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 …
The Evolution of Pelvic Health: A Journey Through Time
By PHRC Admin Team Pelvic health is a critical aspect of overall well-being, yet it was often overlooked in the past. Today, we recognize the importance of this specialized field of medicine and the impact it has on millions of lives. Let’s take a trip back in time to explore how the field of pelvic health came to be. …
Misconceptions About Pelvic Health And The Truth About Them
By Emily Tran, PHRC Westlake Village When it comes to overall health, there is one area that is often overlooked or under-discussed: pelvic health. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the importance of taking care of their pelvic floor muscles, and they pay little attention to the myriad of issues that can arise from poor pelvic health. To help …
Trauma-Informed Care Approaches for a Pelvic Floor PT
By admin According to the Center for Health Care Strategies, “a trauma-informed approach to care acknowledges that health care organizations and care teams need to have a complete picture of a patient’s life situation — past and present — in order to provide effective health care services with a healing orientation.” In the image we have listed a few …
What to Expect at a Prepartum/Postpartum Evaluation
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles During prepartum/postpartum evaluations, a physical therapist will take an extensive medical history. Following the history, the PT will perform a thorough external and internal musculoskeletal exam. Your evaluation should include: Musculoskeletal: An assessment of structure, muscles, tissue, joints and manual evaluation of the pelvic floor muscles. We can identify problematic …
It’s National Men’s Health Week!
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles National Men’s Health Week is held each year from June 8-14, and it is a time to raise awareness about the health of men and boys. This year’s theme focuses on the importance of preventive care, early detection, and treatment of medical conditions. Men tend to avoid doctor visits, with …
Common Prepartum Symptoms and Their Treatments
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles If you are expecting, plan to be in the future or know someone that is, here are some common Prepartum symptoms! Low back pain- Foot and back pain are due to hormonal and musculoskeletal changes. Studies have shown that 40% to 60% of women will experience back pain during pregnancy and …
Navigating Mental Health: Strategies for Managing Your Mental Well-Being
By Emily Tran, PHRC Admin, Westlake Village Pelvic pain can be a source of significant stress and anxiety for individuals. Living with chronic pelvic pain can often lead to feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and even depression. It’s important to recognize the impact pelvic pain can have on mental health. Here are a few ways mental health can affect pelvic …
Tight Lipped: You’re Not Alone; Patient-Led Communities
By Tight Lipped, guest blogger. “My doctor in college told me that my partner simply ‘didn’t know what he was doing’, and that’s why it felt like his penis was hitting a wall inside me.” “When I saw a doctor for my vaginal pain, he told me to use a cucumber to stretch out my vagina.” “So many doctors …
Scar Facts: All You Need to Know
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Let’s talk scars and facts: Scar tissue is of poorer quality than regular tissue; therefore it is more sensitive to UV light. Be sure to protect your scars with SPF! Don’t be surprised when hair doesn’t grow back in your scars. Hair follicles and sweat glands do not regenerate in …
Sleep Hygiene: The Do’s and Don’ts to Maximize Your Rest
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Getting enough restful sleep is paramount for a healthy body. The benefits are too many to name here. It can be a challenge to get a good night’s rest for many people. Here are some basic tips to improve the quality of your sleep! Stay away from screens before …
2023: Year of the Rabbit, A (2022) Year in Review
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Welcome 2023, goodbye 2022! It’s been another year full of changes for Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center. With the start of the new year, we would like to acknowledge all of the changes that have occurred both virtually and in person. Last year….. PHRC Pasadena opened in January 2022, …
Pain in your tailbone? You are not alone: Michelle’s Success Story
By Jennifer Keesee, PT, DPT, PHRC Westlake Village Michelle is a 39 year old patient who was referred to PHRC by her pain management specialist for evaluation and treatment of tailbone pain, known as Coccydynia. Her symptoms started one year after giving birth to her second child, and had continued off and on for about three years. Michelle did …
Myofascial Trigger Points: Facts & General Information
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Let’s talk Myofascial Trigger Point (MTrPs) Facts: MTrPs are contracted fibers with a muscle. MTrPs are painful when compressed. Active MTrPs cause pain and/or dysfunction whereas latent MTrPs do not currently cause pain and/or dysfunction but have the potential to. MTrPs can cause pain locally (at the spot of the …
Myofascial Trigger Points – Frequently Asked Questions & Their Answers
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Over the last few week’s, we have received various inquiries about Myofascial Trigger Points. Why do they occur? What are they? How can we fix them? This week we do a deep dive and answer our most frequently asked questions! Q: Never heard of this ! What is this …
May is Mental Health Awareness Month!
By Emily Schwerdtfeger, PHRC Westlake Village May is Mental Health Awareness Month; we wanted to talk about pelvic pain and mental health! When it comes to pelvic pain, it can have a major effect on both your physical and mental health. Did you know about 20% or one in five people experience a mental health disorder at some …
How Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Helped Megan Eliminate Rectal Pain and Bowel Dysfunction
By Kim Buonomo, DPT, PHRC Lexington Introduction Megan (mid-50 year old cisgender female) started seeing me in September 2021. She had a history of bowel dysfunction since giving birth to her daughter in the late 1990’s. She described her symptoms as a pattern of alternating constipation and diarrhea, associated with bloating, hemorrhoids and abdominal discomfort. She thought for a …
Endometriosis: Frequently Asked Questions & Their Answers
By Jandra Mueller, DPT, MS, PHRC Encinitas This past month was Endometriosis Awareness Month. It was very exciting to see how many more individuals and providers were sharing amazing information about this disease that affects such a large percentage of our population. This was not always the case, and it is a sign we are moving in the right …
World Physical Therapy Day- A Q&A about Pelvic Floor PTs
September 8th is World Physical Therapy Day! To celebrate, we wanted to do a little Q&A about pelvic floor physical therapy and what it’s like to be a pelvic floor physical therapist! What is pelvic floor physical therapy? In a nutshell pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT) is the branch of physical therapy that is focused on conditions …
Pediatric Success Story: Constipation interrupting your kids’ activities?
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek Symptoms Many families struggle with constipation in children. Maya is a 10 year old who likes to swim, camp, and play with her little brother. She had suffered with constipation and fecal incontinence most of her life. A year ago, an x-ray showed that she had an enlarged colon from chronic constipation, and …
Is Your Vagina Healthy? How to Tell Healthy from Unhealthy
By Jandra Mueller, DPT, MS, PHRC Encinitas Here is the situation, you have irritation down there, you go to your doctor, she performs her exam and tests, she swabs you, then you get the call… your cultures came back negative. Here is what your GYN may have missed. Many women experiencing pelvic pain, urinary, and sexual dysfunction often have pelvic …