What is chronic pelvic pain?

• Chronic pelvic pain is a condition of pain perceived in the pelvis of either men or women that has been continuous for at least six (6) months.
• It is often associated with negative cognitive, behavioral, sexual and emotional consequences as well as with symptoms suggestive of lower urinary tract, sexual, bowel, pelvic floor or gynecological function.

What conditions cause pelvic pain?

• Pelvic pain can be caused by many different medical conditions including those affecting the urological, gastrointestinal, endocrine, musculoskeletal, lymphatic, and gynecological systems to name a few.
• Common conditions include:
  • Pudendal neuralgia
  • Pelvic floor dysfunction and muscle spasm
  • Interstitial cystitis
  • Chronic prostatitis
  • Vulvodynia and vestibulodynia
  • Endometriosis
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Adhesions/scar tissue
  • Coccydynia

What services does the pain clinic offer?

• Help with the diagnosis of pelvic pain
• Medication management
• Nerve blocks
• Spinal cord stimulation

Where can I find more resources?

Books

• Facing Pelvic Pain is a new book written by over 40 specialists. The website includes patient resources such as educational videos. You can purchase the book here.
• Pelvic Pain Explained
• Heal Pelvic Pain

Online resources

• The International Pelvis Pain Society (IPPS) has great handouts and links to educational websites for patients
• The National Vulvodynia Society
• In depth information on pelvic floor physical therapy for men and women and many other educational handouts
• Australian website with information on a wide variety of pelvic pain conditions
• Curable is a new app that helps people with pain better understand the role of the brain and nervous system. It guides you through audio lessons and teaches you to apply science-backed techniques to reduce your pain symptoms.
• Pathways: The Pain Relief App provides mind-body therapies to help heal chronic pain.

Pelvic floor physical therapy

• Have a look at the following videos to better understand what pelvic floor physical therapy is:
  • Pelvic floor physical therapy in Men
  • Pelvic floor physical therapy in Women
• Check out local providers (please note that we do not contract directly with providers, all listed providers are based on patient feedback and we are always happy to update this list):
  • Lowell General Hospital – Chelmsford office (Victoria Aspell PT, DPT)
  • Integrated Gastroenterology Consultants (Amanda Finn Holmes, PT and Nelly Fay, PT)
  • Emerson Pelvic Physical Therapy
  • Tewksbury Physical Therapy (Brittney Fallon, DPT)
  • Nashoba Valley Medical Center (Lindsay Davis, PT, DPT)
  • Lawrence General Hospital (Renee Morin PT, DPT and Suzanne Miller, PT)
  • Melrose Wakefield in Reading, MA (Katherine Booth, PT, DPT)
  • Wellbridge Physical Therapy
  • Pelvic pain rehab (New Hampshire and Massachusetts locations)
  • The Pelvic Connection in Nashua, NH (Jessica Ekberg ORT/L, pelvic floor specialist)
  • Core Essence (Meghan Kasper OTR/L, LMT, pelvic floor specialist)
  • CareWell PT (Dipti Shah PT)
  • Audra Harris OTR/L, Autonomy Pelvic Health, autonomypelvichealth@gmail.com, 774-314-7318
• Read more online/search for a pelvic floor physical therapy provider:
  • Herman Wallace Institute
  • Beth Shelly DPT

Helpful handouts

• Pelvic floor muscle relaxation
• Avoiding vaginal irritants
• International Pelvic Pain Society (in English and Spanish)

Last updated 9/22/23