By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, PHRC Pasadena Pain science education (PSE)—sometimes called pain neuroscience education—aims to help people understand what pain is, how it’s produced by the nervous system, and why it can persist even after tissues have healed. In chronic pelvic pain, where biological, psychological, and social factors often intertwine, that reconceptualization can be powerful: it can lower fear, boost …
Manual Therapy for Myofascial Pelvic Pain: Part 2
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, PHRC Pasadena In our last blog post we summarized general benefits of manual therapy for myofascial pain. In this post, we are going to take a deeper dive and explore the benefits of manual therapy for myofascial pelvic pain syndromes. This will be a three part series, our next post examines the evidence behind Pain Science …
Manual Therapy for Myofascial Pain: Part 1
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, PHRC Pasadena I’m honored to be speaking at PelviCon 2025, an outstanding event created by Nicole Cozean and Jessica Reale for clinicians passionate about pelvic health. Each speaker will be delivering two lectures, and one of mine is titled: “Pain Science Education vs. Manual Therapy: A Practitioner’s Dilemma.” Why is this a dilemma? Research consistently shows …
Pelvic Floor Therapy for EDS & Hypermobility
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome & Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders: How Pelvic Floor Physical and Occupational Therapy Can Help By Jandra Mueller, DPT, MS, PHRC Encinitas SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a group of 13 heritable connective tissue disorders. Genetic changes impact our connective tissue, causing joint hypermobility, skin hyperextensibility, and tissue fragility. Though it’s a multisystemic condition, one of the often-overlooked aspects …
Understanding Mast Cell Mediated Genitopelvic Pain
Emerging Perspectives on Chronic Pelvic Pain and Sexual Health By Jandra Mueller, DPT, MS, PHRC Encinitas SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT Last fall (2024), I attended a mast cell conference where my colleague Alyssa Yee, MD and I were invited to speak about the topic of pelvic pain conditions and the role of mast cells; specifically on the topic of endometriosis and …
Obturator Internus: A Treatable But Often Overlooked Little Beast
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, PHRC Pasadena SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT Comprehensive pelvic floor physical and occupational therapy includes much more than examination and treatment of pelvic floor muscles. Many factors contribute to normal and abnormal pelvic floor functioning, this post and series will focus on muscles of the pelvic girdle and how they influence the pelvic floor. The pelvic girdle …
How Your Muscles Create the Ultimate Crescendo
The Orgasm Orchestra: Designed by PHRC and explained by Dr. Maria Uloko SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT A little bit about Dr. Uloko before we dive into this blog…Dr. Maria Uloko is a board-certified urologist, researcher, and educator, internationally recognized for her work in sexual health, vulvar anatomy, and disparities in care. She is one of only seven experts globally trained in …
Clitoral Adhesions: Clarity on Clitoral Care
By Cambria Oetken, DPT, PHRC Westlake Village SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT Our sexual medicine experts have written a review shared in the International Society of Sexual Medicine Journal in regards to Clitoral Adhesions through a literature review written by Jennifer P. Romanello, Monica C. Myers, Elsa Nico, and Rachel S. Rubin. If you have not already, check out our recent blog …
How Pelvic Pain Patients Can Help Change the System
By Keena Batti Keena Batti is a Los Angeles Chapter Campaign Leader of Tight Lipped. Stephanie Prendergast is a member of the Tight Lipped Speakers Bureau. SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT When I was 19, I wanted to start taking birth control. When I visited my gynecologist, he cataloged the many ways birth control would benefit me. He also warned of blood clots, …
Let’s Talk Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Pasadena Pelvic pain knowledge is improving, but not as quickly as desired by suffering patients. Many of our page followers might have some or all conditions shown. Researchers and NIH now term them Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions (COPCs). Imagine if these symptoms and diagnoses were interconnected. Endometriosis, diagnosed via surgery biopsy, often overlaps …
A Guide to Relaxing Your Pelvic Floor
By Cambria Oetken, DPT, PHRC Westlake Village What is the Pelvic Floor? The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and connective tissues that form a supportive “sling” at the base of your pelvis. They help control the collection of and release of urine, feces, and gas, they support pelvic organs, and the muscles contribute to sexual function. Just …
Understanding Pelvic Venous Disorders: A Common Cause of Pelvic Pain
By Jandra Mueller, DPT, PHRC Encinitas & Guest Author Julie Baron, DPT, CSCS, PCES Having been a pelvic floor physical and occupational therapists for over twelve years, I can count on one hand the amount of times I have seen this diagnosis; yet, some sources say it is the second leading cause of chronic pelvic pain. Of the patients I …
Neuropathic Pain in Pelvis: Q&A
By PHRC Team Several different nerves that supply the pelvis can cause neuropathic pain (nerve pain). We’re going to review a bit of what is involved with neuropathic pain, how to treat neuropathic pain, and follow up with all the questions we received on the topic! The pudendal nerve is probably the most common nerve that causes neuropathic pain …
Neuropathic Pelvic Pain: Beyond Pudendal Neuralgia
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder PHRC Pasadena Many people experiencing burning in their pelvis or pain while sitting may google their symptoms and quickly arrive at a diagnosis of Pudendal Neuralgia. The pudendal nerve is an important pelvic nerve, however, the ilioinguinal nerve, the obturator nerve and the genitofemoral nerves can also cause pelvic pain and should not be …
Common Pelvic Floor Health Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
By Elizabeth Akincilar, MSPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack The pelvic floor plays a significant role in several crucial functions, including bowel health, sexual function, and balance. However, certain common habits and misconceptions can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction. Did you know we were featured in an Insider magazine article? Let’s review these common mistakes and hopefully give you a few ways …
Recognizing Pelvic Pain Awareness Month
Recognizing Pelvic Pain Awareness Month By PHRC TEAM May is recognized worldwide as Pelvic Pain Awareness Month, an observance that aims to raise awareness about pelvic pain and encourage education, research, and advocacy. Despite the prevalence of this condition, it often remains underdiagnosed and undertreated due to lack of awareness and understanding. The entire team at the Pelvic Health and …
Penile Pain: Frequently Asked Questions and Their Answers
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 male pelvic pain, in particular penile pain. Listed below are some of the most common …