"The Pelvic Pain Solution" book review

I recently read "The Pelvic Pain Solution: A Whole New Approach to Beating Pelvic Pain" by Dayne Herren. I was happy to see a book written by a male who has experienced pelvic pain. I also like that the author was upfront that suffers can take control of their pain, although the road may be tough. The author gave wonderful advice in regards to relaxation techniques and changing one's mindset about their pain and healing process.
There are some points of the book that I would be careful about giving out as a "blanket" recommendation. For instance, although certain supplements can be very affective for healing, I always preface any nutritional advice with, "this is what worked for me" and "this may be helpful". The author was smart about advising people check with their doctor first. The other "blanket" recommendation given by this book was in the "stretching" section. I do not give piriformis stretches out to all of my patients because many women actually have overstretched hip rotators which can cause the sacro-iliac joint to become unstable. For these women I advocate a pilates or core-based exercise program and warn them against over- stretching.
Overall, I do believe that this book has a wonderful, well-rounded approach to healing.

IC- If at first you don't succeed...

Interstitial Cystitis (IC) is a bladder disorder that I am very passionate about. About 1/3 of physical therapy practice (Womanology, Inc.)includes women that I specifically treat for IC. The one thing that I have learned over the past few years is how different each individual responds to pelvic floor therapy. In efforts to help those with IC find the most helpful treatment, here are a few anecdotal findings that I have experienced with my patients:

1- Manual therapy with trigger point release of the pelvic floor generally helps decrease the intensity and frequency of IC flares.
2- Use of a TENS unit with a vaginal sensor (directly to the pelvic muscles) often is helpful in decreasing urinary urgency. It also is helpful in taking down a flare.
3- I have found that women who have many allergies or find that allergy meds help decrease their flares often also respond well to treatment of Pulsed Ultrasound to the urethra. (Ask your PT)
4- Biofeedback alone is not the most beneficial treatment. I found that it is somewhat helpful if used in conjunction with manual therapy but is usually not my first choice of treatments. I feel it is most appropriate in the women who are extremely hypersensitive and hypertonic(usually associated with fibromyalgia) and are not able to tolerate even single digit manual therapy.
5- Once flares are decreased, physical therapy can be utilized on an as-needed basis.

Pelvic-health-introduction

Through years of working as a women’s health specialist in physical therapy, I have experienced first hand the agony and frustration that women go through while looking for answers about their pelvic conditions. Many of you have been to several clinicians looking for answers or, at least, a diagnosis to get you on the way to treatment. Many of you have tried various treatments and have not found anything that has worked. Do not give up your search for health!

I believe that knowledge is power. My hope for this site is to make you aware of the disease process you may be experiencing and hopefully point you in the right direction to obtain treatment. I will make every effort to update you on the latest research and treatment options so be sure to check the site for weekly updates. Please remember that pain and dysfunction of the pelvis is not normal, it’s not in your head, and you don’t have to live with it!