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Treating Pelvic Pain
Treating pelvic pain is a common, yet challenging area of practice. The contributing factors can be multiple and the presentation may seem like a complex puzzle. Patients are often embarrassed to speak about their symptoms, meaning allied health practitioners have a unique opportunity to spend more time with the patient to develop the rapport and trust required for this intimate area.
In this course you will review the embryology, anatomy, physiology and common presentations of the pelvic region to help unravel the pelvic pain puzzle for your patients. Conditions covered include pudendal neuralgia and visceral pain such as dysmenorrhoea and endometriosis. The course focuses on female pelvic pain, though the pudendal neuralgia content applies to both male and female patients.
Gain an up-to-date understanding of the normal function of the female pelvis and pelvic organs, and how dysfunction presents clinically. You will also learn the treatment models and the direct and indirect techniques Liz Howard uses in daily practice when treating pelvic pain.
The Pelvic Pain Puzzle CPD course will cover:
- Embryological review of the pelvis to understand normal functions such as walking, waste elimination and reproduction
- Normal sensory, motor and visceral function and the influence hormones have on the tissues of the pelvis and perineum, including the skin
- Perineal functions and key clinical symptoms in the history to indicate when referral is required
- Pudendal neuralgia - managing musculoskeletal triggers; nerve glides; home care. Applicable to male and female patients
- Visceral pain (dysmenorrhoea or endometriosis) - visceral hyperalgesia concept and how to manage with manual therapy, education and home care
Learning Objectives
- Recognise the key clinical signs and symptoms of endometriosis and pudendal neuralgia
- Confidently gain informed consent before treatment
- Apply conservative management models including manual therapy, pain education and home management for endometriosis and pudendal neuralgia
- Demonstrate manual techniques for treating pelvic pain
- Recognise when interventional management may be indicated, who to refer to and how to write an effective referral letter
Course Details
The Pelvic Pain Puzzle course is applicable to allied health manual therapy practitioners with an interest in treating pelvic pain. It has a strong practical focus and includes appropriate manual therapy techniques that you can immediately use with confidence in your practice. Practitioners of all genders are welcome.
This course does not include internal techniques. All techniques are external and are practised (over clothing) in pairs with other attendees.
The course includes around 80 minutes of pre-learning videos to watch before the day, followed by the face-to-face workshop from 8:30AM to 4PM. The videos cover background anatomy and theory, leaving more of the day for hands-on practice. Places are limited to 20 attendees. The course includes snacks, printed course notes and an e-certificate of attendance for your CPD records. The course can be counted as 7 hours CPD, including the pre-learning.
Related Learning
This course follows on from Liz Howard's popular Pain & Pregnancy course, though it is not a prerequisite. Pain & Pregnancy teaches practitioners to help women during pregnancy (including pelvic girdle pain), prepare for labour and recover from delivery or caesarean section. Pelvic girdle pain is reviewed in The Pelvic Pain Puzzle but not covered in depth.
About the Presenter
Advanced Pain Management Osteopath Liz Howard practises at the Women's Health & Research Institute of Australia, a specialist pelvic pain clinic in Sydney. She completed a Master of Science in Medicine (Pain Management) at USYD in 2013 and has over 25 years of experience as an osteopath, including pain education and as a clinical specialist in sacral neuromodulation.
Liz has more than 16 years of experience teaching at Australian universities and as a CPD provider. Her teaching experience ranges from course writing, presenting lectures and practicum in Undergraduate and Master’s Osteopathic programs (University of Western Sydney, Southern Cross University), clinical supervision of Osteopathic students (UWS, SCU, SportsMed Mumbai), to presentations at many professional associations including RANZCOG (Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Obstetrics & Gynaecology), AGES (Australasian Gynaecological Endoscopy & Surgery), NSANZ (Neuromodulation Society of Australia and New Zealand), Osteopathy Australia National Conference, Pregnancy Massage Australia, Pelvic Floor Seminars, GP education evenings and international allied health events, most recently in Ireland, Sweden and New Zealand.
Find out more about Liz Howard's experience treating pelvic pain here.
Attendee Feedback
I thought the course was fantastic! Incredibly well presented, very concise and interactive, and left me feeling confident and enthusiastic about applying it to my practice.
Jane Edmondson
Liz is an inspiring and engaging presenter, she shares extensive clinical knowledge of pelvic and perineal pain by way of case studies and current evidence-based practice protocols. Liz relates current clinical application models for chronic pain seamlessly with familiar osteopathic principles. This course has helped me to develop my confidence in diagnosing and treating patients with pelvic and perineal pain in a way that is immediately transferable to my every day practice.
Bimbi Joy
Loved that it was not too overwhelming and built on lots of techniques we have all learnt! Best course I've been to in a while.
Rebecca Brugman
Liz was a knowledgeable and witty presenter. She explained her material and linked it to research which I appreciated. I liked that her techniques were functional based, often these are overlooked and aren't linked to research. I also like how she discussed how she problem solves in practice. I found the practical side really easy to integrate into practice and very relatable.
Anonymous
I loved the way the presentation flowed, it was easy to follow and had great info on the slides. I also loved the practical, Liz came around and gave great feedback. The snacks were also amazing. The pre-learning videos were incredibly helpful and the notes I took from it have been a great resource for me to refer back to.
Olivia
Liz. She's fabulous. Dynamic, relatable, knowledgeable, I could go on...
Amanda Viedma-Dodd