This past May, the American Urological Association (AUA) published updated clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of IC/BPS. The purpose of this guideline is to provide a “clinical framework” for best practice regarding optimal management of patients with Interstitial Cystitis / Bladder Pain Syndrome. This includes what should and shouldn’t be done for patients, and how to avoid unnecessary or harmful interventions. The previous guidelines on treating Interstitial Cystitis were published in 2014 -- 8 years ago!
Check out some of our previous articles on our sister site, FeminaPT.com for definitions and how pelvic floor physical therapy can help, including this article specific to those that have painful intercourse and Interstitial Cystitis / Bladder Pain Syndrome. In this year’s update, the author’s, experts in the field, continued to include the role of pelvic floor physical therapy in management and treatment of patients experiencing Interstitial Cystitis or Bladder Pain Syndrome. The AUA has placed pelvic floor physical therapy under the Behavioral / Non-pharmacologic Treatments category, as we are evidenced-based (research-approved) professionals providing treatments that have proven successes for Interstitial Cystitis / Bladder Pain Syndrome.
Many people neglect this portion of their training because it doesn’t involve getting sweaty or doing high intensity intervals or weights. However, building in a solid recovery routine is crucial to helping your body bounce back after training as quickly as possible. A good recovery routine also helps prevent injury, decreased immune system function, and muscle mass loss. A recovery routine encompasses a cool-down activity, nutrition, and exercises like hatha-based yoga, foam rolling, and/or stretching the major muscle groups used during your workout. Although not discussed here, getting good quality sleep is critical to recovery as well!
Leading up to the Boston Marathon, I have been incorporating these 10 key exercises into my weekly routine (3x/week) to keep my body strong and balanced. Check out videos of these exercises here (link to instagram post). These exercises target the key muscle groups used by runners. These are for educational purposes, not meant to treat medical conditions nor supplement medical advice.
On April 18, 2022 I am excited and grateful to be able to run the historic and prestigious Boston Marathon! As a physical therapist at Fusion Wellness /Femina Physical Therapy and avid long-distance runner for over 20 years, I’m excited to share my training journey with you leading up to the race. This race holds a special place in the hearts of long-distance runners because you must run a qualifying race with a qualifying time. Females ages 18-34 must run 3 hours 30 minutes or better, and males ages 18-34 must run 3 hours flat or better.
With life expectancy increasing it is becoming more evident that bone health and fall prevention are key to a good quality of life. Osteoporosis is defined as a decrease in bone mass or a change in the structure of the bone causing the bone to be more fragile.1 If the bone is weak there is a higher chance of a fracture (bone break). The most common areas of fractures are the hip, spine, forearm, and humerus (upper arm bone). Osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures annually worldwide, affecting predominantly postmenopausal women. The probability of women, at menopause, of having an osteoporotic fracture exceeds that of breast cancer and the likelihood of a fracture is approximately 40%.2
Bone mineral density is measured through a scan called a Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). It can be used to measure the bone mineral density of the whole skeleton as well as specific sites. Approximately 21% of women aged 50–84 years are classified as having osteoporosis.2
Over 1 million people in the United States self-identify as transgender, and according to the 2019 Plastic Surgery Statistics by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, around 11,000 gender confirmation surgeries were performed annually in the U.S. Gender-affirming (also referred to as sex-affirming or gender-confirming) surgery encompasses various elective plastic surgery procedures that result in physical characteristics typically associated with being male or female. While not the case for all people who identify as transgender, some people experience distress that their sex assigned at birth does not match their gender identity (termed gender dysphoria). These procedures are just one means to help someone feel congruence between their gender identity and physical traits associated with a particular sex. It is important to note that just because a person identifies as trans-gender or non-binary does not mean that they feel gender dysphoria, nor does it imply that they need or want medical procedures or surgeries to look more feminine or masculine.
In our practice, we see many males who come in describing recent or long-term pain with orgasm or after orgasm (called dysorgasmia). It is not uncommon for a patient to come in feeling discouraged or hopeless due to their pain or sexual dysfunction. Sometimes their medical providers may have prescribed pain medication or antibiotics, or others simply don’t have a solution. But there is hope and we are here to help!
This blog covers some of the main medical or post-surgical conditions that can contribute to male dysorgasmia, followed by the benefits of pelvic floor rehabilitation or pelvic floor physical therapy to improve pain and sexual functioning.
The urges usually come with unpleasant sensations such as tingling, burning, itching, or otherwise painful. Usually, it can be alleviated by movement, but as you can imagine, it can be debilitating and impair sleep, and thus quality of life. It is common to experience mood swings, anxiety and depression. It is estimated that about 3.9-14.3% of the general population suffer from RLS. It is the most common movement disorder in pregnant women. There is either primary (idiopathic) RLS, or secondary (acquired) RLS due to pregnancy, renal pathologies and are also associated with diabetes, hypertension and other metabolic conditions. The two most common risk factors for RLS are iron deficiency and kidney disease.
Men may experience different types of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and are often divided into different categories: storage symptoms (urinary urgency, frequency, nighttime peeing, incontinence), voiding symptoms (painful urination, incomplete emptying, dribbling, poor urinary stream), and/or post voiding symptoms (post-void dribbling, pain after urination, etc.).
Living with these symptoms can be debilitating and significantly decrease quality of life. Between 70-90% of older men over 80 experience some version of LUTS. LUTS are often associated with bladder outlet/obstruction issues due to enlarged prostate. However, this is not always the case and can arise from other bladder or urethra disorders including overactive bladder syndrome, painful bladder syndrome, chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS), and other.
At Fusion Wellness & Physical Therapy, we take pride in understanding and applying how your whole body affects your pelvic health. In this article, we explore how urinary incontinence and other bladder issues are correlated with grip strength.
A study conducted at the Jeju National University measured grip strength in patients and found statistically significant differences in patients with incontinence, overactive bladder and nocturia4. They found these patients had a weaker grip strength (less than 18kg) using a hand dynamometer.
In a recent systematic review, a positive association of 83% was found between urinary incontinence and low back pain or pelvic girdle pain. Pelvic girdle pain is defined as the area below the low back and below the abdomen (gluteal region in the back and pubic bone in the front). The strength of this correlation depends on many factors such as type of urinary incontinence, pain severity, and length of pain.
**This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor.
13425 Ventura Blvd.
Suite 200
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The Sherman Oaks office is adjacent to Studio City and serves the Bel Air, Brentwood, West LA, Mulholland, Beverly Hills, Encino, Calabasas and San Fernando Valley area.
Telephone:
(818) 877-6910
| Monday | 7:30-6:00 |
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3702 Park Place
Montrose
California 91020
The Montrose area of Glendale is located minutes from Pasadena, Burbank, Silver Lake, Atwater Village and Eagle Rock.
Telephone:
(818) 864-6732
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| Tuesday | 8:30-3:30 |
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6221 Wilshire Boulevard
Suite #518
Los Angeles, California 90048
The MidWilshire office is convenient to West Hollywood, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Beverlywood, Korea Town, Downtown LA, Culver City, Century City, Santa Monica and Malibu.
Telephone:
(310) 871-9554
| Monday | 1:00-5:00 |
| Tuesday | CALL |
| Wednesday | CALL |
| Thursday | 7:00-Noon |
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