A Physician's Perspective on Pudendal Neuralgia: An Interview with Michael Hibner

Dr. Michael Hibner is an international expert on pudendal neuralgia and chronic pelvic pain. Dr. Hibner joins Holly Tanner to discuss his new exclusive course with H&W titled Pudendal Dysfunction: The Physician's Perspective.

Pudendal neuralgia is a painful, neuropathic condition involving the dermatome of the pudendal nerve. This condition is not widely known and often goes unrecognized by many practitioners. Dr. Hibner runs The Arizona Center for Chronic Pelvic Pain (AZCCPP), a comprehensive center for treating chronic pelvic pain, and places a heavy emphasis on working as part of a care team with physical therapists and other pelvic rehab providers.

In this interview Dr. Hibner discusses how he treats pudendal neuralgia, “I treat patients with all reasons for pelvic pain but mostly pudendal neuralgia or patients with mesh injury or had an injury caused by pelvic mesh… I work very closely with physical therapists and I am a great, great believer in physical therapy. I am very happy that you are allowing me to share my perspective on Pudendal Neuralgia, and my perspective on physicians working with physical therapists.”

If I had pudendal neuralgia and I had a choice between surgery, injections, physical therapy, or medication. I would for sure have chosen physical therapy every time…there is no doubt in my mind. You can’t treat the PN without addressing the pelvic floor. What I tell patients is this. The number one thing for repetitive injury is to stop what you’re doing. The number two thing is to choose physical therapy over anything else. By far the majority of patients are helped by appropriate pelvic floor physical therapy.

Pudendal Dysfunction: The Physician's Perspective is scheduled for January 9, 2022. Course topics include pathoanatomy and clinical presentations, basics of surgical techniques, and terminology. The latter half of the course focuses on the physician and the rehab therapist working together and features case studies and clinical pearls from Dr. Hibner, a pioneer, and leader in the field.