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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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What to Expect at a Prepartum/Postpartum Evaluation

In Female Pelvic Pain, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain, Pregnancy and Postpartum Pelvic Health by Stephanie PrendergastLeave a Comment

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 …

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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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Tight Lipped: You’re Not Alone; Patient-Led Communities

In Female Pelvic Pain, Pain, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain by pelv_adminLeave a Comment

By Tight Lipped, guest blogger.   “My doctor in college told me that my partner simply ‘didn’t know what he was doing’, and that’s why it felt like his penis was hitting a wall inside me.” “When I saw a doctor for my vaginal pain, he told me to use a cucumber to stretch out my vagina.”  “So many doctors …

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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 …

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What is Ischial Bursitis and How Can Pelvic Floor PT Help?

In Female Pelvic Pain, Male Pelvic Pain, Pain, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain by Lauren OpatrnyLeave a Comment

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 …

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What is Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD/GPD)? Part 2

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

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 …

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What is Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD/GPD)? Part 1

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

By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles   Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD) is a syndrome characterized by unwanted genital arousal in nonsexual situations and was first described in 2001. The syndrome is being studied and in 2021 the International Society for the Study of Women’s Health (ISSWSH) published new guidelines about PGAD, broadening the term to genito-pelvic dysesthesia …

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Myofascial Trigger Point: What They Cause + Treatments

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

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 …

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Ilioinguinal Neuralgia: Causes and Treatment

In Female Pudendal Neuralgia, Male Pudendal Neuralgia, Pain, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Health, Pelvic Pain by Stephanie Prendergast1 Comment

By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles   Ilioinguinal neuralgia is typically caused by a surgical procedure or an inguinal hernia.   A hernia is when tissue pooches through the abdominal wall due to a weak point in the abdomen. An inguinal hernia, which is a hernia in the inguinal canal, can put pressure on the ilioinguinal nerve, …

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How Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy can help with Low Anterior Resection Surgery?

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

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 …

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Latchkey Incontinence; Why Does it Happen? Part 2

In Female Interstitial Cystitis / Painful Bladder Syndrome, Male Interstitial Cystitis / Nonbacterial Chronic Prostatitis / Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, pelvic floor physical therapy, Pelvic Health by Molly Bachmann1 Comment

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 …

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Latchkey Incontinence; What is It and How Does PFPT Help? Part 1

In Female Interstitial Cystitis / Painful Bladder Syndrome, Male Interstitial Cystitis / Nonbacterial Chronic Prostatitis / Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, pelvic floor physical therapy by Molly BachmannLeave a Comment

By Molly Bachmann PT, DPT, Birth Doula, PHRC San Francisco, CA   Have you ever pulled into the driveway after a long day and suddenly had the urge to urinate? Like Five-Alarm Bell, clear the driveway sprinting to the bathroom to make it in time? You are not alone! You might have even heard of this term before, Latchkey incontinence. …

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The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center’s 2022 Return to Kenya!

In Female Pelvic Pain, Male Pelvic Pain, pelvic floor physical therapy, 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, Kim Buonomo, DPT, PHRC Lexington, Molly Bachmann, DPT, PHRC San Francisco The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center recently returned from their second trip to Nairobi, Kenya to teach a pelvic health course to a second cohort of physical therapists. We taught the first cohort of physical therapists in February 2020 and unfortunately COVID …

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Pelvic Neuralgias: General Info, Causes, and Treatment

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

By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles When considering neuropathic pain in the pelvis most people think of the pudendal nerve, but there are several other pelvic nerves that can also contribute to pelvic pain!  The genitofemoral nerve supplies a portion of the genitals as well as the front of the thigh. This nerve is sometimes confused with …

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Clitoral Pain: Causes and Treatment

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

By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles   There are a number of treatable causes of clitoral pain, yet often patients are misdiagnosed and this distressing symptom can persist. Hormonal deficiencies associated with birth control pills, acne medications, and age can lead to thinning of hormonally sensitive structures, such as the clitoris and clitoral hood. This can lead …

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Are Oral Birth Control Pills a Cause Of Or Solution For Pelvic Pain?

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

By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC West Los Angeles A frequent question from social media:    “I have Vestibulodynia and painful bladder syndrome. I am almost symptom free except for near or during my period. My hormone levels are fine. My urologist prescribed testosterone cream because he found atrophy. At the same time I have another doctor telling me that …