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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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Demystifying Pelvic Floor Disorders

In Female Pelvic Pain, Male Pelvic Pain, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Pain by Emily TranLeave a Comment

By PHRC Admin     Pelvic floor disorders are a group of medical conditions that affect millions worldwide. Despite their prevalence, these disorders often remain undiagnosed and untreated due to lack of awareness and social stigma. In this blog post, we will summarize key information from an article by Today’s Woman that our cofounder, Stephanie Prendergast was interviewed for. We …

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Triumph Through Telehealth: Jim’s Journey Overcoming Chronic Prostatitis

In Male Interstitial Cystitis / Nonbacterial Chronic Prostatitis / Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome, Male Pelvic Pain, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Telehealth by Emily Tran3 Comments

By Melissa Patrick, PT, DPT, RYT , PHRC Lexington   For the estimated 15% of men worldwide who suffer from pelvic pain, finding the right providers to properly diagnose and treat their pain can be a daunting task, especially when seeking local options in their community. As a result, some patients end up traveling long distances to receive care.  Fortunately, …

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National Breast Cancer Month: Raising Awareness

In Uncategorized by Emily Tran1 Comment

By PHRC Admin Team   October is National Breast Cancer Month, a time to raise awareness about this deadly disease that affects millions of people across the globe. Approximately one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, making it the most common form of cancer among women in the United States .   This month …

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Why Everyone In Menopause Deserves Pelvic Floor PT

In Menopause, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Health by Stephanie Prendergast4 Comments

By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Our muscles are hormonally sensitive structures and weaken over time as we experience hormonal decline. In addition, the prevalence of pelvic floor dysfunction rises and the combination of these two scenarios can cause people a fair amount of grief. A recent study showed 95.3% of people with lumbopelvic pain also had …

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PHRC is accepting new patients in Columbus, OH!

In Female Pelvic Pain, Male Pelvic Pain, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain, Pregnancy and Postpartum Pelvic Health by pelv_adminLeave a Comment

By PHRC Admin Team   The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center is excited to announce that we are now accepting new patients in our newest location in Columbus, Ohio! Let’s be real, pelvic floor physical therapy is needed everywhere. Since we opened in San Francisco in 2006 we have been honored to help patients from all over; which has now …

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Embracing Sexual Health Awareness: Chronic Pain & Intimacy

In Pain, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain, Vaginismus by Emily TranLeave a Comment

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 …

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September Marks Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month

In Pelvic Health, Uncategorized by Emily TranLeave a Comment

By Emily Tran, PHRC Westlake Village   September marks Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, an important time to raise awareness about the importance of early detection and preventive measures for several types of gynecologic cancers.   Gynecologic cancers refer to several different types of cancer that affect women’s reproductive organs, including cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal and vulvar cancer. While these cancers …

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Success Story: How Stacey Recovered from Leaking and UTIs at PHRC

In Female Pelvic Pain, Menopause, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, pelvic floor physical therapy by Emily EckmannLeave a Comment

By Emily Eckmann, DPT, PHRC West Los Angeles   Stacy’s History   Stacy is a woman in her 60s who came to PHRC seeking help for her urinary incontinence that had progressively gotten worse over the last five years. She was eight years into menopause and had seen several gynecologists who did not find ‘anything wrong with her bladder.’ She …

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Fusobacterium and Endometriosis: New Insights or Media Frenzy?

In Endometriosis, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Health by Jandra MuellerLeave a Comment

By Jandra Mueller, DPT, MS, PHRC Encinitas   The recent study titled “Fusobacterium infection facilitates the development of endometriosis through the phenotypic transition of endometrial fibroblasts” by Muraoka et al. has generated significant attention and frenzy in the media.  The media coverage of this article has been intense, with headlines highlighting the potential breakthrough in understanding the pathogenesis of endometriosis, …

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Dyspareunia: Symptoms and Associated Conditions

In Endometriosis, Female Pelvic Pain, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Pain, Vulvodynia by Stephanie Prendergast1 Comment

By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles   What is dyspareunia? A high number of people with a vagina suffer from painful versus pleasurable sex, including before, during or after sexual encounters. Superficial dyspareunia refers to pain at the opening of the vagina, whereas deep dyspareunia refers to feelings like something is being ‘hot’ or painful, deeper inside.  …

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Biomechanical Evaluation for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction & PF Functions

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

By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles   To start, there are various functions we can thank our pelvic floor, but let’s get into the MAIN functions: Part of core muscles The pelvic floor supports your core muscles: transversus abdominis, rectus abdominis, and the external oblique muscles. The PFM tends to act reflexively when we’re using our core …

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June is Men’s Health Awareness Month

In Male Pelvic Pain, Pelvic Health by Elizabeth AkincilarLeave a Comment

By Elizabeth Akincilar, MSPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack   June is Men’s Health Awareness Month and it’s an important reminder of the need to prioritize preventative care and wellness for all. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, men are more likely to experience serious health problems such as heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, diabetes, suicide, substance abuse …

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A Kenyan Pelvic Health Physical Therapy School Scholarship 

In Pelvic floor physical therapy continuing education, pelvic floor physical therapy mentoring, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain by Elizabeth AkincilarLeave a Comment

By Elizabeth Akincilar, MSPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack The Jackson Clinics Foundation was formed in 2012 to fund educational efforts in East Africa. To date the foundation has sent over 100 faculty members from their clinics and from around the country to teach in east and central Africa. Some of the best and brightest physical therapists in the United States have …

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Common Prepartum Symptoms and Their Treatments

In Female Pelvic Pain, Pain, Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Telehealth, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain, Pregnancy and Postpartum Pelvic Health by Stephanie PrendergastLeave a Comment

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 …

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Hormonal Prepartum Changes and Postpartum Complaints

In Female Pelvic Pain, Pain, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain, Pregnancy and Postpartum Pelvic Health by Stephanie PrendergastLeave a Comment

By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles   Hormones play a vital role in day-to-day function. They allow for the organs to communicate with each other so that we can filter toxic waste, grow muscle, sleep well . . . . and even grow a human! Let’s take a look at what happens during pregnancy: Estrogen goes up, elevating …

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Iliopsoas Dysfunction: Anatomy, Symptoms and Treatments

In pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Health, Uncategorized by Stephanie Prendergast and Elizabeth RummerLeave a Comment

By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles and Elizabeth Akincilar, MSPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack   Optimal pelvic health and biomechanics involves the iliopsoas muscle. When this muscle is not functioning properly pelvic, hip and and back pain can become a problem. The psoas muscle portion originates from T12/L1. It is a powerful hip flexor and it helps to …

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The Right Way To Poop and Improve Bowel Movements

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

By Stephanie A. Prendergast, DPT, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles   April is Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month, so we felt it was most appropriate to discuss bowel mechanisms and the ‘right way’ to poop.   According to a study by Shahid (et al in 2012), “constipation affects up to 28% of Americans.” More Americans suffer from constipation than die …

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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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Success Story: Constipation and Urinary Retention Resolved

In Female Interstitial Cystitis / Painful Bladder Syndrome, Male Interstitial Cystitis / Nonbacterial Chronic Prostatitis / Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome, Male Pelvic Pain, Pain, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain by Melinda Fontaine1 Comment

By: Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek   Darnell took a trip to Europe a few months ago with his spouse. They had planned a wonderful vacation, but what they didn’t plan for was Darnell not being able to urinate or have a bowel movement (BM) for nine days! He took magnesium citrate which helped him produce partial BMs. When …

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March is Endometriosis Month; Current News and Updates

In Endometriosis, Female Pelvic Pain, Pain, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain by Jandra MuellerLeave a Comment

By Jandra Mueller, DPT, MS, PHRC Encinitas   March is the month where we get to talk about all things Endometriosis. Endometriosis (‘endo’) is an estrogen mediated, inflammatory disease characterized by endometrial-like tissue found outside of the uterus. Most commonly it is found in the abdominal and pelvic cavity, but can be found elsewhere in the body as well. Endo …