It is with tremendous excitement that I introduce to you The Overactive Pelvic Floor (Springer 2016), a medical textbook intended for urologists, urogynecologists, gastroenterologists, physical therapists, sex therapists, and life-long learners such as yourself. Why am I so eager to share this textbook with you of all the many textbooks in the annals of medical literature, you may ask? Because I co-authored Chapter 15, “Medical Therapies for the Treatment of Overactive Pelvic Floor”, along with Dr. Andrew Goldstein and Zoe Belkin (link to textbook).
The editors of The Overactive Pelvic Floor are Dr. Anna Padoa, who works in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Assaf Harofe Medical Center and Talli Rosenbaum, Certified Sex Therapist, pelvic floor physical therapist, and blogger par excellence. Both Padoa and Rosenbaum sought to provide a comprehensive analysis of the overactive pelvic floor as well as clinical guidance for treatment. Each chapter was written by experts in their respective fields, and contributing authors incorporated the latest evidence based research regarding their respective topics. Topics addressed include female genital pain and penetration disorders, Interstitial Cystitis and female voiding dysfunction, male chronic pelvic pain disorders, and classic and alternative physical therapy approaches to treat overactive pelvic floor, to name a few.
Co-authoring the medical therapies chapter was an extremely rewarding experience for me. First of all, it inspired me to research the latest medical advancements pertaining to my profession. I routinely treat patients who have been prescribed diazepam suppositories, cyclobenzaprine, and amitriptyline, or who have received pelvic floor Botox injections. I now have a more comprehensive understanding about how these medications affect the musculoskeletal system of my patients. In addition, as a blogger, I clearly enjoy writing, and I warmly welcome opportunities which allow me to exercise the left hemisphere of my brain. Finally, this project (which was worked on collectively for approximately one year) enabled me to collaborate with one of my favorite physicians, world renowned vulvovaginal specialist Dr. Andrew Goldstein. I hope to have many similar future opportunities, and I eagerly await the chance to discover and disseminate additional medical information to the masses.