This post was written by guest-blogger, H&W faculty member Michelle Lyons, PT, MISCP, who will be teaching her brand-new course, The Athlete and the Pelvic Floor, in Columbus,OH in August..

‘I approached my advisor and told him that for my PhD thesis I wanted to study the pelvis." He replied ‘That will be the shortest thesis ever…there are three bones and some ligaments. You will be done by next week.’ I told him ‘I think there is more to it’. (Andry Vleeming Phd 2002)

In sports medicine, the primary source of specialist consultation is the orthopaedic surgeon, who may perform a wide ranging assessment of the musculo-skeletal system with no real evaluation of the pelvic girdle or pelvic floor musculature. The patient is unlikely to be asked about urinary, bowel or sexual dysfunction and often does not volunteer this information unless prompted (Jones et al 2013)

The patient will more than likely then be referred to physical therapy but again, unless we as therapists have the knowledge to combine our orthopaedic, sports medicine and pelvic rehab skillsets, we may not be meeting the needs of our athletic patients.

In my new course for Herman & Wallace, The Athlete and the Pelvic Floor, I will be looking at how specific hip and groin injuries can impact the pelvic girdle and pelvic floor. We know that the most common site of strain is the musculo-tendinous junction of the adductor longus or gracilis muscle, and this is also the most common cause of groin pain in the athlete (Reid 1992). In cases where the athlete recalls a specific traumatic event, the diagnosis is more straightforward, but care must be taken to differentiate between muscle strains and tendonoses/ tendonitis from osteitis pubis, sports hernias and nerve entrapment, which can present with similar symptoms, especially if the athlete presents with insidious onset.

We will investigate differential diagnoses including acetabular tears, a recently recognised source of anterior hip, groin and pelvic pain (Lewis and Sahrmann 2006). Studies have indicated that 22% of athletes with groin pain (Narvani et al 2003) and 55% of patients with mechanical hip pain of unknown aetiology (McCarthy et al 2001) have a labral tear. Athletic pubalgias or sports hernias, are another controversial diagnosis. Although more commonly seen in men, but the female proportion, age, number of sports and soft tissue structures involved have all increased recently (Meyers et al 2008) We will also take into account nerve compressions and look specifically at cycling and genito-urinary symptoms in men and women, the potential mechanisms involved and how we as pelvic therapists can intervene.

It will be an intense two days in Ohio this August as we look at integrating the best of current practices in sports medicine with pelvic assessment and rehabilitation – I hope to see you there!

References:

Reid, D.C. (1992) Sports Injury Assessment and Rehabilitation. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh

Lewis, C.L. & Sahrmann (2006) Acetabular labral tears. Physical Therapy 86 (1), 110-121 Narvani et al (2003) Prevalence of acetabular labral tears in sports patients with groin pain Knee surgery, Sports Traumatology & Arthroscopy 11 (6) 403-408

Meyers et al (2008) Experience with sports hernias spanning two decades Annals of Surgery 248 (4)

This post was written by H&W faculty member Peter Philip, who developed a course on chronic pelvic pain and differential diagnosis for the Institute.

The gut "has a mind of its own." The nervous system within the gut, also called the enteric nervous system (ENS), is located within the sheaths of tissue lining the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and colon. This network consists of neurons, neurotransmitters and proteins that have the distinct capacity to function quite independently. The system can also learn and remember; the joys and sadness that one experiences throughout the day are often reflected within the functional integrity of the enteric nervous system.

Anatomically, the enteric nervous system is connected to the central nervous system via the vagus nerve. “Command neurons” from the brain communicate with the interneurons of the enteric nervous system via the myenteric and the submucosal plexuses. These command neurons together with the vagus nerve, monitor and control the activity of the gut. The ENS is responsible for motility, for ion transport, gastrointestinal (GI) blood flow, and is associated with secretion and absorption. Sensors for sugar, protein, and acidity are a few of the ways that the contents of the gut are monitored within the system.

The enteric nervous system contains 100 million neurons- more neurons than in the spinal cord! Neuropeptides and other neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, glutamate, norepinephrine and nitric oxide are located within the enteric nervous system. During stressful situations, stress hormones are released in the stereotypical fight-or-flight response, which in turn stimulate the sensory nerves of the ENS, leading to what is experienced as the “butterflies”. Fear also amplifies the release of serotonin leading to a hyperstimulation and resulting in diarrhea. The common experience of “choking under stress” can occur due to stimulation of the esophageal nerves.

Medications and drugs will often have unforeseen consequences on the enteric nervous system, and this is an important fact to consider in patient care. Drugs such as Prozac act by preventing serotonin uptake, which leaves the neurotransmitter at abundant levels in the central nervous system (CNS.) In small concentrations, this effect can cause a hastening of gut motility, and in greater concentrations, motility can be paradoxically retarded. Antibiotics can also impact the receptors of the ENS and produce oscillations, creating symptoms of cramping and nausea. The ENS is responding to stress by increasing secretions of histamines, prostaglandin, and other pro-inflammatory mediators. The purpose is protective in nature, because the brain is preparing the GI for mechanical insult, yet the unfortunate secondary effect is also that of diarrhea and cramping.

Fully understanding the neural integration of the ENS with the CNS, and where along the spinal column afferent information terminates is helpful in understanding our patients who suffer with pelvic and digestive pain. Through the integration and understanding of embryogenesis, the clinician will have a more clear understanding of how and where to apply treatments for optimal pain reduction and restoration of function. During the course, Differential Diagnosis of Chronic Pelvic Pain, the participants will learn about the enteric nervous system's relationship to the central nervous system, and much more!

What happens to pelvic floor muscle activation in women who have prolapse and a pessary in place? Kari Bo, an extraordinary contributor to the field of pelvic health, and colleagues in Norway investigated this question. Twenty two women (who acted as their own controls) were measured for vaginal resting pressure and maximal voluntary pelvic muscle contraction with and without a ring pessary in place.The aim of the investigation was to determine if the pelvic floor muscles could improve in activation if the prolapse was repositioned. (The authors take the reader through prior research examples to build this clinical question and theory.) Conclusions of this research indicate that having a pessary in place improved the vaginal resting pressure (VRP) but did not create a statistically significant difference in maximal voluntary contraction (MVC).

For this study, 22 women with grade II-IV prolapse (according to POP-Q) who were able to demonstrate a voluntary pelvic muscle contraction were included. Excluded were women who could not tolerate a ring pessary, those who were breastfeeding or pregnant, women with neurological or musculoskeletal disease that could interfere with ability to contract, and cases in which the prolapse was so severe that measurement with the catheter was prohibited. Maximal contractions and an endurance contraction were measured in supine. No significant difference was noted in MVC or in endurance. A higher vaginal resting pressure, however, was recorded. The authors discuss several theories to explain the increase in resting pressure, but do not provide a conclusion as to the reason for this change. Is there a length change in puborectalis that optimizes the length/tension curve, for example?

Childbirth is one of the leading causes of supportive changes in the pelvic floor, yet women have varied levels of prolapse, and not all prolapses create symptoms or functional limitations. Experienced pelvic rehabilitation therapists will likely concur that there are patients who present with a seemingly severe level of prolapse who have minimal symptoms, and vice versa. While degree of prolapse and levator plate descent has been shown to improve in response to pelvic muscle rehabilitation, women also have reported improved symptoms in the absence of significant objective changes to the level of prolapse. One clinical message that this study adds to the literature is the conclusion that a therapist may not need to have a patient remove her pessary in order to accurately test the muscles. Keeping in mind that the patients were tested in a supine position, there may be clinical relevance for assessing a patient in other positions with and without a pessary in place.

If you enjoy "nerding out" and discussing the potential clinical implications that this type of clinical research provides, you can find more discussions about pessaries in our Pelvic Floor 2B course, next happening in Chicago area in July. This course will sell out, so get your seats soon!

Scapular winging, also known as scapula alata (SA), describes the lack of proper muscular support that keeps the medial scapula positioned snugly against the thoracic wall. Potential causes of this condition include weakness of the serratus anterior, trapezius, and rhomboids, often related to nerve injuries of the long thoracic, spinal accessory, or the dorsal scapular nerve. Breast cancer and axillary surgery is a known risk factor for scapular winging, and the aim of a recent article was to identify patients who were at increased risk of developing the condition following radiotherapy.

Adriaenssens and colleagues report an incidence rate of scapular alata in the literature of 0-74.7%, a variability that does not help to deduce patients who are truly at risk. Women age 18 or older with a diagnosis of primary breast cancer removed by mastectomy or by breast-conserving surgery were included in their study. The pathological stage, treatment doses for radiotherapy and when applicable, the treatment doses for chemotherapy are described for the control and for the intervention group. The original study from which the data was collected is known as the TomoBreast clinical trial and focused on pulmonary and cardiac toxicity measurement. Within the data collection, scapular position was measured in physiotherapy prior to and 1-3 months following radiotherapy. (Check this link to learn more about radiotherapy.)

The physical examination included assessment of clinical symptoms like dysesthesia, heaviness, swelling, fatigue, warmth, burning, and pain. Measures of bilateral arm volume, shoulder range of motion, and the scapular slide test to assess the distance between the inferior angle of the scapula and the spine were completed. In standing, the scapula was observed for relaxed position and for scapular plane elevation to shoulder height; scapular alata was designated as present if inferior angle tilting or winging was noted.

Resulting analysis of the 119 eligible female patients include the following: prior to radiotherapy but after surgery, 10.9% (13 subjects) were positive for scapular winging. 1 to 3 months after completion of radiotherapy, winging resolved in 8 of the 13, and persisted in the remaining 5 subjects. New onset of scapular alata occurred in 1 subject. Significant factors for SA included young age, lower body mass index, and axillary dissection. Regarding the inverse relationship of increased weight to decreased scapular winging, the authors posit that patients with decreased body weight have less fat to cushion the nerves and therefore are at higher risk of nerve injury, OR that patients with higher body mass may not have winging as easily observed due to overlying adipose tissue. Having axillary lymph node dissection was confirmed in this study as a risk factor for scapular winging.

The authors conclude that scapular winging should be "actively evaluated" and describe assessments at various points in the treatment of breast cancer such as prior to surgery, following surgery, and prior to or following radiotherapy. As scapular winging correlated to loss of shoulder motion, quality of life may be impaired. If you are wanting to learn more about rehabilitation management of patients following breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, sign up now for faculty member Susannah Haarmann's Breast Oncology course in San Diego in 2 weeks! This is the last chance to take the course this year!

This post was written by guest blogger, H&W instructor Ramona Horton, MPT. Ramona teaches the Visceral Mobilization series of courses, as well as Myofascial Release for Pelvic Dysfunction course.

When I first began working as a pelvic floor PT in the early 90’s (the 1990’s that is), I spent a great deal of time marketing my program to physicians with less than stellar results. Sure, I got the odd referral here and there, but they were mostly the desperation patients that had run out of options. Not to be daunted by lack of success, I opted to present my message directly to the public; I took my “dog and pony show” on the road to senior health fairs, medical study groups and even civic organizations. Any group that was willing to put their comfort level aside and talk about their nether regions was fair game. Over time, the word got out to the physicians (mostly through their patients); our program grew and the need for marketing became a distant memory.

While reading a recent blog post on the subject of students in the pelvic floor rehab clinic by HW faculty member Bridgid Ellingson, I reflected on my current relationship with students in that same setting. Although I have had the traditional senior PT students, I am currently working with those of other medical professions. Yes, it seems the world has come full circle; one of those physicians I annoyed incessantly 20+ years ago until she started sending me patients is now serving as a preceptor for several medical schools. She supervises 4th year medical and PA students for their OB-GYN rotation. During this 6 week rotation, they have clinic hours, deliver babies, observe surgeries and spend a day with me in a pelvic rehab clinic. I try to arrange my schedule to have both male and female patients, a full new patient evaluation, sEMG session, manual therapy, use of RTUS imaging, and exercise programs.

The best part of this arrangement is that the medical students are from two Osteopathic schools. I will unashamedly admit that I am an osteopath wannabe and freely share this with my students. The DO students have a tremendous appreciation for the application of manual therapy techniques such as fascial release and visceral mobilization in the treatment of the uro-gyn patient; this is not a part of their curriculum in osteopathic medical school and are impressed at the level of manual therapy PTs are performing on this population. Both the medical and PA students give positive feedback to their preceptor that they feel this is a worthwhile experience. They are quite amazed to discover the extent to which a pelvic PT can impact bowel, bladder and pain issues, all report that this is completely new, useful information and will impact their referral patterns.

While I occasionally have the reticent patient, in general they are quite willing to allow the students to be present during their treatment session, in fact some even invite the students to palpate or observe their dysfunctions. A number of my patients have been on a long journey to find help for their pelvic issues and welcome the knowledge that they are assisting in educating practitioners of the future. I schedule an observation student about every 6 weeks. There is no paperwork or student evaluation to deal with, all of the education and explanation makes for a long day, but the return is more than worth it. I strongly encourage any who know physicians that precept medical, NP or PA students to offer them time in your pelvic rehab clinic.

This experience has made me realize that students of other professions may indeed be the best untapped marketing tool we can harness without ever opening a single power point file. This experience carries with it a two-fold gain. By educating future practitioners about the value of PT for the treatment of pelvic dysfunction, not only are we planting a seed that will further our profession but more importantly we are providing a more direct route for those seeking care in the maze that is our medical system.

You can catch Ramona teaching a number of events this spring, including Visceral Mobilization Level One in Winfield, IL and the Myofascial Release course in Portland, OR.

As therapists are increasingly immersed in understanding of mechanisms of chronic pain and central nervous system phenomena, a question persists: what should we do with the peripheral tissues? As is usual in discussions that can take an either/or approach, the answer may lie somewhere in the middle. A recent article discussing myofascial trigger points (TrP) discusses the hypotheses surrounding this phenomena as a peripheral versus central mechanism. In a very well-cited summary of the issue, the authors come to some very helpful conclusions that you may find useful in your clinical practice.

If a trigger point, by definition, is a hyperirritable spot in a taut band of skeletal muscle that may or not have referred pain, what then, is driving the soft tissue dysfunction? Some authors argue that the peripheral nervous system is at fault, while others point to the central nervous system as the driver. Peripherally, nociceptive input may sensitize dorsal horn neurons. Centrally, patients who have chronic pain will have larger areas of pain, described as being a result of higher central neural plasticity. This is a controversial topic, and the authors are quick to point out that experimental evidence is "sparse." While there is support in the literature for peripheral trigger points creating central sensitization, the article states that "…preliminary evidence suggests that central sensitization can also promote TrP activity."

While this study does an excellent job describing various clinical and experimental research, hypotheses, and strength of evidence to support the hypotheses, the summary points are that trigger points may be both a central and peripheral phenomena, and that chronicity of the condition may drive the focus of rehabilitation efforts. Specifically, the authors state that when a patient presents with peripheral sensitization, treatment should be directed towards inactivation of the trigger point, mobilizing joints and nerves, and functional activity. Patients who present with persistent pain may require more attention directed to the central system utilizing a multidisciplinary approach such as medications, medical and physical therapy management, and psychological therapy. Fear, anxiety, and the neuroscience approach to pain should be addressed.

These issues are discussed throughout many the Institute's courses, but if you hope to get an earful about connective tissue and chronic pain research AND add tools to your toolbox, Institute faculty member Ramona Horton offers Myofascial Release for Pelvic Dysfunction. Join Ramona in June in Ohio, the last chance to take the course in 2014!

This post was written by guest-blogger, H&W faculty member Michelle Lyons. You can catch Michelle teaching our Pregnancy and Postpartum series courses, Pelvic Floor Series courses, as well as our new courses on Oncology and the Pelvic Floor and the Athlete and the Pelvic Floor. Michelle lives in Ireland and was an integral part of bringing Institute founder, Holly Heman, to the UK to teach two courses this spring.

Two weeks ago, Institute founder Holly Herman took London by storm and presented Pelvic Floor Level 3 to an enraptured audience. Twenty one unsuspecting British and Irish physiotherapists gathered in the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for an unprecedented weekend of pelvic health assessment and treatment techniques. They may have been surprised at the breadth and width of topics covered, from orthopaedics, hormones and surgery, but they weren’t the only ones who got a surprise that weekend.

The night before we started, Holly and I were at the hotel, preparing slides and tweaking the schedule, when a very familiar head popped around the corner – Diane Lee! To say that Holly was surprised would be something of an understatement (I had been sworn to secrecy for months beforehand – dire threats had been issued!) The hilarity and bonhomie that ensued set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

We had a mix of clinicians – physiotherapists who just treated women, those who specialised in all areas of pelvic health and a couple of brave musculoskeletal physios for whom this was their first pelvic floor course! We were lucky to have a great presentation by Jenny Burrell, of Burrell Education, the UK’s leading provider of continuing education to fitpro’s, who highlighted how her profession works with pelvic floor issues with an entertaining and dynamic presentation, and the legendary Diane Lee also gave a presentation on her latest work and research on diastasis. Diane was generous with her time and knowledge throughout the course and I think gained a new insight into the world of pelvic rehab!

Holly also gave a three hour presentation during her time in London, to a large audience containing physiotherapists, doctors, midwives and fitpro’s, including a very dynamic theraband demonstration of the role of the pelvic floor in all aspects of health and function. Special mention must go to Mr Gerard Greene, who played the role of the clitoris with aplomb!

Holly worked tirelessly throughout the weekend to make sure that everyone left on Sunday evening enthused and excited about pelvic rehab and our role as part of the multi-disciplinary team. While British and Irish physiotherapists have traditionally enjoyed more autonomy in the private practice setting (there is a long history of direct access), there is common ground between US therapists and their Irish & English counterparts when it comes to highlighting the broad role of pelvic rehab providers to our medical colleagues and our communities – a great deal of enthusiasm for the international roll out of the PRPC process was observed.

Compliments were flowing throughout the weekend, not only regarding Holly’s fantastic teaching style but on the hugely beneficial resource that the PF3 manual was sure to become. Plans are already afoot for future HW courses on this side of the pond.

This post was written by H&W instructor, Ginger Garner, PT, MPT, ATC, PYT, who teaches the Yoga as Medicine for Pregnancy and Labor & Delivery and Postpartum courses, and is teaching her brand new course, Extra-Articular Pelvic and Hip Labrum Injury, in June in Akron, OH.

Pregnancy brings with it a bevy of physiological and hormonal changes, both of which greatly influence orthopaedic health, not to mention psychoemotional well-being. However, what has historically been overlooked is the risk at which the acetabular hip labrum and related structures are placed during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and the postpartum. Hip labral tears are debilitating and painful, preventing normal ambulation, ADL completion, or participation in any recreational activity, including sex. Tears can also lead or contribute to pelvic pain, with the average time of injury to diagnosis being an average of 2.5 years. This delay in diagnosis can put mothers at high risk for developing chronic pelvic pain.

Several theories have been posited as to why pregnancy brings increased risk of hip labral pathology. Increased joint laxity has been widely debated but is generally accepted as a plausible mechanism in back pain, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, pubic symphysis dysfunction, or related pain. Increased (axial) loading through the joint combined with joint laxity are thought to be compounding factors. These changes alone could explain the presence of a prenatal tear, says researchers Brooks et al (2012).

Unavoidable changes in joint structure and function during labor and delivery also place mothers at higher risk, which means screening for hip joint intra-articular pathology is vital in the clinical setting. Further, forces applied externally during labor can be responsible for hip labral tears. Brooks et al (2012) found 4 of 10 women (all with labral tears) reported a specific incidence during labor, such as a pop, twist, or sudden sharp pain in the hip, that led to their diagnosis of hip labral tear. The range of motion that is most often forced in the hip during labor is flexion and internal or external rotation, combined with abduction. This is a common mechanism of injury that applies torque at the hip joint and can commonly be delivered by a birth assistant (husband, relative, or health care professional). Birth biomechanics education is an important aspect of hip labrum preservation that should be included in interdisciplinary care.

Screens to identify mothers at highest risk for hip joint pathology and special tests to target the hip labrum and related structures should be considered a regular part of prenatal and postpartum care in women’s health physical therapy. Hunt et al (2007) raises the importance of interdisciplinary interaction in maternal health care since “differential diagnosis of anterior hip, groin, and pelvic pain spans many health care specialties from gynecology to general surgery to musculoskeletal medicine and orthopedic surgery.”

Finally, pre-existing conditions of the hip and pelvis, such as femoral torsion, femoracetabular impingement (FAI), hip dysplasia, shallow acetabulum, and lumbopelvic instability or failed load transfer can all contribute to the incidence of, and increased risk for, hip labral tears. Since over 80% of women give birth in the United States during their lifetime, the vast majority of women are at risk for hip labral tears. Universal screening and education for hip joint preservation should be made available, through women’s health PT, as part of national agenda to improve birth and maternal health outcomes.

A discussion of postpartum risk, screening, and education are offered in the new Hip Labrum Differential Diagnosis course. This course emphasizes evidence-based assessment and management of the hip in an interdisciplinary educational environment. My courses are known for their interprofessional focus on partnership in medicine and welcome physical therapists, physicians, physician assistants, midwives, physical therapy assistants, nurses, and anyone who works with populations where hip labral injury could be a concern. The course will address differential diagnosis and assessment of extra-articular factors that implicate hip labral injury. At the course, I will discuss both conventional rehabilitation and integrative medicine techniques for management and preservation of the hip.

Want more from Ginger on this topic? Join us in June!

This post was written by H&W faculty member Elizabeth Hampton, who will be debuting her course, Finding the Driver in Pelvic Pain, in May at Marquette University. 

Your client presents with a referral from an OBGYN for evaluation and treatment of vulvodynia. During your evaluation, you confirm that she has pubic symphysis instability and that her vulvar pain reduces by 90% with use of a pelvic compression belt. How do you screen for musculoskeletal dysfunction as well as specific urogyn/colorectal and pelvic floor issues in these complex clients? How do you develop the clinical reasoning methods to prioritize evaluation and treatment interventions? If you send a report back relating her pain to pubic symphysis instability, will the physician think that they sent this client to a PT who doesn’t understand the pelvic floor?

Your next client presents with stress urinary incontinence during box jumps and running, however she has no pelvic floor laxity and her strength is 4/5 bilaterally. She denies leaking with coughing, sneezing, lifting, bending. You notice that she has failed load transfer with jumping, weak abductors and marked anterior pelvic tilt that becomes more exaggerated with jumping. Her thorax is rigid and her habitual breathing method is with full abdominal wall relaxation. She demonstrates that a ‘core contraction’ means to her and she holds her breath and bears down. Is this an unstable urethra due to fascial incompetence, poor motor control or is it driven by her poor shock absorbtion with plyometrics?

Part of the joy of working with clients with pelvic floor dysfunction is the ability to sleuth out musculoskeletal dysfunctions as a contributor and (at times) the primary driver of pelvic floor dysfunction. How do you assess a client who may have much co-morbidity that contributes to her pain? It can feel like there is so much to do and it is hard to know where to start.

The good news is that Herman Wallace has many educational resources to fill your toolbox relating to this topic. In the new course I am debuting through H&W, Finding the Driver in Pelvic Pain, fundamental screening tests for spine, pelvic ring, hip tests are integrated with direct PFM assessment to determine all factors in the evaluation of pelvic floor dysfunction.

Clinical Reasoning is an essential tool in the evaluation and treatment of clients with pelvic floor dysfunction as it enables differential diagnosis and prioritization of treatment interventions. The majority of clients with pelvic floor dysfunction have associated co-morbidities which may include labral tear, femoral acetabular impingement (FAI), discogenic low back pain (LBP), altered respiratory patterns, nerve entrapments, fascial incompetence or coccygeal dysfunction. These complex clients require the clinician to have a comprehensive toolbox to screen both musculoskeletal as well as pelvic floor dysfunctions in order to design an effective treatment regimen. This intermediate- level, 3-day course is designed for rehabilitation professionals treating pelvic pain and elimination disorders who seek additional skills in the evaluation and treatment of musculoskeletal co-morbidities as well as clinical reasoning with prioritization of interventions. Participants will be provided with differential diagnosis and clinical reasoning that can be applied to their clients immediately. Internal and external pelvic floor assessment is critical for evidence based evaluation and treatment of pelvic pain and elimination disorders. This data, along with the musculoskeletal screening, can determine if the pelvic floor dysfunction is the outcome or the cause of the problem. This intermediate level course is an excellent adjunct for clinicians interested in learning how to evaluate and prioritize the treatment interventions of clients with pelvic floor associated musculoskeletal dysfunction.

Want more from Elizabeth? Join us at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI in May!

This post was written by guest-blogger, H&W faculty member Michelle Lyons. You can catch Michelle teaching our Pregnancy and Postpartum series courses, Pelvic Floor Series courses, as well as our new courses on Oncology and the Pelvic Floor and the Athlete and the Pelvic Floor. Michelle lives in Ireland and was an integral part of bringing Institute founder, Holly Heman, to the UK to teach two courses this spring.

As a longtime fan of Holly Herman's work, it has been my pleasure to help bring her depths of knowledge and unforgettable teaching style first to London to teach Pelvic Floor Level 3 and then on to Dublin to allow us Irish PT’s the honor of being the first to attend her new course, Sexual Medicine for Women & Men.

We had 26 therapists travel to Dublin from all over Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England as well as one intrepid PT who flew to us from Saudi Arabia!

This is a course unlike any other I have attended – over the course of two intense days, we explored our own sexual perceptions and biases and how by challenging those notions, we can provide even better healthcare to our patients as part of a multi-disciplinary team dealing with sexual health issues.

It is an enormously practical course, not only in exploring the anatomy and physiology of sexual function and dysfunction but also in looking at the essential role therapists must play if we want optimal outcomes for all of our patients.

This course provides the framework for all aspects of assessment and treatment of sexual health issues, all the way from interviewing skills, to building awareness and acceptance of alternative lifestyle choices, and a strong influence on the role of orthopaedic concerns in sexual health. Gender specific issues such as hormonal changes in postpartum and perimenopasual women, and erectile dysfunction and Peyronie’s disease in men were also covered in depth. Participants will leave this course well equipped to understand the different sexual health issues that present to women and men throughout the lifespan, as well as an understanding of transgender, LGBT and heterosexual practices and preferences.

Of course we had to show Holly some Irish hospitality during her visit – a substantial number of us went out to Temple Bar in Dublin’s city centre for feasting and frolics and we introduced Holly to Irish dancing – a true functional test of our pelvic floor integrity! In the late 19th century, Benjamin Jowett said ‘What I don’t know isn’t knowledge’ and the same can be said of Holly Herman. She brings not only an engaging and insightful teaching style, but an incredible depth of knowledge in orthopaedics, pelvic health and sexual function, knowledge which she generously shares with all of her class attendees. Don’t miss the first opportunity to experience this course in the US is coming up soon in Rhode Island – as one of the participants in Dublin commented in her feedback form: ‘it is a life altering course!’

If you would like to catch the Sexual Medicine course in the US, it will be offered in Newport, RI on April 5-6. We hope we can look forward to having you there!