Chronic Pelvic Pain is no new kid on the block. With that said, chances are most of you have probably never heard of it. A silent epidemic, this condition affects approximately 30 million women at any given time, and that’s in North America alone. That means that 1 out of 3 women will experience CPP at some point in their lives. If that number sounds like a lot, that’s because it is.
Modern living presents us with an overwhelming amount of options when it comes to every aspect of our lives. Healthcare is no exception. With research studies and treatment guidelines being created on a daily basis, they can often leave us feeling confused about which option is best for us when we are faced with an ailment. It is of the utmost importance that we question and research our options when considering the practitioners and treatments that are most fitting for our needs and lifestyles.
I wanted to take a moment to let my readers know about a ground-breaking book that was just released by my colleague and dear friend Dr. Kelly Brogan. A Mind of Your Own is a courageous and illuminating book that takes on the powers-that-be by challenging the status quo about the use of anti-depressants, which is estimated that 1 in 4 women are taking today.
The end of winter is a prime time to add some extra weight as we enter the home stretch of the season of “old man winter”. The following list is some of our therapist’s tried-and-true techniques to keep you on track as we get ready for spring.
Every year in January I hear: “This is my year of getting healthy and staying fit.” This is much easier said than done. I find that people tend to over-complicate their health goals, and then get overwhelmed and quit before even getting started. I myself have these difficulties. This is human nature and no one is immune. So this year I made my resolution list and I added health and fitness. But how was I going to accomplish this?
Abdominal pain can be caused by many different body systems, and I find that treating the abdominal muscles helps to reduce belly and pelvic pain. I treat many women suffering with endometriosis, pelvic floor dysfunction, interstitial cystitis, constipation, pelvic congestion, and menstrual cramps—and they all have some form of abdominal pain.
The hip area is the conduit between the upper and lower extremity and therefore receives messages from multiple body parts and systems. The hip joint is also connected to the pelvis and can contribute to female gynecological conditions such as sexual pain, deep vaginal pain, pain with walking/sitting and pain with prolonged standing. In this blog post I am going to outline3 self-care techniques to help you get rid of stubborn hip pain.
Sex is an important part of life and when things are not going right in the bedroom it can create a lot of stress, anxiety and strain for even the strongest of relationships. I am a pelvic floor physical therapist and I help women overcome pain associated with sex. A firm believer in empowerment healthcare, I never take credit for the healings. I believe that the job of a healer is to awaken the doctor within the patients so they can treat themselves.
Birth is an all-encompassing experience filled with ups and downs. Its unpredictable nature can fill both grown women and men with fear. Fear is predominant because so many things can occur. Many times birthing partners are not prepared to handle the unpredictability or simply just don’t know that things can happen beyond their control.
When I thought about writing this blogpost I wanted it to be an exposé of sorts. As a physical therapist that rehabilitates women with obstetrical trauma I can share what I know in an honest way that is not as scary as what you may see on TV or read in the paper.
Many of my patients complain about pain right above the pubic bone. When I started to investigate this area over time I discovered that many of my patients would experience bladder pain, urgency and referral pain to the urethra and pelvic floor muscles. The bladder and more of the main pelvic floor muscles the PC muscle (Pubcoccygeus) live underneath the pubic bone and it makes sense that if there is a dysfunction in the bladder or the pelvic floor muscles that the top of the pubic bone and the lower abdominal area will be painful and filled with trigger points.
