter To The Senator about Medicare

In Female Pelvic Pain, Male Pelvic Pain by pelv_admin4 Comments

Here at PHRC we are not Medicare providers, for good reasons; you may remember that PHRC published a blog post about them. Still, we receive calls almost daily from Medicare patients enquiring about treatment from us, and unfortunately we have to turn them down: the law says, oddly, that we cannot provide treatment to Medicare patients even if they are …

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When Getting It Up Gets You Down: Erectile Dysfunction and Your Pelvic Floor

In Male Pelvic Pain by pelv_admin2 Comments

As many of us reading this blog can attest, pelvic pain can be an issue that leaves us feeling not only physically uncomfortable, but emotionally/mentally drained and isolated. Often, by the time many people get seen by a physical therapist, they have been mismanaged by other providers, leading to increased frustration among other things. Men, in particular, seem to be …

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Pain as the Ultimate Protector

In Female Pelvic Pain, Male Pelvic Pain by pelv_admin1 Comment

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 …

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PHRC Pelvic Health Career Opportunity!

In Female Pelvic Pain, Male Pelvic Pain by Stephanie Prendergast2 Comments

By: Stephanie Prendergast   Physical Therapist Wanted for PHRC Los Angeles!   Do you want to become a leader in the field of pelvic floor physical therapy? Do you enjoy working with this patient population but are having a hard time finding mentorship? Do you want a collaborative supportive work environment vs  being ‘alone on an island’? If so, PHRC …

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Physical Therapy for Male Pelvic Pain: Don’t Let the Penis Come Between Us

In Male Interstitial Cystitis / Nonbacterial Chronic Prostatitis / Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome, Male Pelvic Pain by Stephanie Prendergast26 Comments

  By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles The Situation Room: Why do men have to see Women’s Health Physical Therapists?   The facts:   15% of adult men worldwide suffer from pelvic pain. 1   8.2% of men will experience prostatitis-like symptoms at some point in their lives, and greater than 90% of those men will have symptoms …

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Male Pelvic Pain Explained: Steve’s Success Story

In Male Pelvic Pain, Stress Urinary Incontinence by Elizabeth Akincilar8 Comments

By Elizabeth Akincilar-Rummer I am happy to say that in March we celebrated our one year anniversary in our Boston area office!! In February 2016 we were excited to welcome our new staff, Melissa Hines, DPT, staff physical therapist and Erika Toronto, Administrative Assistant. It has been a crazy year, but I’ve truly enjoyed getting to know new colleagues and …

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Exercises for Short /Tight Pelvic Floor Muscles

In Female Pelvic Pain, Low-Tone Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, Male Pelvic Pain by pelv_admin18 Comments

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 urinary urgency, frequency, incontinence or …

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Pelvic Myths: True or False?

In Female Pelvic Pain, Male Pelvic Pain by Stephanie Prendergast3 Comments

By Melinda Fontaine Have you heard these common pelvic rumors? Can you guess which ones are true or false?   As a pelvic floor physical therapist, I’ve heard quite a few old wives tales about the pelvis. Test your Pelvic IQ with these 16 true or false statements!   T/F   Drinking water will make me have to pee more. T/F …

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What is Get PT 1st?

In Female Pelvic Pain, Male Pelvic Pain, Post-Surgical Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation by Stephanie Prendergast4 Comments

By Stephanie Prendergast   Last fall, I began seeing the logo you see above, appear in my Twitter feed and on Facebook. As a physical therapist, 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 a pelvic floor physical therapist is or …