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There was such deluge of important research presented at the recent World Congress on Abdominal and Pelvic pain that I’m taking time to digest it and translate it into practice. Here’s my second instalment.

If you didn’t see Part 1 click here.

There’s much more discussion in the vlog above, here are my brief notes. Starting with the end of the BPS cluster, Mr Kenneth Peters MD presented the role of peripheral nervous system on development and management of pelvic pain.

He believes there’s clearly two distinct populations in BPS: those with active Hunner’s Ulcers and those without. Those with Hunner’s Ulcers and pain/urgency symptoms (the more Type 3c, small stenotic bladder, passing small volumes at a high frequency) are the “active” Hunner’s ulcer phenotype, who tend to have less systemic pain, occur in post-menopausal women, and patients respond more readily to intensive surgical treatment....

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...

I spend a lot of my time working with mums to restore their pelvic health and confidence after they’ve had a baby. Many of them are desperate to have abs. A rock-hard tummy, the six pack they never had before kids. Who doesn’t want one?! Now I’m a big fitness fan – your body was made to move and greatly benefits from exercise. But just focussing on the end result can lead to problems. How you get there is very important.

Let me tell you about a lady I saw a while ago, we’ll call her Katy. Katy was referred to me by her gynaecologist because she’d been having some discomfort down below – she was finding she needed to wee a lot during the day. We had a chat and she told me that sex with her husband was uncomfortable. Talking about private matters can be difficult, and as Katy opened up she told me her story – one I hear often.

She decided to do a January Abs challenge. She was a busy working mum of 3, her youngest daughter was 2 years...