title: Chronic vulvar pain from a physical therapy perspective.
abstract: When assessing women with chronic vulvar pain, women's health physical therapists search for comorbid mechanical components (including musculoskeletal, fascial, and visceral) and other disorders that may contribute to or be caused by chronic vulvar pain (CVP). Pelvic floor hypertonicity is a key perpetuating factor for CVP. Comprehensive physical therapy evaluation and suggested physical therapy interventions are described. Anatomy of the pelvis, common evaluative findings, and specifics for pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation are presented. Normalization of pelvic floor muscle function contributes to the reduction of CVP. Successful treatment includes the identification and treatment of co-existing physical abnormalities throughout the trunk and pelvis.
authors.affiliation: Dee Hartmann Physical Therapy, 400 East Randolph, Chicago IL 60601, USA. healthyexp@gmail.com
authors.forename: Dee
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hartmann
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017773:Pelvic Floor / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D010808:Physical Examination; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D011788:Quality of Life; D056650:Vulvodynia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*