Category: Education

Small Group Mentoring–> Apply Today for the Winter Session!

~ jesspreale ~ 1 Comment

I am super excited to roll-out the first Small Group Mentoring Program! I envisioned this program starting about a year and a half ago after teaching a Pelvic Floor- Level 1 Course and talking with clinicians who were getting started in the specialty of pelvic health. I sensed such a need for support, guidance, and community as people were building their caseloads treating new diagnoses. So, this program in many ways is an answer to that need. The goal of this program is both to improve clinical confidence and excellence in care as well as foster community for continued professional growth in the future.  The inaugural small group mentoring series will begin November 2018 and run through April 2019.

What the program includes:

  • 6-months of small group mentoring (with a maximum of 8 clinicians per group) via monthly 90-min video(Zoom) conferencing on topics individualized based on the group interest. For additional information on the session details, check out the FAQ document at the bottom of this post!
  • Periodic access to patient education handouts/resources as they match the topic of discussion
  • Facilitation of group collaboration, discussion and community-building through a private Facebook group page.
  • Discounted individual mentoring rates while participating in the program

Pre-Requisites:

At this time, small group mentoring is limited to Physical Therapists or Occupational Therapists who are licensed to treat patients. I am happy to provide individual mentoring for other health professionals, personal trainers, yoga instructors, etc. but am limiting the scope for small group mentoring to ensure the same background education and scope of practice for clinical discussion. To optimize discussion, it is strongly encouraged that participants have taken at least a Level 1 Pelvic Floor course or equivalent, and are currently treating patients with pelvic floor dysfunction. Physical Therapy students will be considered on a case-by-case basis, provided the student has completed or is currently completing a rotation in pelvic health and has completed the aforementioned coursework.

Your Investment:

Your introductory rate as a participant in the inaugural series will be $475. This will include 6, 90 minute group mentoring sessions, or 9 hours of mentoring, as well as all of the items mentioned above! *NOTE: This is an introductory rate, and rates are likely to increase in the future!

Register Today!

The inaugural small group series will be very limited in participants, so please reserve your space as soon as you can! Registration will be open until October 22nd, or until spaces fill! To apply, please complete the application available below and e-mail to jessicarealept@gmail.com.Upon receipt of your application and placement in a group, you will receive an invoice for payment. Payment is required in full by November 1st.  Unfortunately, the inaugural session will be limited in number of participants, so not everyone will be able to be accommodated. If this occurs, you will be placed on a waiting list for the next session.

See the video below for some additional information! I look forward to working with many of you in this program!

All the best,

Jessica

Small Group Mentoring FAQ

Small Group Mentoring Application

 

 

Your Pelvic Floor as a Threat-o-meter

~ jesspreale ~ 1 Comment

This past weekend, I was fortunate to work with an incredible group of practitioners at a Level 1 Pelvic Floor Course in my home city of Atlanta. I always leave these weekends renewed, excited, and yes, somewhat exhausted ;-). Not only do I get to teach with some pretty incredible colleagues (in this case, Sara Reardon– the VAGINA WHISPERER!!, and Darla Cathcart–who literally is the reason why I practice pelvic health!), but I also get the opportunity to see the transformation of clinicians who start the weekend a little nervous about the possibility of seeing a vulva, and end the weekend confident and empowered to start helping people who are experiencing pelvic floor problems. (Ok, some may not be 100% confident–but definitely on the road to confidence! ;-))

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Sara, Darla and I after our first day of teaching. This was before we were rained on and had to run to our hotel!

One of my favorite research studies of all time (yes, I am that nerdy) is always shared at this course with participants. This study by van der Velde and Everaerd examined the response of the pelvic floor muscles to perceived threat, comparing women who have vaginismus (painful vaginal penetration) compared to women who don’t.

Throughout my clinical career, the concept of stress and threat worsening pelvic floor problems has been a consistent thread. I frequently hear:

“My job has been so incredibly stressful this week. I am in so much pain today.” 

“Everything started this past year…during that time, my parents had been very sick and it was a very emotionally and sometimes physical stressful time for me” 

“I’ve been having a severe flare-up of my pain. Do you think the stress that I’ve been dealing with in going through a divorce/break-up/job change/move/new baby/new house/etc. etc. etc. could be related to this?” 

Honestly, I could go on and on with continued statements like this. Stress is a complicated topic, and there are many factors involved that can contribute to an alteration or increase in symptoms when a person is in a persistent stressful situation. So, back to my favorite study. In this study, the researchers had the participants watch four different film excerpts that were considered to be: neutral, threatening, sexually threatening or erotic. They then recorded the response of the pelvic floor muscles using EMG. The results of this study were fascinating. They found that with both the threatening stimulus(which happened to be an excerpt from the movie Jaws) and the sexually threatening stimulus (which was an excerpt from a TV movie called Without her Consent–which frankly, sounds awful to me!) the pelvic floor muscles demonstrated increased muscle activity. And this was true in both the groups of women who had vaginismus and the groups of women who did not. (side note: they also saw that the upper traps had this same activation pattern! Makes sense, right?)

Fascinating right? So, what does this mean? I always tell patients that the pelvic floor can be like a threat-o-meter. When a person is experiencing a threat–this can be a physical or emotional threat– the pelvic floor will respond. You can imagine then what happens when that stressful situation or threat stays around for a long period of time! This knowledge alone can sometimes be so empowering for people in better understanding why their bodies might be responding the way that they are.

So what can we do about it?

If you are dealing with pelvic floor muscle overactivity problems or pain, and you find yourself in a stressful or threatening period of time in life, try these ideas:

  • Be mindful of what is happening in your body: I encourage people to do regular “check-ins” or body scans throughout the day to feel how their pelvic floor muscles and other muscles might be activating. If you feel any muscles gripping, try to see if you can consciously soften and let go of tension you might feel. After doing this, try to take a slow long breath in and out thinking of letting tension release.
  • Remember that self-care is actually self-less: Taking care of our own needs allows us to better care for the needs of those around us. Remember the last time you flew in a plane– secure your own oxygen mask before helping those around you! Self-care can mean making time in your day for regular exercise, taking steps to ensure you get the right nutrition you need to feel healthy, taking a break for yourself when you need it, being conscious about following the recommendations given to you by your pelvic PT 😉 or spending time doing a guided meditation or relaxation exercise. 
  • Drop it like it’s hot: Your pelvic floor, that is. Several times throughout the day, consciously think about letting your pelvic floor drop and lengthen. If you have a hard time feeling what your muscles are doing, you can try performing a small (think 10-25%) activation first and then think about letting go of any muscle activity.
  • Don’t be an island: Know that there are so many resources to help you if you need them! Working with a skilled psychologist or counselor can be incredibly beneficial to many people! And, if your pelvic floor is giving you some problems, always remember that you can go see a pelvic PT– yes, even if you had worked with one in the past! We are always here to help you get through life’s hurdles! Sometimes people end up needing little “refresher courses” along the way to help when the body needs it.

So, what are your favorite ways to manage stress? Fellow PTs- how do you help patients handle flare-ups that happen when life starts to get stressful?

I love to hear from you, and meet you! Always feel free to reach out to me here! If you would like to take a course with me, check out the schedule listed on my For Professionals page! I hope to meet you in person soon!

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Meet your newest pelvic health professionals from PF1 Atlanta 2018!

 

 

Movement, Pain Science & Wisdom: Clinical Expert Interview with Shelly Prosko, PT, PYT,CPI, C-IAYT

~ jesspreale ~ 1 Comment

This afternoon, while my rambunctious little toddler was attempting (and ultimately failing!) a nap, I had the fantastic opportunity to chat with Shelly Prosko, a physiotherapist and yoga therapist in Alberta, Canada who specializes in working with individuals experiencing chronic pain (including pelvic pain!). Shelly is an all-around incredible human, knowledgeable clinician, and dynamic educator. I hope you all enjoy this interview as much as I enjoyed it!

Shelly and I chatted about some of the incredible content she has online, so I wanted to make sure I shared all of that information with you! If you would like to see the full playlist of her Words of Wisdom (W.O.W.) Chats, click here.
The individual links to the W.O.W. Chats we discussed are located below:
Lorimer Moseley: Pain Science Education vs Understanding Pain (I absolutely loved this one!!) 
Dr. Gabor Mate: Compassionate Inquiry for health providers
Carolyn Vandyken: Cultivating Courage for personal growth
Diane Lee: Connecting with Essence: your injury/pain does not define who you truly are
Mike Stewart: Your Pain is Real. We Believe You.
Shelly’s blog on Self-Care and what it really means to her:
Self-Care:The Dark Side
Shelly also shared these resources for all of you:
Online course: PhysioYoga and the Pelvic Floor for healthcare providers, movement specialists, fitness professionals, yoga professionals:
http://physioyoga.ca/products
Creating Pelvic Floor Health PhysioYoga video practices on Vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/pelvicfloorhealth
(Shelly has kindly given all of us this 10% off code: ClientDiscount10 for the “Buy All” option)
Shelly’s Pelvic Floor Resources: 
Pelvic Floor Galore! Resources for Creating Pelvic Floor Health Through Yoga

Pelvic Floor Safe Options for Fitness

~ jesspreale ~ 1 Comment

Exercise has so many incredible benefits for overcoming pain, optimizing cardiovascular health, and facilitating psychological well-being. Unfortunately, for many struggling with pelvic floor dysfunction (whether it is in the form of pelvic pain, urinary/bowel dysfunction, or pelvic organ prolapse), thoughts of exercise and fitness are often accompanied by fear. Fear that moving incorrectly will lead to a worsening of their symptoms. Fear of a set-back. Fear of creating a new problem. Finding an exercise program that will not only be safe, but actually aid in a person’s recovery and pelvic floor health is a fine art. Seeing a skilled pelvic floor physical therapist can be a good step in finding an individualized exercise program, but many may not have the luxury of working with a professional.

Recently, I did some research to help a few my patients find on-demand options for guided fitness that were pelvic floor friendly. I am grateful to have such an incredible community of pelvic health professionals to learn from and learn with, and I wanted to share these fantastic resources with you here. As always, please know that what works well for one person may not work well for another, thus, an individualized assessment is always the best option to determine the most appropriate exercise program for you.

Yoga_at_a_Gym
By http://www.localfitness.com.au – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3910805

For those with pelvic pain or pelvic floor tension (often the case in cases of pelvic pain, constipation, overactive bladder):

For those with pelvic floor weakness (often the case–but not always! in situations like urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, diastasis rectus, fecal incontinence):

  • Mutu System: This is an excellent post-partum recovery program. Very helpful for those with pelvic floor weakness or diastasis rectus after having a baby. This is often my “go-to” for people having these problems that are unable to travel to see a pelvic PT. She does a great job at encouraging appropriate referral for further evaluation as well.
  • Fit2B: This is an online program with options for purchasing specific programs or for membership. It has a postpartum series, diastasis recti series, prenatal workshop, and foundational courses. I have had patients use this program who really enjoyed it.
  • The Pelvic Floor Piston: Foundation for Fitness by Julie Wiebe: Julie has an excellent course for individuals with pelvic floor dysfunction that incorporates education, exercises, as well as strategies for movement. It is a self-paced 90 minute video.
  • Your Pace Yoga by Dustienne Miller: Dustienne has expanded her video library to include videos such as “Optimizing Bladder Control” which includes sequences to support pelvic floor engagement through yoga.
  • Creating Pelvic Floor Health with Shelly Prosko: Part B Pelvic Floor Muscle Engagement. “40 minute practice that includes engagement of the pelvic floor muscles with various mindful movements and yoga postures integrated with the breath pattern.” Shelly was kind enough to offer blog viewers 10% off her combined package using the discount code: ClientDiscount10
  • FemFusion Fitness by Brianne Grogan: Brianne has an excellent video series (free too!) on youtube called, “Lift” Pelvic Support. This series includes a progression for safe progression through strengthening to better support the organs in the pelvis.
  • Pelvic Exercises by Michelle Kenway: Michelle has done excellent work creating videos and ebooks on safe exercise progressions for pelvic floor muscle weakness, prolapse, bowel dysfunction and surgical recovery. Check out her excellent videos here.

I hope these resources are helpful! Did I leave anything out? If you have other wonderful home exercise options that are “pelvic floor friendly” please let me know in the comments below!

~Jessica

Are you a physical therapist interested in small group mentoring? Help me out by taking a short survey!

~ jesspreale ~ Leave a comment

It’s almost here! I have been working on developing a small group mentoring program over the past few months, and it is almost ready to be rolled out!

As an instructor for Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute, I have been fortunate to work with hundreds of excellent clinicians who are at various stages of their journeys into the exciting world of pelvic health. While some clinicians enter into the field with a vast network of seasoned pelvic floor experts to support them, others have the additional challenge of being an “island”–basically, being the sole practitioner in their practice, city, and for some, within a 100+ mi radius.

My goal with small group mentoring is to be a facilitator for those journeying into this incredible specialty–to help not only with building the skill, knowledge and clinical reasoning necessary to create outstanding clinicians, but also to help connect clinicians together so no one has to go at it alone.

If this resonates with you, and you’re interested in learning with me, I would love to hear from you! I created this survey to better assess the needs of those interested in small group mentoring. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey, and look out for future announcements when the program is ready for rolling out!

All the best,

Jessica

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE SURVEY ON SMALL GROUP MENTORING 

FAQ: Specializing in Pelvic Health as a New Grad

~ jesspreale ~ 4 Comments

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By Kit from Pittsburgh, USA (Grads Absorb the News) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
I just received this question via e-mail from a participant at my most recent Level 1 Pelvic Floor course in Little Rock, Arkansas. (See upcoming course schedule!) As knowledge and exposure about pelvic floor disorders and pelvic PT grows, we see more and more doctoral students attending level 1 courses. And honestly, it makes me so excited about our future! These students are passionate, hungry for knowledge, and can’t wait to enter into the field and help people get better! I have mentored many students and new grads over the past several years, and this particular question frequently arises. I hope this post can be helpful for many new grads and DPT students in the future!

When students ask the questions listed above, they often are hit with well-intended, but often somewhat discouraging advice:

“You should really do orthopedics for a few years first, and then go into pelvic health.” 

“I really don’t think new grads should go straight into the pelvic health specialty” 

“It’s really important that you use all of your other skills first so you don’t lose them.” 

While this advice often means very well–aiming to create well-rounded practitioners, I find that this can feel very disheartening to that passionate-about-pelvic-health new grad. So, in that light, my advice is often a little bit different. I find we are all biased by our own experience, and in reality, many excellent clinicians spent multiple years in different specialties like orthopedics, neuro, acute care etc. prior to specializing in Pelvic PT, so I think there is a tendency to see this as the “best path” to becoming the most skilled clinician. Of course, I am biased the opposite way– I jumped into pelvic PT immediately upon completing my doctorate, and never looked back. Of course, this has meant that I had to do some work to build upon other skill sets that were needed over the years, but this path worked well for me.

So, why am I telling you all of this, excited-soon-to-be-new-grad? Because, honestly, you can do whatever you are passionate about doing! If you want to take some time to practice in another specialty, do it! If you are just too excited and want to jump right in to pelvic health, welcome aboard! Your experience alone is not going to make you an incredible clinician. Rather, it will be your passion, your hunger for learning, and your dedication to your patients that will fuel your path.  So, on that note, here are a few of my top tips for new grads entering into pelvic health!

  1. Choose an employer who will support your learning journey. In many ways, it has become very popular for clinics to build pelvic health programs. This is wonderful for patients (if they are committed to building good programs!) and a great opportunity for those entering the field. So, when you interview with an employer who is excited about your pelvic floor interest, ask questions to find out how much support they will give you along the way. Will they pay $$$ for your continuing education courses? Will the provide you time to work with a mentor? Will they support you by providing adequate time in your schedule for your patients (meaning, 45-60 dedicated minutes, not overlapping patients)?
  2. Negotiate for what you want. This is very very important. When I was first hired as a new grad, I negotiated with my employer for them to pay for me to attend 4 continuing education courses within my first year of employment. This allowed me to complete a full pelvic health curriculum within the year. Now, I realize that may seem a bit ambitious to some, but I considered this my personal “Residency” program and I felt like it gave me the jump start I wanted! So, this can mean negotiating for courses, mentoring time (get it in writing!), or even participation in an online mentoring program (like the one I plan to set up soon!).
  3. Find a good mentor. Of course, my perfect scenario for you involves finding a good job with a good mentor attached to it, but I realize that is not always easy to find. Reach out to local pelvic PTs in your area and connect with someone who is willing and able to be a resource to you! Of course, this can involve meeting periodically for coffee, or could be a more formal mentoring program. If the latter is the case, see point #2.
  4. Don’t be afraid to jump ship. If you start working somewhere and you don’t find that you are supported in the way you need to be, or you just don’t like the place you are working, it is totally ok for you to find a new job. Seriously. Life is too short to be unhappy where we spend our time.
  5. Be hungry for learning. I would encourage you to make a plan for attending coursework to help build your knowledge within the specialty. There are many excellent course series out there– Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute, the Section on Women’s Health, Evidence in Motion, among many others. Of course, I teach with H&W, so would love to have you at one of my classes! 🙂 Also, there are so many wonderful opportunities for learning today, outside of traditional continuing education. Read blogs (like this one!). Research conditions and diagnoses that you are not familiar with. Join social media pelvic health groups like Women’s Health Physiotherapy and Global Pelvic Physio (both facebook groups!).  Attend conferences like the Combined Sections Meeting through the APTA, the International Pelvic Pain Society’s Annual Meeting or the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health’s Annual Meeting. And don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it!

I hope that is helpful! We are so fortunate to have so many excited and passionate clinicians joining our field! What other tips do you have for those joining this wonderful specialty? What other question do you have my dear PT students?

~ Jessica

 

Treatment Highlight: Internal Pelvic Floor Manual Therapy

~ jesspreale ~ 7 Comments

Over the past week, and really the past year, the cases of sexual abuse and assault perpetrated by Larry Nassar, a medical doctor with MSU and USA gymnastics, have rocked the nation. The horrific abuse he inflicted on well over 150 young women, under the guise of “appropriate medical intervention” is deplorable, and I know many of us were glad to see him held accountable for his actions with both the verdict and sentencing last week.

In the pelvic PT world, this hit very close to home, and made all of us completely infuriated. For this person to take a completely valid, evidence-based and extremely beneficial treatment technique, and contort it into being an avenue for abuse was unfathomable to those of us who have dedicated our careers to helping men and women with pelvic floor problems. Several colleagues have spoken out about this. Particularly, Lori Mize, the incoming Vice President of the Section on Women’s Health, wrote an excellent post for the Huffington Post, that I would strongly encourage you to read.

Over the next year, I want to highlight a variety of treatment techniques used in pelvic floor physical therapy to help you better understand treatment options, and hopefully alleviate some fear that some of you may have about “the unknown.” In light of these current events, I thought it would be meaningful to start by discussing internal manual therapy techniques for the pelvic floor muscles.

What is it?

Internal manual therapy techniques are a treatment used for someone who has overactive, tender and/or shortened pelvic floor muscles. Before we get started, if you want to better understand the anatomy of the pelvic floor, check out this post by my friend and colleague Tracy Sher. Tender or overactive pelvic floor muscles can occur when someone is experiencing problems like pelvic pain, painful sexual intercourse, tailbone pain, as well as urinary or bowel dysfunction.

These techniques are performed either vaginally or rectally by a skilled medical practitioner who has undergone advanced training to learn to evaluate and treat the pelvic floor muscles. They are only performed once the patient has been thoroughly educated about the treatment techniques and consents to participating in the treatment.

What does treatment involve?

The goal of internal manual therapy is to improve the relaxation, lengthening and tenderness of the pelvic floor muscles. Generally, the patient is first positioned comfortably in either hooklying (on their back with knees bent, sometimes resting on a pillow– yep, no stirrups needed!), sidelying or sometimes on their stomach, depending on what position is preferable to the patient and allows the therapist access to the tissues being treated. The therapist then places one gloved finger within the vaginal or rectal canal and gently presses on the muscles of the pelvic floor to identify (with constant feedback from the patient) where the muscles are tender or uncomfortable. Manual therapy techniques then can be performed to help improve the tenderness of these muscles and promote relaxation and lengthening. These techniques can include:

  • Holding gentle pressure while the patient focused on relaxing and breathing
  • Holding gentle pressure while the patient performs a contact/relax of the muscles or a pelvic floor bulge.
  • Holding gentle pressure while simultaneously pressing with the opposite hand on a point around the pelvis to produce slack in the muscle (a modified strain counter strain technique.
  • Sweeping stretches over the muscle belly

Different therapists have different approaches, but they all are done in complete collaboration and communication with the patient and are modified based on the patient’s comfort and response to the treatment. Personally, I tend to prefer more gentle approaches while also focusing globally on improving awareness and calming the nervous system. This is not a “no pain no gain” situation– in fact, most often we see the best results when we are able to keep pain at a very minimal level.

What type of training should the therapist have?

It is very important that the person performing this treatment has had specialized training in this technique. At minimum, they should have attended an initial continuing education course that teaches a beginner level evaluation and treatment of the pelvic floor, generally weekend course including at least 24 hrs of instruction. Many training programs now include a 3 or 4 course series, and I strongly encourage clinicians to complete the coursework to learn how to comprehensively care for their patients. At Herman and Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute, the organization I am a faculty member of, we have a 4-course series which includes a level 1, 2A, 2B and Capstone. The Section on Women’s Health has a 3- course series and there are now several other companies offering varying training programs. Of course, I’m biased as a faculty member of H&W and if you’re reading this and work in healthcare in pelvic rehab, you should definitely come to one of my courses!

Who does this treatment help?

As I mentioned above, manual therapy to the pelvic floor is helpful when a person has overactive, tender and/or shortened pelvic floor muscles that are contributing to the problem they are experiencing. This can occur when a person has pain in and around the pelvis or if the person is experiencing urinary, bowel or sexual dysfunction.

We are producing more and more research about these techniques every day, but here are a few snippets:

  • In this study, 50% of the men treated to address chronic scrotal pain saw a significant reduction in their pain.
  • In this study, 93 people were treated with pelvic floor techniques to address coccyx pain (as well as pain after coccyx removal). Overall, they saw an average of 71% improvement.
  • This study compared comprehensive pelvic PT to cognitive behavioral therapy for women with provoked Vestibulodynia. They found that 80% of the women in the PT group had significant improvements compared to 70% in the CBT group.
  • This study evaluated the effects of pelvic floor physical therapy techniques on pain reduction in men who had chronic pelvic pain. Treatment included internal and external techniques and over 70% experienced moderate or robust improvements.
  • This study found that 62% of women experiencing urinary frequency, urgency and/or bladder pain who were treated with physical therapy interventions, including internal manual therapy techniques, reported feeling “much better” or “very much better” following the interventions.

I hope this was helpful and removed some of the fear from this technique! If you think this treatment may be a helpful one for you, talk with your health care provider! As always, I love to answer any questions you may have!

~Jessica

Interview with Jessica Drummond, MPT, CCN, CHC on Nutrition for Pelvic Pain

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This past week, I was grateful for the opportunity to interview Jessica Drummond, MPT, CCN, CHC on the topic of nutrition for pelvic pain. Jessica is incredible, and doing such amazing things for patients with pelvic pain and really, in women’s health in general! Check out the interview below to learn more about nutrition, common dietary intolerances/sensitivities, probiotics, and what steps to take to help yourself (or your patients!) I hope you enjoy! ~ Jessica

(Note: This was my first of what I hope will be many expert interviews! Disregard my initial awkwardness with being recorded (Ha!). If you have any ideas for people you would like me to interview, let me know in the comments!) 

Interview with Sara Sauder, PT on Vestibulodynia, Contraceptives and Bladder Pain

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A few weekends ago, I had the awesome opportunity to host Sara Sauder and Kelli Wilson in teaching their course, Vestibulodynia: An Orthopedic and Pelvic Floor Approach. The course was fantastic, and both Kelli and Sara are excellent instructors. Their course is unique in that it 1) focused on a very specific diagnosis (super great for those of us who have been practicing for a while 2) is very small–a max of 12 participants, meaning lots of one on one time with instructors 3) includes a facetime conversation with a well-known pelvic pain medical expert (in our case, Dr. Irwin Goldstein) and 4) allows participants to both perform treatments on instructors and have instructors perform treatments on participants.

Sara and I have been “virtual” friends for quite some time… in fact, I can’t remember when exactly we started e-mailing, but we became penpals of sorts. We share journal articles with each other, and I believe I even told her I was pregnant before I told many of my other friends (truth!). So, needless to say, I was SO excited for us to finally meet in person and become real friends. And, Sara was so gracious to agree to answer some of my questions to share some excellent insight with all of you on vestibulodynia and her course. I hope you enjoy!

JR: First, can you briefly explain what vestibulodynia is to my readers out there who are unfamiliar?

SS: Vestibulodynia is pain at the vestibule.  The vestibule is a specific tissue at the opening of the vagina.  The opening of the vagina itself has a name which is the “introitus”.  The vestibule is part of the introitus.  It is considered part of the vulva even though it may seem that it extends into the space between vulva and vagina.  Hence the name…vestibule.  It’s like a hallway.  Or…an alcove, if you will….
Other than that simple explanation, vestibulodynia can feel like pain, itching, burning discomfort at the opening of the vagina or at the urethra or the bladder.  The aftermath of this sort of pain can result in lots of other things happening, like feeling pain inside the vagina, at the other areas of the vulva including the clitoris.  

JR: Thank you for explaining that further. Now, there are so many pelvic pain diagnoses out there…why a course on vestibulodynia?

SS: Vestibulodynia is truly a common denominator in so much female pelvic pain.  I think that if we can start to recognize the vestibule hurts, then we can get to the root of why someone has pain.  There is a logical way to think about why the vestibule hurts and we if we can understand the true why of the pain, then we can treat it.  In treating that one core issue, we will see that other symptoms that may seem unrelated start to resolve.

JR: That’s a really good point. We see vestibulodynia as a common issue with so many different pelvic pain syndromes. One in particular, that we discussed in more detail at your course, is Interstitial Cystitis or Painful Bladder Syndrome. Now, most people see IC/PBS as a “Bladder Problem,” but you shared some interesting information about the relationship between pain at the vestibule and urethral/bladder pain. Can you explain that for our readers?

SS: The vestibule, urethra and lining of the bladder (including the urachus) are all made of endodermal tissue.  They are all part of the same embyrological tube.  Their needs are the same.  That’s why you often see pain at the vestibule with any bladder symptoms.  That’s why the reverse is true.  You will see bladder symptoms with pain at the vestibule.

JR: That is fascinating, and also helps us to understand why some treatments for one may also be effective for the other (for example, both populations can have an increased hystamine response–especially during allergy season– and may have a decrease in pain with using anti-histamines! Moving on, in your course (which was awesome!), you discussed some of the main causes of vestibulodynia. The role between oral contraceptive use and vestibulodynia was discussed in detail. So many people are surprised to hear that being on birth control could contribute to their vulvar pain. Can you explain that a little bit more?

SS: Any product that affects the body’s sex hormones can affect parts of the body that are dependent on sex hormones.  So, using a combined hormonal contraceptive or any other medicine that affects estrogen and testosterone will affect the vulvovaginal tissue.  These areas are sex hormone dependent, to varying degrees based on their different embryology.  We go into this in super detail in the vestibulodynia course.  The mechanics of it are repeated over and over because if this isn’t truly understood, we, as physical therapists, will never understand what kind of progress is or isn’t possible for our patients.  If a woman is on a medication that will lower their sex hormones and I keep treating her for symptoms of sex hormone reduction, I’ll be banging my head on the wall if I don’t understand that hormonally there are changes taking place that I can’t affect until the patient gets off of or alters that medication.

JR:  That is especially interesting to me, as I have seen several patients (as well as a few close friends!) who have used oral contraceptives develop vulvar pain or pain with sexual intercourse. Now of course, we know that not everyone who takes OCPs will develop vestibulodynia, but it seems like certain individuals may be more susceptible than others. And the current research seems to recognize some of these problems occurring, to the point that now OCPs are no longer the most recommended type of contraceptive for women (especially younger ones). I know this was something we chatted a little bit about with Dr. Goldstein during our facetime chat at your course. (Readers: Here’s an interesting article about contraceptives and vulvar/bladder pain you may find helpful!)

Now, Vestibulodynia can be a tough diagnosis for clinicians to treat. What are the most common mistakes you think physical therapists make when working with women with vestibulodynia?

SS: The most common thing I find with clinicians of any discipline in working with patients with vestibulodynia is that often we completely miss the fact that the patient has vestibulodynia in the first place.  Either the vestibule is completely removed from the assessment because it is pushed aside with a speculum, or it is not assessed via appropriate and specific q-tip testing.  If we miss that we are dealing with issues at the vestibule, we are missing the point.

JR: So, true of many diagnoses! So, wrapping things up…one of the things I love about you is how hard you work to advocate for your patients– it’s amazing! So, let’s say I’m a woman reading this, and I think I have vestibulodynia. What should I do?

SS: If you think you have vestibulodynia, definitely talk to your physician about it.  Explain your symptoms and ask to see a pelvic floor physical therapist.  When you get a referral, call the physical therapist before your evaluation.  Ask if they have treated vestibulodynia, ask how they treat it and ask about their success in treating it.

JR: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me about vestibulodynia, and for coming to our clinic to share such an awesome course this weekend! I know we all really enjoyed it and found it super useful in learning to provide the best care we can for the women we treat who are experiencing vulvar pain (and really, pelvic pain in general!)

If you are a clinician who works with women with pelvic pain, I highly recommend Sara Sauder and Kelli Wilson’s course, Vestibulodynia: An Orthopedic and Pelvic Floor Approach. For more information, please check out their website: http://www.alcoveeducation.com/

3377681_origSARA K. SAUDER PT, DPT
is originally from Dallas, has lived in Houston and prefers life in Austin. She received her Doctor of Physical Therapy from Texas Woman’s University in 2010, but began practicing with her Master in Physical Therapy in 2007.  She works at Sullivan Physical Therapy and specializes in pelvic pain and mentors pelvic floor physical therapists through a professional mentorship program. To focus her interests, she authors the blog, Blog About Pelvic Pain. Through this medium she voices her opinion and experiences with diagnoses and treatments for pelvic pain. She has also been a guest writer for popular blogs such as Pelvic Guru, Pregnant Chicken, Scary Mommy and Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center’s As the Pelvis Turns. Sara interviews and shadows internationally-recognized specialists alike. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) Section of Women’s Health (SOWH), International Pelvic Pain Society (IPPS), the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH) and the National Vulvodynia Association (NVA).  She is as blurry in person as she is in her photos.

Your bladder and bowels need a diary.

~ jesspreale ~ Leave a comment

This past weekend, I had the wonderful experience of assisting at Herman & Wallace’s Level 1 Pelvic Floor Course, held here in Atlanta. I have been assisting at these courses for the past 4 years now, and I absolutely love it. There’s nothing better than helping clinicians who are new to the field of pelvic health learn and grow in this fantastic specialty. I love the excitement, the slight fear (I mean, many of these folks are doing their first vaginal exams at these courses), and the growing passion for helping men and women with pelvic floor problems. And the most exciting thing is knowing that they are going out in their communities to begin offering this service to people who really need it. And, now you know how much that really means to me. 

Level 1 pelvic
Cathy Neal (an awesome PT who assisted with me), Susannah Haarmann (an awesome PT who instructed the course), and myself! 🙂 We’re just missing Amanda Shipley and Pam Downey! Photo courtesy of Susannah!

The initial level 1 course covers an introduction to pelvic floor dysfunction (all diagnoses), and covers bladder dysfunction in more detail. One of the prerequisites of the course is for all participants to complete a bladder diary which is then evaluated in the class. So, why keep a bladder or bowel diary? 

First, let’s be honest, we are all horrible historians. Many of us can barely remember what we ate for breakfast, let alone remember all the details of our bathroom habits! Let me ask you this:

  • How many times did you urinate yesterday?
  • How much fluid did you drink? What exactly did you drink?
  • What did your poop look like? When did you poop?

If you’re like me, it’s probably tricky to recall these exact details. (Well, you may be slightly better at recalling than I am, now that my pregnancy brain is in full effect!). And, if you are having any problems with your bowels or bladder, these details really do matter. Here are a few examples:

Patient #1: Mary (obviously not her name) was a lovely 65 year old retired nurse experiencing urinary leakage on her way to the restroom several times each day. She had tried exercises, dietary changes, and medications, and her problem kept persisting. Her bladder diary was eye opening for both of us! We learned that she only leaked urine when she would hold her bladder for over 6 hours! After years of holding her bladder for entire shifts, she got into some pretty bad habits. Once we changed this, her leakage went away completely! 

Patient #2: Sara(also, not her name) was a 10 year old girl having bowel accidents daily. Once we did a diary, we found out the problem! Her mother was a hair stylist who saw clients out of her home. Sara was afraid to have a bowel movement while her mom’s clients were there, and had started having accidents from getting too constipated! The three of us quickly determined a “code word” for Sara to tell her mom when she needed to go, and within 2 weeks, the problem was solved! 

So, as you can see… these little diaries can be oh so powerful! So, let’s get into the details!

Who should do a bowel or bladder diary? Well, in my mind, everyone should try it at some point! It’s so cool to see what your patterns really are… but for sure, anyone who is having problems like urinary urgency or frequency, urinary leakage, constipation or bowel leakage.

How long should you keep one?  Typically, I like people to track for at least 3 days. Preferably, two of those days should be “regular” and one can be “different.” For example, if you are working, you may choose two days to be work days, and one to be over the weekend.

What should you look for?  The best thing to do if you are having problems is to bring your diary to your health care provider. He or she will be able to analyze it completely, and give you insight into what may be happening. However, I do think there is some benefit in doing a little sleuthing yourself. Here are a few things to identify:

  • How often are you going? Normal bladder frequency is typically around 5-8 times each day, and less than 1 time each night. Normal bowel frequency varies quite a bit from 1 time over 3 days to 3 times each day.
  • How strong are your urges when you go? Generally, I recommend grading urges on a 0-3 scale (from no urge –> gotta go right now!). Were most of your urges very small? Were you running to the bathroom all day?
  • How much did you urinate? The best way to track this is to actually measure your output (usually a cheap plastic cup or a dollar tree measuring cup works well). Normal output of urine is 400-600 mL per void. You can also try just counting the seconds of your stream, however, this does tend to be less accurate. We generally tell people that each stream should be at least 8 seconds.
  • What did your poop look like? Was your stool soft and formed? Little rabbit pellets? Did you have to push hard to empty your bowels or did they come out easily? Did you have any discomfort or pain?
  • What was your diet like? Do you notice any trends in what you eat or drink? Were you drinking some well-known bladder offenders (like caffeinated drinks, soda, coffee, artificial sweeteners or sugary drinks)? Did you eat at really regular intervals? (You know I love my bowel routines!)
  • Did you notice any trends? Did you always go to the bathroom when you had the littlest urge? Was most of your leaking with coughing or sneezing? Does running water send you running to the bathroom? Did you always have a bowel movement after your morning coffee?

As you can see, so much wonderful information can be gleaned from these diaries, so if you’re having problems, get started today! Knowledge is power, and once we become aware and identify trends in our habits, we can make the changes needed to really help us get the most out of our bodies!

If you want to get started today, try using one of these free templates available online (John Hopkins’ Bladder Diary, Continence Foundation Diary, or Movicol’s “Choose your Poo!” Diary) There are also wonderful apps available now for tracking bowel/bladder function! This is a sample of a diary I frequently use in the clinic (see below).

Bladder Diary

So, get tracking! And, on a serious note– don’t forget that these diaries can also help to determine if you are having a more serious problem, so please, please please, see your health care provider for an evaluation if you are having the types of problems we discussed today!

Happy Wednesday!

~Jessica