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I had an absolutely inspiring time at the World Congress on Abdominal and Pelvic Pain in Washington recently. I was given the opportunity thanks to the Dame Josephine Barnes award from the POGP and the EPIC Scholarship from Entropy Physiotherapy in Chicago and Lorimer Moseley. I can’t thank them enough for supporting the education and development of clinicians who wouldn’t otherwise be able to attend world-leading conferences such as this one. It truly was EPIC.

I’ve gone back through my notes and pulled together some of the things I think are important and have great clinical translation. It helped me to gather and retain the information and I really wanted to share what I learned. Better informed clinicians providing up to date evidence-based therapy are going to be the best for our patients, and at the end of the day this is why we do what we do. Apologies to any of the researchers for inaccuracies, these are just a few teeny pearls of wisdom I took/understood...

Head over to my YouTube Channel to hear all about how to use the Wand in Pelvic Pain.

Persistent pelvic pain can be devastating. Though not necessarily the cause of your symptoms, often the pelvic floor muscles at the base of the pelvis are in spasm and having them manually released or gently stretched by a specialist pelvic health physiotherapist can relieve symptoms.

If this is the case you can use a therapeutic wand (or your own thumbs!) to get the same relaxation in your pelvic floor by yourself at home. This is great for those moments when you have to take a long car journey or eat something that sets off your pain – use the wand and hey presto! You’re feeling a bit better again. Doing this regularly alongside physiotherapy can really help you to change your symptoms and to feel confidently in control of your own body again. It’s not for everyone, but if you feel this might help you, keep reading…

The secret is… It’s not about the wand....

“It’s like having the worst urine infection, but all the time. I can’t work, I can’t sleep, my relationship is suffering because its too painful to have sex so I don’t want him near me, and I feel ratty all the time. I’m not being a good mum, I shout at the kids. I’ve had enough.”

I first came across Bladder Pain Syndrome (previously known as Interstitial Cystitis) 10 years ago when one woman’s story really hit home. A young mum who’d had to stop working as her trips to the toilet every 15 minutes were annoying her boss, and her colleagues made jokes about her bladder. It was initially something she handled well, but as she tried to hold off from going to the toilet her symptoms worsened and she retreated inside herself. Medications didn’t help the pain and quickly her world became smaller and smaller.

Her bladder was ruling her life and she was miserable. She was at the end of her tether and I was her last hope.

I...

Pregnancy isn’t meant to hurt. Period. A little discomfort, perhaps. But no true pain. It's common, but not normal.

About 30% of women get pain in and around the pelvis, hip, groin and back during pregnancy. This is probably as your pelvis ligaments get lax so you can deliver the baby, your posture changes as you get bigger and your abdominal muscles weaken. Women also tend to change how active they are, and how much they exercise. For more information about Pelvic Girdle Pain in pregnancy (previously called SPD) download this POGP leaflet.

It’s important to get any pain checked out – so make sure you have a chat with your midwife or GP. They can usually refer you to a physio locally. Getting a full assessment of your symptoms is important to get you on the road to recovery, and they may be able to do some other bits and bobs to make you feel better while you’re there.

Watch this video to see this series of exercises I’ve been using successfully for...

Gillian McCabe and I got together to give you our top tips for resolving pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy. You can watch our vlog here.

Firstly, Congratulations! Isn’t your body amazing? You’re making a whole new human! (or maybe several…)

Pregnancy should be a wonderful time but for around 30% of women it isn’t. Are you struggling to turn over in bed? Are you ok for a little bit when you’re up and moving but in agony by the end of the day? Does everything hurt (groin, hip, back, pubic bone…inside) even when you sit still too long?

There’s a lot of confusing information out there about aches and pains which all come with their own medical names (LBP, PGP, SPD…). Then there’s those ‘helpful’ members of your family and friends, the pregnancy-professional-advisors telling you that a bit of sciatica/back pain is normal, they had it with their second and it was fine after they’d had little Jacob…though...