By Lauren Opatrny, PT, DPT, PHRC San Francisco, CA Ischial bursitis, or ischiogluteal bursitis, is a condition where the bursa that lies between the ischial tuberosity and the gluteus maximus muscle becomes inflamed.(1) Ischial tuberosities are the bones that we sit on and are commonly referred to as your “sits bones.” They provide support for the body while sitting …
What is Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD/GPD)? Part 2
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles In 2021, a panel of experts published a consensus and management of care paper on Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder/Genito-Pelvic Dysesthesia (PGAD/GPD) in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. The paper describes a treatment algorithm involving five different therapeutic targets for PGAD/PGD! The paper describes how clinicians newer to treating this diagnosis can …
Myofascial Trigger Point: What They Cause + Treatments
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Trigger points can cause local pain at the site of the trigger point and/or they can cause referred pain in a location distant from the trigger point itself. Trigger points in each muscle have common referral patterns that have been well documented in the medical literature. Trigger points can …
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, …
How Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy can help with Low Anterior Resection Surgery?
By Lauren Opatrny, PT, DPT San Francisco, CA What is Low Anterior Resection Surgery? Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States (1), and low anterior resection (LAR) is the preferred surgical treatment for rectal cancer. During this procedure, the part of the rectum with cancer will be removed, and the remaining part …
Latchkey Incontinence; Why Does it Happen? Part 2
By Molly Bachmann PT, DPT, Birth Doula, PHRC San Francisco How does your brain know when it is time to empty the bladder? As the bladder begins to fill with liquid, receptors within the walls of the bladder perceive stretch. When the receptors perceive that the bladder is full with about two cups of fluid, the detrusor muscle (the …
Success Story: How André Recovered from Groin Pain
By Jennifer Guan, PT, DPT PHRC Los Gatos André Fenri* is a 28 year old male who was referred to PHRC by his urologist. André reports that three months prior to his initial evaluation, he developed pressure and pain on the left side in his groin region. He reports that he had gone skateboarding prior and his MD suspected …
Pelvic Pain 101: Definition + Resource List
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles “Can you please define to us what exactly is pelvic pain when sitting. Over the bladder? In the groin? On the labia? Rectum? Sit bone? Like period cramps? What is the most common definition? I’d love for this to be a post or a question for all. I keep wondering …
IPPS Post-Conference Specialty Course
By Amy Stein, MPT, DPT, BCB-PFD, IF & Karen Brandon, DSc, PT, WCS This year we are excited to present a post-conference course dedicated to physical therapy clinical skills and treatment planning for complex endometriosis cases. This workshop is in-person and virtual. We are so excited to have an all-star group of presenters, an expert panel, and case dissection round tables where …
Pudendal Neuralgia Frequently Asked Questions- Answered
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. …
How Denise Reduced Prolapse Symptoms with Therapeutic Yoga at PHRC
By Melissa Patrick, PT, DPT, RYT Denise is an active 61 year old woman who enjoys spending time outside walking her dog, going to Zumba class and practicing yoga. When I met Denise, I could tell that she was energetic and lively but that her primary complaints of vaginal pressure were putting a damper on her lifestyle. I am happy …
Solutions for Menopausal Women with GSM and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT , Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Most people have not heard of term “Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause” (GSM). One key reason is that the term did not exist until 2014, when leadership societies recognized that menopausal women were suffering from many more symptoms than just ‘vaginal atrophy’ and vaginal dryness. The expanded GSM term more …
How Alexandra Recovered from Pudendal Neuralgia at PHRC
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 …
Hard Flaccid: Causes, Treatments, and Symptoms
By Elizabeth Akincilar, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack Although our knowledge is limited with regards to hard-flaccid syndrome, based upon the minimal medical literature dedicated to this syndrome and our own experience at PHRC, hard-flaccid syndrome most commonly occurs secondary to the following: When the PFM, particularly the urogenital diaphragm, or superficial PFM, become too tight or hypertonic, they can …
How PFPT Helped Following a Prostatectomy: Peter’s Story
By Peter and Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek Pelvic Physical Therapy (PPT) has been a wonderfully life changing experience for me following prostate cancer treatment. It has been a nearly three year journey, and I cannot speak highly enough of the benefits of my kind, caring, and immensely skilled PPT therapist. What are these benefits? In short, marked improvement …
Busting Menopause Myths: How the Women’s Health Initiative Changed Women’s Health Overnight
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, , Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles It is common knowledge amongst medical professionals and researchers that it takes an average of 17 years for research evidence to reach clinical practice. In 2002 an event occurred that changed healthcare overnight for menopausal women, affecting over 50 million people at the time. Twenty years later, tremendous confusion …
Postpartum Urinary Incontinence is Common: Here’s How We Can Help
By Lauren Opatrny, PT, DPT, PHRC Berkeley & San Francisco *all names have been changed to maintain patient privacy Background Rachel* is a 32 year old experiencing urinary incontinence after giving birth to her baby in December 2020. When she was eight months postpartum and still experiencing incontinence, her doctor referred her to pelvic physical therapy. Six weeks …
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 …
Success Story: Pelvic Floor PT Helped Charli Resolve Postpartum Pain
By Jillian Cerda Ramos, PT, DPT, MFDc *all names have been changed to maintain patient privacy Introduction Pregnancy is truly a life-changing event in more ways than one: bringing a baby into this world is no easy feat, and neither is the recovery process! Just like how each pregnancy is so different, each postpartum experience can be so …
A Q&A About Clitoral Pain
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles & Elizabeth Akincilar, MSPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack What are the possible causes of clitoral pain? How can each of these things cause it? There are several possible causes of clitoral pain. This list of causes is not exhaustive, but are the most common causes of clitoral pain. It could be …