Pelvic pain is a common, yet challenging area of practice. The contributing factors can be multiple and the presentation a complex puzzle. Patients are often embarrassed to speak about their symptoms. Allied health 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.

Learn about the normal function of the female pelvis and organs and how dysfunction presents clinically. Conditions covered include pudendal neuralgia and visceral pain such as dysmenorrhea and endometriosis.

Liz Howard has been practicing as an osteopath and pain educator for over 20 years including at the Women’s Health and Research Institute of Australia since 2013. She has taught at multiple Australian universities and presented allied health CPD extensively in Australia, New Zealand and most recently in Ireland and Sweden.

The Pelvic Pain Puzzle follows on from Liz's popular Pain & Pregnancy course and 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 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 (dysmenorrhea or endometriosis) - visceral hyperalgesia concept and how to manage with manual therapy, education and home care

This course has a strong practical focus and includes appropriate manual therapy techniques that you can use with confidence in your practice. Internal techniques will not be demonstrated. The Pelvic Pain Puzzle is an excellent continuation for those who have attended Liz’s Pain & Pregnancy course. Pelvic girdle pain will be reviewed but not addressed in depth.

Learning Outcomes

• 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 pelvic pain
• Recognise when interventional management may be indicated and who to refer to
• Referral guidelines with tips for writing referral letters
• How to develop your interdisciplinary team (in-house or external)

Course Details

The Pelvic Pain Puzzle course is aplicable to allied health manual therapy practitioners. It includes practical examination and treatment protocols you will be able to use with confidence in your practice. Internal techniques will not be demonstrated.

The course will run from 8:30AM to 4PM. Places are limited to 20 attendees. It includes morning and afternoon tea, printed course notes and an e-certificate of attendance for your CPD records. The course can be counted as 7 hours CPD.

This course follows Liz Howard’s popular Pain & Pregnancy course which teaches practitioners to effectively help women during pregnancy (pelvic girdle pain etc), prepare for labour and recover efficiently from delivery or caesarean section.

About the Presenter

Advanced Pain Management Osteopath Liz Howard practices at the Women's Health & Research Institute of Australia treating pelvic pain. She has more than 20 years’ experience as an osteopath, pain educator and clinical specialist in sacral neuromodulation.

Liz has more than 16 years’ experience teaching at multiple Australian universities and as a CPD provider.

Her teaching experience ranges from lectures and technique in Undergraduate and Master’s Osteopathic programs (University of Western Sydney, Southern Cross University), clinical supervision of Osteopathic students (UWS, SCU, SportsMed Mumbai), Osteopathy Australia National Conference presentation, 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.

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.

ANON

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