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Everyday Activities Supported by Pelvic Floor Muscles

In Female Pelvic Pain, Male Pelvic Pain, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain by Emily Tran1 Comment

The Unsung Heroes: Everyday Activities Supported by Pelvic Floor Muscles By PHRC Admin   While often overlooked, the pelvic floor muscles are unsung heroes that play a vital role in supporting everyday activities. These muscles, located at the base of the pelvis, provide structural support to our internal organs and facilitate essential functions. In this blog post, we will explore …

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Pelvic Floor Education is Coming to Classrooms

In Female Pelvic Pain, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain, Uncategorized by Stephanie PrendergastLeave a Comment

By Stephanie A. Prendergast, DPT, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles “Girls aged 12 to 17 should be taught in school how to do pelvic floor exercises, according to new draft health guidelines.” – BBC News   For the past 21 years my career has been focused on advancing the field of pelvic health. Last week the BBC posted an article …

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Pelvic Floor Muscle Function: Breathing Into Sexual Pleasure

In pelvic floor physical therapy, pelvic floor yoga and pilates, Pelvic Health by pelv_admin3 Comments

By Karah Charette, DPT, PHRC Berkeley & San Francisco   As a human being, you have a right to pleasure- safe, consensual, and sexual pleasure.    We are fortunate to participate in a culture where conversations about sexuality and sexual function are becoming more mainstream and accepted. We are now having nuanced conversations about the myriad of factors that affect …

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No-Equipment Workout for a Happy Pelvis and Strong Core

In Pelvic Health by pelv_admin2 Comments

By Courtney Edgecomb, DPT, PHRC Los Angeles Even before gyms and group fitness classes closed for COVID-19, I was a big fan of at-home workouts. Don’t get me wrong, I love the community, atmosphere, and variety of equipment available from gyms and classes, but the price can get high and I run like the wolves to avoid traffic or parking …

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Pelvic Health Products We Love: Part One

In Pelvic Health by Jandra Mueller1 Comment

By Jandra Mueller, DPT, MS, PHRC Encinitas Here at PHRC we regularly discover all sorts of new and cool products that are available for people’s pelvic health needs. I am amazed at some of the products available and that are being developed and am so thankful there are people that are creating these products because they are SOOO helpful!  Pelvic …

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The 4th Trimester: Postpartum Pain is Common but not Normal, Part 2

In Pregnancy and Postpartum Pelvic Health by pelv_adminLeave a Comment

By Courtney Edgecomb, DPT In Part 2 of my 2-part post I will cover different therapeutic strategies for postpartum pain.  As a new mom, self-care and appropriate medical attention is critical to ensure you stay as healthy as possible for your little one. I am sure it is daunting to find time for yourself at the moment, but it will …

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Stress Urinary Incontinence in Athletes: Why You Leak When You Exercise

In Stress Urinary Incontinence by pelv_adminLeave a Comment

You may have heard murmurings at practice, the gym, in yoga, or maybe you’ve got your own experiences to share, of people describing incidences of urine loss while exercising. This is called Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) and is described as a loss of urine associated with a stress to the body causing increased intra-abdominal pressure, such as running, jumping, lifting, …

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The Ankle Bone is Connected to the Pelvic Floor Muscle Function

In Pelvic Floor Dysfunction by Shannon Pacella1 Comment

By: Shannon Pacella, DPT, PHRC Lexington With Halloween just occuring, I had been seeing skeleton decorations everywhere and it got me thinking about anatomy. Cue the ‘Dem Bones’ song we sang as kids – “the knee bones connected to the thigh bone, the thigh bones connected to the hip bone,” the ankle bones connected to the pelvic floor…wait, I didn’t …

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Childbirth Medical Interventions and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

In Pregnancy and Postpartum Pelvic Health by pelv_admin2 Comments

  By: Admin   As a pregnant woman and pelvic floor physical therapist, I am surrounded by stories, advice, and opinions about the right way to give birth. Most of us know that pregnancy and childbirth often result in trauma to the pelvic floor and perineum, which can lead to incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and painful sex, among other things. …

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Foul! What the Media Got Wrong about Women’s Health!

In Female Pelvic Pain by pelv_adminLeave a Comment

Over the last year, the media has come under increasing scrutiny: visit almost any website, and you’ll see that the terms “fake news” and “alternative facts” have taken over the headlines and the comments section. Now, I love the people who produce  pieces that aim to educate the community, especially when the subject is women’s health and the author is …

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Reducing perineal trauma during labor and delivery

In Female Pelvic Pain, Low-Tone Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, Pregnancy and Postpartum Pelvic Health by Stephanie Prendergast2 Comments

By Stephanie Prendergast, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles   Who doesn’t love a crowning baby cake? If our image didn’t catch your eye the title of this post probably did if you are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant. Last week we presented a pelvic health quiz about the role of the pelvic floor muscles play in childbirth. This week we …

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Posture and the Pelvis: Part One

In Female Pelvic Pain, Male Pelvic Pain, Stress Urinary Incontinence by pelv_admin1 Comment

By Admin “In all nature structure determines function” – William Herbert Sheldon, father of somatotyping “Form and function are a unity, two sides of a coin” – Ida P. Rolf, biochemist and fascial genius “Conjunction junction, what’s your function?” – Schoolhouse Rock, how us 30+s learnt grammar   Structure and function are intricately connected. Our posture is the structure in …

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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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When should Men do Kegels?

In Male Pelvic Pain by Stephanie Prendergast12 Comments

  By Stephanie Prendergast When should men do Kegels? As pelvic floor PTs who treat men, this is a question we often address in our clinics. Recently, the question of men and Kegels has hit the mainstream with both the New York Times  and Dr. Oz tackling the topic, among others. So I thought it a perfect time to address …

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Here’s what’s Wrong with the ‘kGoal’

In Uncategorized by pelv_admin11 Comments

By Stephanie Prendergast There’s a new Kegel aid poised to hit the market called the “kGoal,” and enthusiasts are touting it as “the new FitBit for the vagina”. But, while kGoal has been generating a ton of press, there are problems with the device and how its being marketed. Before I go any further with the issues I have with this …

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Q&A: Kegel Confusion, Penile Pain, Pregnancy after PN, and More

In Female Pelvic Pain, Male Pelvic Pain, Pregnancy and Postpartum Pelvic Health by Stephanie Prendergast and Elizabeth Rummer11 Comments

In today’s Q&A post, we tackle some important pelvic floor issues, including whether Kegels are appropriate to do in preparation for childbirth; penile pain, and pregnancy after PN. Should I do Kegels to Prep for Childbirth? Dear Marcy, I’m 23 weeks pregnant and have been told that Kegels are absolutely beneficial. Plus, I read on Web MD that “Kegel exercises …

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Marcy on Sex and Leaking after Babies; Her Frenemy: The Kegel!; and What Actually Happens during a Pelvic Floor PT Session {VIDEO}

In Uncategorized by Stephanie Prendergast6 Comments

Sex and leaking after childbirth. Her love/hate relationship with Kegels. The down low on how pelvic floor PT works. Urinary leakage. No topic is off limits when Marcy sits down with Steph and Lauren, the hosts of The Lady Brain Show! “We have loads of questions,” kicks off Steph. “I can’t sneeze without crossing my legs and kind of leaning …