By Stephanie Prendergast Pudendal Neuralgia seems to be a diagnosis that is more polarized and controversial than other pelvic pain diagnoses. Why? Over a series of posts we will look at the evolution of this diagnosis, and why we need the perspective of a pelvic floor physical therapist, pain management specialist Dr. Sheldon Jordan, and gynecologist/pelvic pain specialist/pudendal …
A Second Look at Pudendal Neuralgia.
By Stephanie Prendergast, PHRC Cofounder I treated my first patient with Pudendal Neuralgia in 2002. As a young, excitable pelvic floor physical therapist, I was on a mission to help people suffering from pelvic pain and thought it would be just like what they said in PT school: stretch, strengthen, achieve goals, discharge. So when my patient began treatment for …
Playing with your sex hormones with Propecia use can play with your sex life
“If you “play with sex steroid hormones” using finasteride (propecia) – the goal of finasteride (propecia) is to reduce the synthesis of the sex steroid hormone – dihydrotestosterone – then you will likely “play with your sex life” – as sexual function is very much related to sex steroid hormone levels”, says sexual medicine expert and urologist Dr. Irwin Goldtsein. Propecia (aka …
Our FAVE Pelvic Health Resources, Products!
By Gabriella Chavarin Our FAVE Pelvic Health Resources, Products! It’s that time of year when we all make “New Year’s resolutions.” If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably resolved to sleep longer, be more active, and eat healthier. But what about your pelvic health? One of the questions I’m asked most often at PHRC is: “Do you have any recommendations …
How to Not Freak out during a Pelvic Pain Flare
It’s. Just. A. Flare. Four little words that pack a lot of power for me, because they instantly put the brakes on an impending panic attack. This wasn’t always the case. Used to be that when I’d have a flare-up of my pelvic pain symptoms, it would devastate me sending me into a panic-filled dark hole. But after some …
Five Steps to Overcoming Anxiety Around Intercourse
By Guest Blogger: Lorraine Faehndrich “How will I ever be able to have intercourse?” If you’ve struggled with pelvic pain it’s likely that this question is very familiar to you. (Unless of course you’ve been pushing all thoughts of sex and intimacy out of your mind since your symptoms began.) The idea of intercourse or any type of penetration …
How Hypnotherapy Helped My Pelvic Pain
By Guest Blogger: Liz Palmer For those of us who suffer from pelvic pain, it can be an impossibly frustrating journey. First, it can take years to seek help. Let’s be honest, it’s incredibly awkward to tell your doctor that your vagina hurts so bad you cry during sex, or that you can’t maintain an erection because of the searing …
How PT can help with Anal Cancer Treatment
At PHRC we treat a wide variety of patient populations. One population that we’re beginning to see more often is patients undergoing treatment for anal cancer. Recent research has shown that the incidence of anal cancer, which is linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV), is on the rise, especially among men and women under the age of 45. Although we’re seeing …
Rethinking Pelvic Pain: How “Desensitization” Fits into PT
I am dedicating this blog post to the work of Lorimer Moseley. His presence and research is revolutionizing treatment approaches to pain. Here at PHRC we are strategically and diligently working as a team innovating our treatment approach to incorporate his research. Lorimer also happens to be one of the reasons the IPPS had its most successful meeting yet back …
Q&A: What could be Causing my Penile and Perineum Pain?
…Should I Continue with Biofeedback and E-stim? …If Kegels are bad, then what are we supposed to do for urine leakage? …Why is yoga making my pelvic pain worse? These are the reader questions we will be answering and in this Q&A blog post. So read on, and if you have any questions of your own, ask away in the …
PT for Pelvic Girdle Pain during Pregnancy
One of the issues we treat regularly at our clinics is prenatal and postnatal pain. Although discomfort or pain during and after pregnancy is an extremely common problem, like other pelvic pain syndromes, it’s often mistreated, misunderstood, or ignored by the medical community. So you can imagine my delight when I came across an article this month on the topic …
Welcome to our Revamped Blog
Dear Readers, Steph and I are excited to welcome you to the relaunch of our blog! I’m writing this welcome letter because Steph is in China lecturing about pelvic pain. (Steph can’t wait to write about her adventures overseas in upcoming posts!) When we first launched the blog about a year ago, it was just a place for us …