A study completed in Norway adresses the importance of serving women who have survived cervical cancer. 91 patients who had been treated with radiotherapy and who were more than 5 years out from treatment were included in this research. Radiotherapy included both external beam and intra-cavity radiation. Participants did not receive chemotherapy. Pelvic pain included any pain in hips, low back. groin, or radiating pain.

Radiation of the pelvis is known to be a cause of pelvic fractures, proctitis, cystitis, enteritis, and it can also cause pelvic lymphedema, lumbosacral plexopathies, and radiation myelopathy. According to the authors, pain in cancer survivors is associated with anxiety, depression, and decreased quality of life.

38% of those surveyed described chronic pelvic pain. Of those with pelvic pain, 60% reported severe intestinal problems, 43% reported severe bladder problems. Intestinal and bladder issues reported by those in the study without pelvic pain were, respectively, 36% and 7%. Measures of anxiety and depression were all higher in the group who reported pelvic pain than in the group without pelvic pain. Compared to the general population who has not had pelvic radiation for cervical cancer, the incidence of low back pain and hip pain are higher in those in this study.

The implications of the study include that women who survive cervical cancer need to have chronic pelvic pain assessed as well as managed. Suggested options for pelvic pain management include a multi-disciplinary approach with analgesics, physical therapy, interventional procedures, and pyschosocial treatments. This study may be a useful tool when speaking with physicians who serve a population of women who have gone through any pelvic radiation therapy.

The Journal of Sexual Medicine reports on research involving functional MRI (fMRI) of the female brain during stimulation of varied parts of the body. The aim of the study was towards mapping of the brain so that female sexual response could be better understood. Such mapping, according to the article, has never been completed for females. Sensory cortical responses to self-stimulation of the clitoris, vagina, cervix, and the breast were mapped in addition to the thumb and the great toe for points of reference on the corticalhomunculus.

The findings of the study state that stimulation to the vagina, clitoris and cervix produced fMRI readings that could be differentiated. In other words, stimulation of the vagina does not produce the same neurologic response as stimulation to the clitoris. "Do we really need research to know this?" Yes, we do. While there is certainly complexity involved in sexual response, this now documented mapping provides very useful information. The authors also point out that breast stimulation activated the genital cortex.

For a fabulous report on the relevance of this research and on the potential implications of this research to pelvic pain, please see David Butler's always informational post on his website.His work consistently inspires me and you too can receive free Neuro Orthopedic Group (NOI) updates on research and the clinical implications by signing up at noigroup.com. Pelvic pain will be specifically addressed at the 2012 NOI conference in Australia.

The latest Journal of Urology reports on a single-center prevalence study of urinary incontinence during sexual activity that occurred in men following prostate cancer surgery.

Nearly 1500 men were surveyed to determine the post-operative prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) with sexual activity and stress UI in the absence of sexual activity. The participants completed the UCLA-PCIpre-operatively and again at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months following surgery. All men had been treated by the same surgeon. 12.1% of men reported major bother from urinary incontinence with sexual activity at 24 months post-operatively. Of these men, more than half of them also experienced significant bother from stress urinary incontinence. Interestingly, more than 10% of men who did not report stress incontinence did report leakage with sexual activity. The take home point: men can have leakage during sexual activity even if coughing, laughing, golfing, transitional movements are leak-free.

The study concludes that treatment of the problem requires further research. While that is true, you can find some wonderful patient education materials related to post-prostatectomy pelvic muscle awareness and strengthening on physiotherapist Grace Dorey's website. One such resource is "Living and Loving After Prostate Surgery."It is so helpful to be able to direct patients to such resources that speak candidly about issues of urinary and sexual function for men.

Another terrific resource for the pelvic rehab therapist is Grace Dorey's textbook, Pelvic Dysfunction in Men: Diagnosis and Treatment of Male Incontinence and Erectile Dysfunction. You can also attend the Pelvic Rehab Institute's next Male Course, in which topics of male sexual health, pelvic pain, and urinary dysfunctions are discussed. Check out the course listing for upcoming dates.

There is a new book on the market called Embitterment: Societal, psychological, and clinical perspectives. The feeling of embitterment, defined by on-line merriam-webster as "to excite bitter feelings in," even has a proposed disorder: Post-Traumatic Embitterment Disorder, also known as PTED. PTED refers to the state of a person who has an adjustment disorder based on a severe pyschological reaction to a negative life event. It is associated with feelings of injustice, intrusive memories of a life event, and frequently with thoughts of revenge.

Can you recall any patients who fit this picture? I imagine you have met a patient injured at work who presents with embitterment, another patient who is fixated on a divorce, or a patient who suffered a trauma and is unable to move forward.

One problem with being embittered, and angry, is that it creates significant health issues. Some well-researched health issues related to anger are higher blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac risk, even changes in brain response to auditory stimuli. Forgiveness, on the other hand, is known to be beneficial to health. In one study looking at low back pain and forgiveness, patients who had a higher index of forgiveness had lower levels of pain and disability. An article addressing the clinical implications of forgiveness for psychiatrists working with patients recommends that forgiveness should be utilized as a clinical intervention for patients.

What does this mean for the pelvic rehab therapist? Sometimes patients can hear information a little more objectively, less defensively, when it is brought up in the context of research. A patient may be much more able to hear the following: "It sounds like you are still really angry, and research shows that such anger or bitterness can have a negative impact on your health. Have you had the opportunity to discuss this with a friend, health care provider, spiritual advisor?" If your patient is interested in discussing the issue further, perhaps a referral can be made to the appropriate person.It has been my personal experience that when patients can relate a feeling (anger, fear, frustration, rejection) to the pain or dysfunction that is occurring in the body, this realization can expedite a healing that is difficult to explain by the application of modalities or exercises.

And patients are not the only people who can benefit from adding a bit more grace, or forgiveness, into his or her day. We can forgive not only others, but ourselves as well. Following is a quote from one of my favorite authors, Caroline Myss. "One of the greatest struggles of the healing process is to forgive both yourself and others and to stop expending valuable energy on the past hurts."

In Therapeutic Advances in Urology, researchers report on the role of inflammation, acute or chronic, and its effect on bladder function. Although the etiology of painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis (PBS/IC) is still unknown, it is agreed upon that inflammation plays a central role in the bladder dysfunction that accompanies the condition. It has been proposed that the inflammation may come from a chronic or subclinical infection, a genetic susceptibility, or an autoimmune response.

Although the naming of the condition has gone through proposed changes (from interstitial cystitis to painful bladder syndrome to bladder pain syndrome) you will see the terms used interchangeably in the literature.A more recent attempt at refining the definition of IC was completed by the European Society for the Study of Interstitial Cystitis. IC is described as "...chronic pelvic pain, pressure, or discomfort perceived to be related to the urinary bladder and accompanied by at least one other urinary system such as persistent urge to void or urinary frequency." Many physicians have based diagnosis on symptoms primarily, as more recent research has demonstrated that use of stringent diagnostic criteria or laboratory tests often excluded patients from being diagnosed appropriately.

This articleis useful in assimilating research about IC/PBS.The authors briefly list the pharmacology of several different oral medications that have been studied for use with patients with bladder pain. Some of the medications target the mucosal lining of the bladder, act as antihistamines, target the pro-inflammatatory agents found in patients with bladder pain, or help the patient manage the pain (narcotics.) Other medications cited include anticonvulsants, antidepressants, anticholinergics, or hormones modulators.

As for a nonpharmacological treatment approach for IC, physical therapy is recommended and modalities such as manual therapy, bladder training, biofeedback, and pelvic floor rehab are recommended. The authors conclude that in terms of management guidelines, because patients with bladder pain syndrome have such varied clinical presentations, it is necessary to individualize treatment approaches.

"Any form of female genital mutilation/cutting is a human rights violation that should be abandoned." So begins the conclusion of an article about FGM. From time to time, this is a topic that comes up during coursework for pelvic rehab professionals, yet it is not a common topic of discussion.

Female genital cutting is performed on girls at various ages, sometimes within weeks of birth, and it can refer to removal of the clitoris, the labia, and may include sewing of the structures to close the vaginal opening. The World Health Organization in 2008 estimated that annually 3 million girls go through FGM. Although the practice is wrongly associated with religious practices, anthropologically it is most related to the control of female sexuality. FGM obviously causes severe pain, but also frequently results in death, terrible infections, and urogynecologic dysfunctions. Imagine the breadth of sexual dysfunction that this mutilation creates.

If you would like to learn more about FGM, The World Health Organization (WHO) has an informational page about FGM. I found the work of Waris Dirie helpful because she also looks at the world of activism and shares the work of physicians who are trying to help heal injuries of FGM.

If you live in a larger city, it is likely that a cultural population exists there that includes women who have suffered from FGM. It may be through outreach to these women, or by communicating with the physicians who treat these women who have experienced FGM we can learn of the prevalence within our own neighborhoods. The role of the pelvic rehab therapist is not established for this population, and I was unable to find anything through a Pubmed literature search.

FGM is more addressed in European countries, but the challenges of prosecuting those who perform the ritual is difficult, because the practice simply goes "underground" or parents take their children on a holiday to another country and then return having gone through the cutting.It is no doubt a challenging issue to take on, and at the least we can become aware of the issue. It is very helpful to understand the cultural relevance of the ritual in addition to the potential risk to the woman who has experienced female genital mutilation. Hopefully, pelvic rehab professionals can have a more recognized role in helping women recover from female genital mutilation.

Painful bladder/interstitial cystitis (IC) may be undiagnosed in many women according to the Harvard Health Blogand according to research published in the Journal of Urology. The research results were based on phone interviews (60 minute interviews!) of nearly 13,000 household females. Results of the surveys estimate that the prevalence of painful bladder symptoms range from 2.70% to 6.53%. Only 9.7% of these women reported that they had been diagnosed with painful bladder/IC conditions.

The research community has also tried to create improved definitions of painful bladder/IC. One such study hypothesized that the pain of painful bladder could be utilized as criteria for diagnosis. The authors found the following information specific diagnostically for the condition: pain related to certain food and/or drink, or pain related to bladder filling and/or emptying. Physicians continue to base the diagnosis in large part on symptoms of urinary urgency, frequency, bladder pain and nocturia, and it remains elusive to find a medical test that can consistently determine the diagnosis.

As a population estimate, this translates to 3-8 million women over age 18 who are affected by this condition. Pelvic rehabilitation therapists can help women in part by dealing with the painful muscle tension that accompanies this debilitating pain. The treatment of painful bladder is covered in the Institute's intermediate "2B" course. Click here to see when this course is coming to a location near you, or near a warm, sunny beach (hint: San Diego, September.)

In a PubMed article about erectile function preservation following prostatectomy surgery, Dr's Segal and Burnett review treatment options. You may find this article interesting because, if you are treating male patients for pelvic rehabilitation, you will be asked some questions that you don't usually learn the answers to in school.

Urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction are the 2 most common complications following prostate removal surgery. Erectile dysfunction affects not only the quality of life of the man who had surgery, but the man's partner can suffer as well. There are various types of erectile dysfunction, and this article describes several medication approaches towards the various types of dysfunction. One of the post-surgical approaches that has been prevalent in the literature over the past decade is the use of some type of medication to periodically produce erections immediately in the weeks following surgery to maximize functional recovery. You can familiarize yourself with some of the literature and medication approaches available in this review.

Why should we be familiar with medications such as those discussed in the article? It has been my experience that even when you don't "solve" the patient's sexual dysfunction, the patients are desperate to talk with someone about what is happening to the body and about what options are available for recovery. Oftentimes, male patients remark that they feel much more comfortable addressing the issue with a physician once they have some basic information. It is also much more interesting to engage in a discussion with a physician about his or her preferred practice pattern or clinical experience when you have perused the options that the doctor encounters in the literature.

One option missing from this article is physical therapy. Grace Dorey (physiotherapist) is primary author of some very encouraging research indicating that pelvic muscle strengthening helps men recover sexual function. Her study did not include post-prostatectomy patients, yet the education and exercises that she had the men complete are very easily instructed. Click here for her full article.

The bottom line is that the more you know, the more comfortable you will be when you ask questions and when you answer questions about erectile dysfunction. And, more likely than not, if you are currently only treating women, that will change. And, if it hasn't occurred already, you will soon be the go-to person whenever anyone in the clinic (or place of worship, restaurant, etc) asks a question about sexual health.

Dysmenorrhea, or painful menstruation, is thought to affect nearly 20% of women. A recent study completed in Malaysia surveyed 1295 girls aged 13-19 from 16 different public schools. 76% of the participants reported having dysmenorrhea, and over half of these girls reported that concentration at school and participation in social events was most affected. 76% of them also stated they thought dysmenorrhea was a normal part of adolescence, and less than 15% sought help from the medical field.

One of the most simple and well-documented treatments for dysmenorrhea is a TENS unit, which has been recognized in the literature as decreasing need for pain medications and for decreasing absenteeism due to abdominal pain and cramping. In mmHG, uterine pressures due to menstrual cramping have been measured at numbers equal to uterine pressures measured in childbirth, a clear accounting of why these cramps can be so painfully debilitating.

We have little evidence to support physical therapy as a treatment recommendation for dysmenorrhea, as you can deduce from this summary article, however, it has been my professional experience that physical therapists and other pelvic rehab therapists can offer helpful stretches, self-care, and education to assist in diminishing symptoms. It has also been my experience that the mothers of the teenagers suffering from dysmenorrhea are the people who request care for such an issue. We can take the opportunity to inquire about our patient's daughters and discover if this is a concern of theirs. As the researchers in the above-mentioned Malaysian study state, there is a "...need for educating adolescent girls on effective management of dysmenorrhea.", and this education must be extended towards parents and school peer leaders.

In this brief and interesting Medscape video lecture, Dr. Gerald Chodak discusses the relevance of new research addressing men’s expectations following prostate surgery. 152 patients who had received extensive preoperative counseling regarding prostate surgery and expected outcomes completed a survey prior to and one year following their surgery. The surveys asked for responses about incontinence, bowel and sexual function, among other variables.

At one year following surgery, 47% and 44% of the men reported having lower than expected function for urinary incontinence and sexual function, respectively. The researchers report surprise that 12-17% of the men expected better than baseline urinary and sexual function following surgery. The study concludes that “Men have unrealistic expectations of…function after prostatectomy despite preoperative counseling.” The study also hypothesizes possible psychological causes for this reaction.

We have all met patients who are frustrated with post-surgical outcomes when their expectations are not achieved. These patients can sometimes be so frustrated that it may impair the ability to “move on” and focus on the level of function or healing that is available. It may be that we have opportunities to work with these men on a pre-operative basis, and it may be helpful for us to discuss the follow-up issues, if only for the patient to air any concerns and be directed towards the physician with any significant concerns.

Surgeons are often quick to remind patients that the goal of surgery is to “save lives, not preserve sexual function.” Some physicians focus on nerve-sparing techniques to minimize injury to the pelvic muscle function. Regardless of the surgeon’s approach, the patient may be interested in discussing the outcomes and the implications of the outcomes with his pelvic rehab professional. This research demonstrates that there is an important discrepancy between patient’s expectations and the outcomes.