S2:E16 | Feb. 11, 2021 | 45 min.
If you have vulvar pain, you are not alone, in fact, it's very common. Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, who cofounded the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center, which now has 9 offices around the country, specializes in pelvic floor dysfunction. Today, Stephanie joins Wendy to talk about basic pelvic floor function on a daily basis and during pregnancy and menopause. Listen in to learn how people with vulvar pain can work with their doctors to alleviate discomfort.
Connect with Stephanie Prendergast
Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT is cofounder of the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center, which opened in San Francisco in 2006. Since then, she and Liz Akinicilar have grown PHRC to nine additional locations: Berkeley, Walnut Creek, Los Gatos, West Los Angeles, and Westlake Village, CA, Lexington, MA, Natick, MA, and Merrimack, NH. The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center is the largest multicenter clinic in the United States dedicated solely to management of pelvic floor disorders, helping women, men, children, transgender and gender nonconforming persons optimize their pelvic health. She currently treats patients in the West Los Angeles location.
Stephanie and Liz developed the first continuing education course on the topic of Pudendal Neuralgia and taught the 2-day course 37 times between 2006 - 2013. Stephanie was elected to the International Pelvic Pain Society’s Board of Directors in 2002 and in 2013 she was the first physical therapist to be President of the Society. In 2013 and 2015 she served on the Program Committee of World Congress of Abdominal and Pelvic Pain and 2017 served as the Scientific Program Chair, bringing the World Congress to the United States. She has authored numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks and regularly lectures at medical conferences and in the community on pelvic health-related topics.
In 2019 Stephanie and Liz developed a second continuing education course, Advanced Management of Pelvic Pain Syndromes, which they currently offer virtually. In 2020, Stephanie and Liz developed a virtual health/telehealth platform and are now available to anyone anywhere in the world interested in a pelvic health consultation. Stephanie and Liz virtually mentor other pelvic health professionals. Stephanie is an advocate for people with pelvic floor dysfunction, pelvic floor physical therapists, and the field of pelvic health. She and Liz co-authored the popular book, Pelvic Pain Explained, in 2016. PHRC publishes an award-winning blog, As The Pelvis Turns, every Thursday.
Website: Pelvic Health & Rehabilitation Center
Twitter: @pelvicheath
Instagram: @pelvichealth
