Interstitial Cystitis (IC), a chronic condition affecting the bladder, can significantly impact one’s quality of life. As a pelvic floor physical therapist, my goal is to shed light on this often-misunderstood condition, discussing its causes, symptoms, available treatments, and the crucial role that pelvic floor physical therapy plays in managing IC. Understanding Interstitial Cystitis: IC, also known as painful bladder syndrome, is a chronic disorder characterized by pain and discomfort in the bladder and surrounding pelvic region. The exact cause of IC is unknown, making diagnosis and manag ..read more

Overcoming Vaginismus, vaginismus is a distressing and often misunderstood condition that affects many women worldwide. It is characterized by involuntary muscle contractions in the pelvic floor muscles, which can make penetration painful or even impossible. While the causes of vaginismus can be complex and multifaceted, one promising treatment option is pelvic floor physical therapy. In this blog post, we will explore what vaginismus is, its potential causes, and how pelvic floor physical therapy can be a crucial part of the journey to overcoming this condition. Understanding how to Overcomin ..read more

Many times, it is difficult to even understand where exactly does the pelvic floor muscles live in our body, and how to promote safe pelvic floor exercises. This, in turn, leads to a severe lack of understanding on how to properly and safely exercise it, or strengthen it. Let’s try to first understand what our pelvic floor consists of and why is it so important. The pelvic floor refers to a group of muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues located at the base of the pelvis. It forms a supportive sling-like structure that spans the area between the pubic bone at the front of the pelvis and th ..read more

Pelvic pain in men might be more common than you think. It’s estimated that 8-12% of men will suffer with CPPS it at some point, so why is this not spoken of? There are many misconceptions when it comes to pelvic pain, the most common I’ve heard is it only affects women who are either pregnant, or postpartum, this however, is false. Pelvic pain can happen to anyone with a pelvis, both women and men can suffer it. The medical community has made a lot of advances when it comes to dismissing this misconception, and now if a patient comes with pelvic pain, regardless of their sex, we know how to t ..read more

A hypertonic pelvic floor has many causes, as it is a pretty common condition, it doesn’t mean it’s not incredibly bothersome, and in some cases, it can be painful. The definition of a Hypertonic pelvic floor is having a tight muscle tone and reduced capacity of the muscle to stretch. Think of it like a stress ball, you know there are some that are tighter and more difficult to stretch, a hypertonic pelvic floor muscle feels like the muscles being like that tough stress ball, and it shouldn’t really be like it! Continence.org.au defines it as: “A hypertonic pelvic floor occurs when the muscles ..read more

Leaking can have so many causes and reasons behind it, but one thing we can do to help is Bladder training, basically retraining our way to act on the urge to pee! You may be wondering what Bladder Training is, and the University of California San Francisco defines it as: “Bladder training is an important form of behavior therapy that can be effective in treating urinary incontinence. The goals are to increase the amount of time between emptying your bladder and the amount of fluids your bladder can hold. It also can diminish leakage and the sense of urgency associated with the probl ..read more

Pelvic Organ Prolapse is talked about a ton in the Pelvic PT niche, and it is because it’s a fairly common diagnosis some patients receive after giving birth, but what really is it? A prolapse refers to the descending of organs, in the world of Pelvic PT, it talks about the descend of any pelvic floor organs, through the vaginal canal or anus. These organs can be the bladder, uterus, vagina, small bowel, or rectum! There are many reasons why Pelvic Organ Prolapse occur, but the common denominator always seems to be when the pressure in the abdomen is just stronger than your pelvic floor o ..read more

Kegels are a very common exercise to help you strengthen your Pelvic Floor, but there is a ton of misinformation out there about Kegel Exercises, let’s clear this up! Often times I sit with a new patient who has been recommended by their health care provider to do Kegels in order to strengthen their pelvic floor, and they say to have tried it many times and nothing works, in these cases, after a full examination (which I describe in my blog post First Pelvic Exam: What to expect!) if by the end I see they do in fact need Kegels, I sit with my patients and explain to them the best ways to ..read more

As millions transition into working from home to help thwart the spread of the coronavirus, maintaining both comfort and productivity has no doubt been an issue for many.  While in-office workstations are often designed around ergonomic considerations and long-term trial and error, ensuring optimal comfort and health, home workspaces can often fall short in this regard.  Home workspace safety and comfort, however, should remain top of mind.  Self-Care & Injury Prevention  While it sometimes feels we’re all sacrificing ri ..read more

Having mindfulness meditation be an intrinsic part of my day to day life, I have been able to see life from a different perspective, and more importantly, I use it all the time in my practice. Mindfulness meditation has become in the last couple of years more known and used by the public, however, it’s not a new concept or a bright new treatment when it comes to pain management. Part of my training came from my home country, India, in it, I learned so much about the holistic approach to pain management, breathing exercises, mindfulness meditation, and so much more, and once I came to the state ..read more