Pelvic Venous Disorders: “Don’t You Mean Pelvic Congestion Syndrome?”

Are you treating patients with chronic pelvic pain who aren’t responding to conventional treatments? Maybe you are working with a client who has a prolapse, but no matter what you do, nothing is helping. You’ve tried everything and the underlying cause has you stumped.

You’re not alone. The diagnosis of what is now known as Pelvic Venous Disorders (PeVD) is missed every day. We aren’t taught about it in school or in our continuing education. The concepts that are taught center around outdated research and misleading terms like “Pelvic Congestion Syndrome” that can negatively impact diagnostic imaging selection, treatment, and overall patient outcomes.

Up to 30% of people with chronic pelvic pain have PeVD, yet the average time to diagnosis can take years simply because providers just don’t know any better. One of the biggest risk factors for the development of PeVD is pregnancy. Who better to screen for and identify this often-overlooked condition than you — a pelvic PT/OT?

As a pelvic PT, I was used to treating others with complex chronic pain and pelvic floor dysfunction. But a few years after the birth of my two children, I began to experience a new symptom myself: chronic pelvic pain. Nothing I tried helped and no healthcare provider could offer me an explanation. I went from leading an incredibly active life to being unable to sit or stand for 10 minutes without pelvic pain, or a heaviness and aching in my pelvic floor.

I saw multiple specialists across disciplines for several years, only to be told that this was “just motherhood for some people” and that it “might go away in menopause” -- I was 36 at the time! I began to immerse myself in the vast world of research involving venous disorders of the pelvis until it became very clear that I had what is now known as pelvic venous disorders (PeVD).

I couldn’t find a healthcare provider who would take me seriously, and if they did, they didn’t know how to help me or where to send me for care. Eventually, I pursued my own vascular imaging and got my diagnosis of PeVD confirmed by a vascular surgeon who was skilled in treating it. When I woke up from surgery already feeling better, I immediately thought to myself, “I need to tell everyone about this.”

This course was born out of my desire to expedite the diagnostic and treatment process for you and your patients so that everyone can access the evidence-based care they deserve. PeVD is not a rare disease process, and it is very treatable if you know what you are looking for! In fact, it often co-exists with many of the diagnoses we are already seeing in the clinic, such as EDS, POTS, and MCAS.

I’m honored to announce that my live, online course Pelvic Venous Disorders will debut on November 2, 2024. This course will offer you a clinical roadmap designed to enhance your ability to screen, assess, and comprehensively treat your clients with pelvic venous disorders (PeVD), a notoriously under-recognized and misdiagnosed cause of chronic pelvic pain. I hope to see you there!

AUTHOR BIO
Julia Baron, PT, DPT, CSCS

Dr. Julie Baron PT, DPT, CSCS, PCES (she/her) is a pelvic floor physical therapist and the Director of the Pelvic Health and Performance Center in Bellevue, WA. Her commitment to treating patients with and educating others on pelvic venous disorders (PeVD) grew out of her own experience with misdiagnosed, severe chronic pelvic pain from PeVD.

Dr. Baron’s comprehensive, holistic approach to patient care is based on her extensive professional experience in orthopedics, pelvic floor physical therapy, prenatal/postpartum care, and concepts of postural restoration (PRI). Her approach allows for the thorough identification of venous pain, musculoskeletal issues, and compensatory patterns in patients, with the goal of optimizing diaphragmatic excursion and maximizing venous return to improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Baron has led symposiums and webinars on various pelvic and orthopedic conditions and has given presentations at global conferences on the role of pelvic PT in the treatment of PeVD. She is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Section on Pelvic Health, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health and the American Vein and Lymphatic Society.