By Elizabeth Akincilar, MSPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack Pelvic pain can significantly impact your quality of life, but there are steps you can take to decrease or minimize this discomfort. In this blog, we will discuss 10 tips that can help alleviate pelvic pain and promote overall pelvic health. Put a stool under your feet when having a bowel …
Vulvodynia: Do’s, Don’ts, + Symptom Management
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles The diagnosis of Vulvodynia can be confusing, scary, and overwhelming. Studies show that vulvar pain affects as many as 1 in 3 women at some point during their lives and the medical community is finally getting better at diagnosing and treating it! ‘Vulvodynia’ simply means pain in the vulva. We consider …
Dermatomes: Let’s Get Into It
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles At PHRC we love anatomy! As physical therapists we have advanced training in the neuromuscular systems of our body. Knowing where things come from and where things go help make us expert diagnosticians and treatment providers! Here is insight into which nerve roots are responsible for sensation in our pelvis. As …
2024: The Year of the (Pelvic Floor) Dragon
By PHRC Admin Welcome 2024, goodbye 2023! 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 Walnut Creek moved into a bigger, better space! PHRC Ohio opened …
As The Pelvis Turns: Top Blogs of 2023
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 …
Demystifying Pelvic Floor Disorders
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 …
Tarlov Cysts: Everything You Need to Know
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles What are Tarlov Cysts? Tarlov cysts (a.k.a. perineural cysts) are cerebrospinal fluid-filled sacs found near the nerve roots at the lower end of the spinal canal, most commonly in the sacral spine area (the lower back and tailbone). While it is not known exactly what causes these cysts, they have …
Updated 2023 Virtual Services
By PHRC Admin Team Did you know that the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center offers a variety of virtual health services? Often people do not understand their symptoms until they stumble upon our website, blog, or social media channels. Some people have a diagnosis but they do not have a pelvic floor physical therapist locally to help them. …
National Breast Cancer Month: Raising Awareness
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 …
Why Everyone In Menopause Deserves Pelvic Floor PT
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 …
PHRC is accepting new patients in Columbus, OH!
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 …
Embracing Sexual Health Awareness: Chronic Pain & Intimacy
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 …
Success Story: How Stacey Recovered from Leaking and UTIs at PHRC
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 …
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 …
Fusobacterium and Endometriosis: New Insights or Media Frenzy?
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, …
Biomechanical Evaluation for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction & PF Functions
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 …
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 …
A Kenyan Pelvic Health Physical Therapy School Scholarship
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 …
Hormonal Prepartum Changes and Postpartum Complaints
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 …
Iliopsoas Dysfunction: Anatomy, Symptoms and Treatments
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 …
The Right Way To Poop and Improve Bowel Movements
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 …