Canadian Patient Takes the Leap of Faith, Trusts Pelvic Pain Experts to Treat Her Pudendal Neuralgia
September 25, 2019
Jenna Lesoeur
Are you struggling with Pelvic Pain, Bladder Pain and/or Pudendal Neuralgia?
No matter where you live, help is available. Take Chloe, for example. Her journey with pelvic pain and healing is unique, but reinforces common patterns that many of our patients experience. Read her story below.
I highly recommend Sarton physio for anyone struggling with pelvic pain. I found Sarton physio through online patient forums where many other patients recommended them (because my local PTs were not able to help me). Five years ago I had a rare bladder infection that left me with tissue damage, inflammation, tightness, and scarring in my pelvis resulting in Pudendal Nerve (PN) pain and sitting problems. This has caused ongoing pain and limited my ability to work and function at times. I saw numerous pelvic PTs as recommended by my doctors in Vancouver Canada, but none were particularly knowledgeable or comfortable with PN PT. I had asked for internal and external work as outlined in the "headache in the pelvis" protocol, but was told I did not have trigger points and they were not trained in this area. Finally I decided to work only with experts in PN because it is so rare and I want to reduce pain and get back to working, and I traveled to California to work intensively for 10 days with the Sarton team. The experience was amazing and SO HELPFUL. First of all, the team immediately and easily identified all my internal trigger points. After a full assessment they adjusted my therapy plan to focus on these, and the director, Julie Sarton, adjusted her busy schedule to accommodate seeing me regularly. At times I had two physios working with me simultaneously to corroborate their assessment. Because of their tremendous experience and knowledge with manual therapy, they could identify the source of the pain, and when things were too much or too little pressure to relieve pain. They combined internal work with external myofascial release, cupping, heat, and body rolling which provided me with many hours of complete pain relief. They added in adjunct therapies such as mindfulness and pain psychoeducation ( Book: why pelvic pain hurts) and helped me to clearly identify ongoing tissue pain, versus referred pain. They also helped me to communicate with PTs in my local area to properly explain what I needed on my return home. PN issues are rare and this was the first time I was able to feel secure and safe that my provider had more knowledge than me; they were able to educate me on pain and on the pathways of my particular pain so that I felt more empowered, validated, and in control. Leaving Sarton I felt renewed hope, I felt supported and empowered, and more knowledgeable about a treatment plan that will help to reduce my pain over time. They provided me with a full assessment to take back to my PT in Canada as well as a daily self-care protocol to follow to reduce pain. They also continue to follow up with me. In my case, the etiology is muscoloskeletal and it will take ongoing self-care and PT to fully peel away those layers of tightness, but I see regular and increasing positive results that are lasting and hope inspiring. In fact I sat for five hours with no pain after leaving Sarton---I just have to be mindful to not push my limits and to keep up with the protocol to build sustainability in my sitting time. I was truly blown away by the care and expertise of this team. I believe they are the best in North America working on this issue. If you need local or out of town support then I highly recommend the Sarton team. Because PN issues are rare and because there are multiple paths (etiologies) that can lead to the same symptoms, it is important to have a proper physio assessment as part of your care approach. The team at Sarton can tell you if your symptoms will benefit from soft tissue therapies or not, and when you may need to look at other PN approaches. They knowledge of PN extends beyond PT so that they can help identify which path to healing may be most helpful to you. Allea, my primary PT at Sarton, also answered all of my psychosocial questions and gave me some input on ways to communicate better with my support network around PN pain. This physio work is very sensitive as well, and I highly commend the team for making me feel safe and comfortable and almost like family during my stay.
Chloe, Global Patient from Canada, Diagnosed with Pudendal Neuralgia
Want to learn more about our Global Patient patient program?
We want to encourage you to get evaluated by one of our outstanding physical therapists, and regain control of your life. Pelvic pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, back pain, tailbone pain—you name it—these conditions do not have to control your life. There is hope. Call us today to book an appointment for 1 of our 3 Southern California locations , or inquire about a virtual, online treatment session .
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