All Episodes

August 4, 2023 59 mins

It’s human nature to get excited by the latest and greatest treatments, from outer space to muscle tone pelvic pain, we’re captivated by scientific advancements. But this enthusiasm has a dark side, causing many clinics and patients to exchange simple and effective strategies for flashy new treatments that come with a hashtag.

Dr. Rachel Worman is a licensed physical therapist (PT) who has experience in acute care physical therapy and extensive dual training, clinical and teaching experience in musculoskeletal and pelvic health physical therapy. After 13 years of clinical practice, Dr. Rachel earned her PhD with a focus on pelvic health outcome measures and male pelvic health.

We cover topics such as:

1:15 What to call it? Hypertonic pelvic floor, overactive pelvic floor, tight or non-relaxing pelvic floor muscles?

8:55 How and who treats pelvic floor dysfunction

10:30 Educating patients with pelvic pain and choice of language

16:37 Uncertainty and the biopsychosocial model

17:40 Pain and hypertonicity

20:00 ICS and reasoning scale

36:00 EMG biofeedback for pelvic floor physical therapists

45:00 Internal and manual therapy for male pelvic pain

51:30 Psychosexual measures and sleep, hormonal, or musculoskeletal factors

55:00 Bridging research with clinicians on social media

Pelvic floor physical therapists and patients have to be mindful of the influence that media (including social media and speakers at conferences) has on trending treatment ideas and how common it is for a 10-second video on social media to hijack a patient’s treatment plan, simply because it wasn’t a good fit.

There’s no one-size-fits-all treatment strategy for pelvic pain, which is why there many treatment strategies. Through critical evaluation, clinicians must determine the most appropriate and effective treatment strategy, or combination of strategies, for that single patient. Dr. Rachel shares how important it is for clinicians to be flexible, individualized, and science-based, and to avoid getting caught up in clinical habits of using one hallmark treatment for all patients.

In such a difficult field, where all the measures we have for tone are problematic, these  generalizations and trending treatment ideas, while good for marketing, ultimately delays effective treatment and harms patients. It’s necessary to prioritize the knowledge of evidence-based practices and personalized care to ensure optimal outcomes for patients.

RESOURCES:

Free sex and pelvic pain resources https://drsusieg.com/resources-for-pelvic-pain-in-men

Online Pelvic Pain Relief Program for Men https://drsusieg.com/pelvic-pain-in-men-online-program

Research paper on resting pelvic floor muscle activity https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/102/7/pzac059/6585840?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false#no-access-message

CONNECT WITH RACHEL WORMAN:

Website: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rachel_Worman

Instagram: @pelvic.fiiit.facts

Twitter: @rachel_worman

CONNECT WITH ME (DR. SUSIE):

Website: https://drsusieg.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.susieg/

___________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer:

This information is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding treatment, medications/supplements, or any medical diagnoses. This information is intended for educational purposes only and is in no way to substitute the advice of a licensed healthcare professional.

#tightmuscles #pelvicpain #pelvicfloorphysicalthearpy

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.