Health Organization for Pudendal Education

Hi all:

I am wondering what kinds of PT treatments others are getting for PN/PNE? I’m worried that my physical therapist may be doing more harm than good. She stretches and pushes and pulls the skin, and my burning seems worse for a couple of days afterwards. She also showed me how to stretch the skin myself. What she has me doing doesn’t hurt as much, but I’m not convinced any of this is helping, and I'm worried that it’s making it worse. Have others had success with this treatment?

Many thanks,
April

Hi April, if you put physical therapy in the "search" box in the top right corner you will come up with a lot of posts about different members experiences with physical therapy. For me, it has been very physical therapist dependent. The first pelvic floor physical therapist I saw was new to pelvic floor PT and made me a lot worse so I quit going. Then I asked a bunch of my female friends who they went to and found someone fantastic. I do not know what options you have for PT in your area, maybe finding someone else might make a difference.

There are a couple of books "Headache in the Pelvis" and "Healing Pelvic Pain" that have good information in them. Many libraries carry these books if you want to look at one before purchasing.

In regards to your question about skin rolling. Maybe she is being too aggressive and ask her to not be quite so aggressive since you are worse for a couple of days. Below are links to a couple of websites with videos about skin rolling.

http://www.liberatedbody.com/diy-friday-skin-rolling/

http://massageatyourfingertips.com/self ... l-release/

One thing I've learned, one should never ignore their gut feelings. If you are feeling that this isn't benefiting you and might be making you worse then stop going. There are other treatments options that might work better for you ie acupuncture, chiropractic, gentle massage, meditation, yoga, restorative exercise, mind-body work, washcloth desensitization or a combination of treatments.

Thanks, nyt. I see there’s also a whole section on here about pt. I didn’t realize there was so much on this topic already here so I have a lot reading to do. And thanks for the links and book suggestions. My obgyn sent me to this pt and said she was the only one in this city who dealt with the pelvic floor, so I might have to stay with her. But if I read more about this technique, I might be able to help her help me. I’ve been getting worse in the past couple of weeks, and I think her aggressive techniques are contributing. So I think I just need to learn more myself. If it doesn’t work, I’ll try pts in a neighboring (and major) city.

Your advice on following your gut makes a lot of sense. I’ve had only a few months of experience with this, and I’ve already started to realize that I can’t blindly follow what medical personnel tell me (e.g., I went through a full litany of useless (and sometimes painful) medications back in March and April, including steroid cream and boric acid, both of which made the burning worse.)

April

As far as creams, you might look into Lidocaine cream (prescription) or Lidoderm patches (prescription). I have found them helpful for burning pain. Sadly, when it comes to medications, it is all trial and error.

Thanks so much! I had no idea there were creams for the burning. I am adding these to the list of medicines that I will ask about when I see a pudendal doctor on Thursday.

April

April, I agree with nyt that if your instincts are telling you that PT is making you worse, let your PT know. I could not tolerate internal myofascial release before I had my PNE surgery because the burning afterwards was dreadful for a week. I believe the exercise stretches assigned by my PT pushed me over the edge from mild pain into full-blown PNE symptoms so I think it is possible for PT to do more harm than good if you don't have to proper type of PT. So be careful and if your instincts are telling you it's not right then it probably isn't.

Violet

This is very helpful. Thanks so much, Violet. I have already decided to cancel my pt appointment for next week. I’ve been in so much pain since my last pt appointment that I don’t think I could cope with even a gentle session of her stretching and pushing the skin. I’ve now read the pt section on this site (that is so very helpful), and I now sense that this pt may not have a very big repertoire of techniques or experiences. So, I am going to check my options in the neighboring city.
Thanks,
April

Good luck April. Hope you can find a PT who can help.

Violet