Nutrition and Persistent Pain How are nutrition and persistent pain related? We understand that to be fit and healthy we need to sleep well, exercise daily, and manage our stress with deep breathing practices or mediation. Developing healthy lifestyle choices …
Dyspareunia Dyspareunia is the medical definition of difficult or painful vaginal penetration or intercourse. This pain can occur during initial penetration, with thrusting, or with both. The term can also be used to describe the pain felt after intercourse, …
Vulvar Care The vulva is the part of the genitals on the outside of the female body. No two vulvas look the exact same but have the same basic structures. The Main Parts of the Vulva Include: Mons Pubis: …
Lubricants and Moisturizers Vaginal moisturizers are used to help relieve the symptoms associated with vaginal dryness. Here are some examples of when vaginal dryness may occur: Hormonal changes that occur with menopause. Post-partum and/or breast feeding. Side effects to some …
Accommodators and Dilators A dilator is a smooth silicone, plastic or rubber cylinder that is used to stretch the tissue of the vagina (opening and length). They come in many sizes and are sold individually or in kits ranging in …
Catastrophization Why is it important to understand catastrophization in persistent pain? It is normal for human beings to catastrophize from time to time. Catastrophizing is a way of thinking called “cognitive distortion” where, when an event occurs, we think …
Pain Education in a Nutshell Understanding pain and what to do about it has been shown to be an effective strategy to manage persistent pain across different pain conditions. We recommend that you get the book, Explain Pain by David Butler and …
Self-Treatment Techniques for Foam Rolling Here’s a self-treatment strategy for the connective tissue and muscles: A foam roller increases blood flow to the connective tissue. The roller has the same consistency as the human touch and is a form of …
What Are My Myofascial Tender Points? Dr. Janet Travell and Dr. David Simons were the pioneers of myofascial tender (“trigger”) points. They defined a tender point as a hyper-irritable spot in a muscle that is associated with a palpable …
Connective Tissue Dysfunction Connective tissue is self-explanatory in its name. It connects things in our body. It is one of four types of tissues in the body including skin, muscle and nerve tissue. Connective tissue (CT) is the fascia, …