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A Headache in the Pelvis: A New Understanding and Treatment for Prostatitis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndromes, 4th Edition
This groundbreaking book describes the Stanford Protocol for muscle related pelvic pain in men and women, a new and revolutionary treatment developed at Stanford University. Specifically, the 5th edition adds a section on advice to partners and loved ones of people with pelvic pain, practical advice on minimizing the risk of pelvic pain during childbirth, expanded discussion of the possible use of a modified Stanford Protocol for anal fissures, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation and other anorectal disorders, further clarification for the layman with prostatitis, discussion of the effect of food and drink on interstitial cystitis, discussion of anxiety as the breeding ground for pelvic pain, the central practice of attention training in relaxing the pelvic floor, the use of RSA breathing during Trigger Point Release, further insights in the practice of Paradoxical Relaxation, new drawings illustrating Stanford Protocol physical therapy self-treatment, the first time explanation of post-bowel movement pain associated with pelvic pain, additions to the medical science being conducted to help those individuals suffering from pelvic pain around the world and more. The Stanford Protocol describes the treatment of prostatitis, chronic pelvic pain syndrome, pelvic floor dysfunction, pelvic floor myalgia, interstitial cystitis, urethral syndrome, levator ani syndrome among other related diagnoses
413 pages, Paperback
First published May 18, 2001
266 people are currently reading
763 people want to read
About the author
David Wise
3 books1 followerLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
December 8, 2008
Of course, a non-fiction book dealing with a specific health problem is not going to be interesting for everyone. But what if it is YOUR health problem, that none of the dr's and specialists have been able to identify, let alone treat? And you are still dealing with life-altering pain, every. single. day?
Well, that is my case. I know that most people don't want to have frank medical conversations about what goes on in the pelvis (all the "private and forbidden" stuff is in there), but that is exactly what is about to happen; so if you would rather not, I politely offer the suggestion that you read a different review.
For those who know me, you are already aware that I have been dealing with very bad (*understatement*) lower back pain since Feb 2008. I won’t go into all the details, but the pain is disabling. I went to several dr’s and specialists, and they all told me that my condition was bizarre and mysterious and that they couldn’t find a cause or recommend any treatment for me. I finally got into Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, and they helped a GREAT deal. What information I did finally gain, I got from my therapists, not my dr’s. They taught me trigger point therapy for the muscle spasms and recommended that I learn to control my autonomous nervous system (my pain rises with stress).
A Headache in the Pelvis offers the very best match to my symptoms that I have seen or heard up to this time. If indeed this is my medical problem, the book indicates that I have spasmed muscles in my pelvis that cause different pains for different people. For me, they cause sacral/gluteal/pelvic floor pain and prevent me from lifting, bending, and sitting. I have greatly improved, but I seem to have plateaued in my healing progress. For other people, the same issue (pelvic muscles in spasm) can cause prolonged urethral pain, internal organ pain, genital/anal pain, or urinary incontinence. Although I don’t have these other symptoms (thank goodness, and for those of you who do, my heart and prayers are with you), the general cause of the condition seems to be the same.
The book recommends a particular kind of relaxation to lower the amount of stress that tends to be held in the pelvis (sort of like some people contract their shoulders subconsciously; others contract tiny pelvic muscles and don’t even know it). It also prescribes trigger point therapy, both internal and external. Although the book recommends (STRONGLY pushes) that you learn how to do the treatment from a professional, they do describe the process and the trigger point sites. I previously learned trigger points from my therapists, so I feel that I can go forward with my own treatment. Other methods of pain relief or relaxation are also recommended but not essential, like Craniosacral massage/adjustments, etc.
The book is comprehensive and understandable to the layman. I skipped most of the stuff in front that talked about how bad people suffer when they have this condition, because I’m well aware of the suffering level involved—they were preaching to the choir. But I read the majority of the book page by page, and everything felt right and made sense. I have already attempted to start the self-treatment (I cannot afford to go to their clinic in California), but I will try to remember to stop back in here and update the progress of the suggested treatment.
If you have pelvic floor, gluteal/sacral, internal or external organ pain in the pelvis, I recommend that you read this book. If it does not describe your symptoms, you will know it right away. If it does, it might be the answer you have been looking for. I have discovered that there are literally thousands of others out there like me, suffering from the same thing and being told they are first ever seen with this “mysterious” problem that appears to have no treatment. You are not alone, and I hope that you are able to find treatment. As for me, I hope the book knows what it’s talking about!
For those of you with pelvic pain, feel free to contact me through my Goodreads Inbox if you would like to exchange successes and information learned.
Well, that is my case. I know that most people don't want to have frank medical conversations about what goes on in the pelvis (all the "private and forbidden" stuff is in there), but that is exactly what is about to happen; so if you would rather not, I politely offer the suggestion that you read a different review.
For those who know me, you are already aware that I have been dealing with very bad (*understatement*) lower back pain since Feb 2008. I won’t go into all the details, but the pain is disabling. I went to several dr’s and specialists, and they all told me that my condition was bizarre and mysterious and that they couldn’t find a cause or recommend any treatment for me. I finally got into Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, and they helped a GREAT deal. What information I did finally gain, I got from my therapists, not my dr’s. They taught me trigger point therapy for the muscle spasms and recommended that I learn to control my autonomous nervous system (my pain rises with stress).
A Headache in the Pelvis offers the very best match to my symptoms that I have seen or heard up to this time. If indeed this is my medical problem, the book indicates that I have spasmed muscles in my pelvis that cause different pains for different people. For me, they cause sacral/gluteal/pelvic floor pain and prevent me from lifting, bending, and sitting. I have greatly improved, but I seem to have plateaued in my healing progress. For other people, the same issue (pelvic muscles in spasm) can cause prolonged urethral pain, internal organ pain, genital/anal pain, or urinary incontinence. Although I don’t have these other symptoms (thank goodness, and for those of you who do, my heart and prayers are with you), the general cause of the condition seems to be the same.
The book recommends a particular kind of relaxation to lower the amount of stress that tends to be held in the pelvis (sort of like some people contract their shoulders subconsciously; others contract tiny pelvic muscles and don’t even know it). It also prescribes trigger point therapy, both internal and external. Although the book recommends (STRONGLY pushes) that you learn how to do the treatment from a professional, they do describe the process and the trigger point sites. I previously learned trigger points from my therapists, so I feel that I can go forward with my own treatment. Other methods of pain relief or relaxation are also recommended but not essential, like Craniosacral massage/adjustments, etc.
The book is comprehensive and understandable to the layman. I skipped most of the stuff in front that talked about how bad people suffer when they have this condition, because I’m well aware of the suffering level involved—they were preaching to the choir. But I read the majority of the book page by page, and everything felt right and made sense. I have already attempted to start the self-treatment (I cannot afford to go to their clinic in California), but I will try to remember to stop back in here and update the progress of the suggested treatment.
If you have pelvic floor, gluteal/sacral, internal or external organ pain in the pelvis, I recommend that you read this book. If it does not describe your symptoms, you will know it right away. If it does, it might be the answer you have been looking for. I have discovered that there are literally thousands of others out there like me, suffering from the same thing and being told they are first ever seen with this “mysterious” problem that appears to have no treatment. You are not alone, and I hope that you are able to find treatment. As for me, I hope the book knows what it’s talking about!
For those of you with pelvic pain, feel free to contact me through my Goodreads Inbox if you would like to exchange successes and information learned.
February 5, 2013
I am not inclined to go into the specifity of the pelvic pain I've had since I was 17, now near 39 but the onset did stem from me rupturing a disc in my lower back while training for football. So there has always been a perplexing correlation between my lower back pain and pelvie pain, sometimes at the same time, but not always. For all of my late teens, all of my 20's and early 30's, I struggled with pelvic and nerve irritation off an on, mostly on. Even had my disc replaced in 2004, all to no avail. I found and read this book in 2005 and attended the clinic in January/2006. I became pain-free shortly after attending the clinic while subsribing to the home-program tools they gave me. I have now returned to reading this book because I'm dealing with a significant setback that is being very stubborn, one in which I've thankfully not had for the last 7 glorious years. Enough about that, I want to share why I love this book and the individuals behind it.
First, the author is a former pelvic pain sufferer himself, so he gets it and what he is sharing with each and everyone of us is what worked for him. He made it his life work, so he has compassion. Second, attending the clinic allowed me to be around people with the same problem, with the same challenges and that in of itself was cathartic because I had for years though I was the only one with this problem. Turns out it is far more common in both men and women than purported, but that remains the issue, it's not generally discussed and most mainstream doctors are unfamiliar. Third, the physical therapist Tim Sawyer the book references, far and above the best pracitioner of trigger point therapy I've ever come across and he is very instrumental in me obtaining such a long-term pain free state.
I've just read it again for inspiration and perhaps I may need to return to one of the clinics to recharge my health and get into pain-free state if unable to do so myself this year. This book synthesizes all of the physical, emotional and spiritual challenges this condition causes and provides the reader a different course of action, free from drugs and surgery. If any of you read this review and want to reach out to me personally to discuss, please feel free at: jonbenecke@yahoo.com
First, the author is a former pelvic pain sufferer himself, so he gets it and what he is sharing with each and everyone of us is what worked for him. He made it his life work, so he has compassion. Second, attending the clinic allowed me to be around people with the same problem, with the same challenges and that in of itself was cathartic because I had for years though I was the only one with this problem. Turns out it is far more common in both men and women than purported, but that remains the issue, it's not generally discussed and most mainstream doctors are unfamiliar. Third, the physical therapist Tim Sawyer the book references, far and above the best pracitioner of trigger point therapy I've ever come across and he is very instrumental in me obtaining such a long-term pain free state.
I've just read it again for inspiration and perhaps I may need to return to one of the clinics to recharge my health and get into pain-free state if unable to do so myself this year. This book synthesizes all of the physical, emotional and spiritual challenges this condition causes and provides the reader a different course of action, free from drugs and surgery. If any of you read this review and want to reach out to me personally to discuss, please feel free at: jonbenecke@yahoo.com
January 20, 2018
In a society where the doctor spends eight minutes max with the patient and finds out nothing about the person (as opposed to the symptoms), A Headache In The Pelvis is a refreshing antidote. Wise and Anderson populate their book (“The Definitive”) with every conceivable aspect of pelvic pain conditions, including, if not especially, the roles of stress, belief, expectations and confidence. They are honest about the placebo effect, and that there is no drug that will work well for very long in these cases. Nor will surgery. Most doctors only treat the symptoms. This is that horrific reductionist model in which doctors see their role as narrowing the problem to a single point and treating that point like it was car repair. More and more, it works less and less, and Drs. Wise and Anderson acknowledge that explicitly.
The book is a step by step exposure of all thinking behind what they do for pelvic pain patients, as well as a step by step explanation of every phase of their process. It empowers the patient enormously. There is no mystery left. No magic, drugs no just- trust-your-doctor. The patient learns exactly what is being done, how, and why. Because Wise and Anderson want patients to perform all the procedures themselves. We need a book like this for everything in medicine.
There are two large components to the process: touch and relaxation. Touch involves letting the affected muscles know that you acknowledge their distress. These are mostly the more obscure, tiny muscles in the trunk, many inside the anus. Relaxation is essentially meditation, allowing tension and stress to continue, while ignoring them for a more blank moment of bliss. Altogether, the doctors recommend two to four hours a day of this, for life. That’s the most difficult part.
This just has to be absolutely everything there is to know about pelvic pain and the conditions it produces elsewhere. It is discouraging that so much of the “cure” is mental. A good hundred pages are devoted to attitude and acceptance. Because most of pelvic pain comes from stress. And the good doctors are very up front about it: “The experience of release of tension and anxiety afforded by a placebo is not different from the experience of release that is the focus of our treatment. “
And if anybody knows, they do.
David Wineberg
The book is a step by step exposure of all thinking behind what they do for pelvic pain patients, as well as a step by step explanation of every phase of their process. It empowers the patient enormously. There is no mystery left. No magic, drugs no just- trust-your-doctor. The patient learns exactly what is being done, how, and why. Because Wise and Anderson want patients to perform all the procedures themselves. We need a book like this for everything in medicine.
There are two large components to the process: touch and relaxation. Touch involves letting the affected muscles know that you acknowledge their distress. These are mostly the more obscure, tiny muscles in the trunk, many inside the anus. Relaxation is essentially meditation, allowing tension and stress to continue, while ignoring them for a more blank moment of bliss. Altogether, the doctors recommend two to four hours a day of this, for life. That’s the most difficult part.
This just has to be absolutely everything there is to know about pelvic pain and the conditions it produces elsewhere. It is discouraging that so much of the “cure” is mental. A good hundred pages are devoted to attitude and acceptance. Because most of pelvic pain comes from stress. And the good doctors are very up front about it: “The experience of release of tension and anxiety afforded by a placebo is not different from the experience of release that is the focus of our treatment. “
And if anybody knows, they do.
David Wineberg
Want to read
September 24, 2014$10.69 on KoBo for 6th edition of eBook. All paperbacks seem pretty expensive.
April 26, 2020
Insightful. Helpful. Scientific. Reputable. As a former nurse these are some of the words I would use to describe Headache in the Pelvis by Dr Rodney Anderson and David Wise. Although the book could do with a good edit it will prove very beneficial for those suffering from the debilitating condition of chronic pelvic pain. The book debunks many of the well accepted medical diagnoses for pelvic pain and turns main stream medicine on its head. Associated with Stanford University, Headache in the Pelvis (and its brother - Paradoxical Relaxation by David Wise) are incredibly useful and successful, (the former having been republished many times). The duo have the runs on the board medically and so sufferers will find this book extremely useful. Outstanding read. Easy to read as well.
February 12, 2019
If you suffer from chronic prostatitis, interstitial cystitis, or any number of misnomers the doctors may diagnose you with, then I can't encourage you enough to read this book. You do not need to actually go to the clinic, and with some wherewithal, and certain tools like Calm (meditation application) and Therawand, you can began the road to recovery. I say recovery because the process takes time and is not an instant "cure."
Many of us have already looked far and wide for the "cure" whether it be antibiotics, alpha blockers, muscle relaxers, etc. We know full well that these are not the answer. Once I began doing my own research, and understanding that this is NOT some recondite or occult deathly virus, but rather simply was a chronic tightening of the pelvic floor muscles (constant spasm), I realized that all the symptoms I have been experiencing since 2014 are all connected due to chronic tightening of my pelvic floor muscles (imagine clenching your fist for ten years straight!).
What is the cause? Of that even doctors acute and attuned to these issues are not entirely sure. Can range simply from stress and anxiety to pelvic trauma, to sexual traumatic experience. For myself, it seems I fall into almost all the categories and so it's not wonder I was a ripe candidate to fall prey to chronic pelvic pain syndrome. As a child, I was sexually abused by a close family member. I struggled with my sexual identity. I was a long distance runner, am prone to catastrophic thinking and pessimism, and am generally an anxious person. A decade of clenching my jaw and grinding my teeth, and clenching my butt cheeks as a form of a defense mechanism (for protection and safety, especially when I'm anxious or scared), led to symptoms which first manifested in 2014 in the form if back pain. Occasionally I would also have a discomfort after ejaculation / sex, and I mean extremely uncomfortable nagging "headache" in my actual penis, but it would always go away after about 30 minutes to an hour. I always assumed it was just too "rough" and had no idea that my lower back and pain in my glutes was connected to my post ejaculation discomfort.
Long story short, out of no where in the fall of 2018 I woke up suddenly in the morning with UTI like symptoms (I know because I have had about 6-7 verified UTIs that always occurred after having unprotected intercourse and not peeing after. I am still not sure if this has any relation to my CPPS). Anyway, after 10+ doctor visits and multiple specialists, urologist visits, four rounds of antibiotics (bactrim, cipro, macrobid, doxycycline), and alpha blocker Flomax for over a month, my symptoms not only were not getting better they were getting worse. Pain during urination, frequent urination, discomfort, pain during and after intercourse, etc.
Ok, to seriously cut to the chase, I have been super helped by Dr. Susie Gronski (check out her website and buy her book), as well as this book. My daily protocol is as follows 1. the stretches in the book as well as pigeon stretch, 2. daily myfascial release with lacrosse ball (see diagrams in book for where to look for trigger points, 3. internal trigger point release with Therawand (best $50 investment ever), and 4. daily meditation with the application Calm for learning non-reactivity and beginners mind, overall reducing anxiety and stress.
With all that being said, I am happy to say I'm about 80-85% symptom free from my nadir Thanksgiving 2018 where I literally broke down on the bathroom floor thinking I would be living like this for the rest of my life.
I have returned to a sense of normal and for that, I can't thank Dr. Wise enough. Buy and read this book. Study the diagrams, learn the protocol. If you are not a do-it-yourself kind of guy or girl, fly to LA for the clinic or go to NC for Dr. Susie Gronski's clinic. This book and the aforementioned tools literally saved my life.
I'm aghast that my urologist, after verifying NO BACTERIAL ETIOLOGY in either my urine or prostatic fluid, would prescribe more MORE ANTIBIOTICS, but I am nevertheless indebtedded to the wise-Anderson protocol.
If you are feeling low, thinking there is no hope, know that there is hope, and there is recovery.
Brent McCulley
Many of us have already looked far and wide for the "cure" whether it be antibiotics, alpha blockers, muscle relaxers, etc. We know full well that these are not the answer. Once I began doing my own research, and understanding that this is NOT some recondite or occult deathly virus, but rather simply was a chronic tightening of the pelvic floor muscles (constant spasm), I realized that all the symptoms I have been experiencing since 2014 are all connected due to chronic tightening of my pelvic floor muscles (imagine clenching your fist for ten years straight!).
What is the cause? Of that even doctors acute and attuned to these issues are not entirely sure. Can range simply from stress and anxiety to pelvic trauma, to sexual traumatic experience. For myself, it seems I fall into almost all the categories and so it's not wonder I was a ripe candidate to fall prey to chronic pelvic pain syndrome. As a child, I was sexually abused by a close family member. I struggled with my sexual identity. I was a long distance runner, am prone to catastrophic thinking and pessimism, and am generally an anxious person. A decade of clenching my jaw and grinding my teeth, and clenching my butt cheeks as a form of a defense mechanism (for protection and safety, especially when I'm anxious or scared), led to symptoms which first manifested in 2014 in the form if back pain. Occasionally I would also have a discomfort after ejaculation / sex, and I mean extremely uncomfortable nagging "headache" in my actual penis, but it would always go away after about 30 minutes to an hour. I always assumed it was just too "rough" and had no idea that my lower back and pain in my glutes was connected to my post ejaculation discomfort.
Long story short, out of no where in the fall of 2018 I woke up suddenly in the morning with UTI like symptoms (I know because I have had about 6-7 verified UTIs that always occurred after having unprotected intercourse and not peeing after. I am still not sure if this has any relation to my CPPS). Anyway, after 10+ doctor visits and multiple specialists, urologist visits, four rounds of antibiotics (bactrim, cipro, macrobid, doxycycline), and alpha blocker Flomax for over a month, my symptoms not only were not getting better they were getting worse. Pain during urination, frequent urination, discomfort, pain during and after intercourse, etc.
Ok, to seriously cut to the chase, I have been super helped by Dr. Susie Gronski (check out her website and buy her book), as well as this book. My daily protocol is as follows 1. the stretches in the book as well as pigeon stretch, 2. daily myfascial release with lacrosse ball (see diagrams in book for where to look for trigger points, 3. internal trigger point release with Therawand (best $50 investment ever), and 4. daily meditation with the application Calm for learning non-reactivity and beginners mind, overall reducing anxiety and stress.
With all that being said, I am happy to say I'm about 80-85% symptom free from my nadir Thanksgiving 2018 where I literally broke down on the bathroom floor thinking I would be living like this for the rest of my life.
I have returned to a sense of normal and for that, I can't thank Dr. Wise enough. Buy and read this book. Study the diagrams, learn the protocol. If you are not a do-it-yourself kind of guy or girl, fly to LA for the clinic or go to NC for Dr. Susie Gronski's clinic. This book and the aforementioned tools literally saved my life.
I'm aghast that my urologist, after verifying NO BACTERIAL ETIOLOGY in either my urine or prostatic fluid, would prescribe more MORE ANTIBIOTICS, but I am nevertheless indebtedded to the wise-Anderson protocol.
If you are feeling low, thinking there is no hope, know that there is hope, and there is recovery.
Brent McCulley
July 25, 2011
i read/have this for work. i tend to recommend this book to my patients with chronic pelvic pain esp if i have them work on trigger points as part of their home program.
March 23, 2022
Co-read this book aloud with my husband. We are in our 70s and always looking to learn new ways of dealing with old problems. This book had a very reassuring tone and we have begun to use the Extended Paradoxical Relaxation to calm our anxiety and other issues. We are feeling very hopeful about the potential for overcoming certain negative aspects of a longtime condition and are seeing progress.
August 31, 2020
Very repetitive, but it contains useful information that helped me reduce some pain that has afflicted me nearly my entire life.
February 6, 2021
If you have suffered with undiagnosed pelvic pain for years (like I have) I highly recommend this book. It has given me hope and techniques that can hopefully help me with my condition and pain.
March 12, 2021
Yeah, there’s a good chance I’m biased here, but I found it entirely too male-focused. I skipped past the prostatitis content.
There seems to be next to nothing here that focuses on cyclical pelvic pain, which I have (due to uterine disease). It has nothing to do with anxiety or any of that. I get the whole premise that they believe pelvic pain is caused by tightening of the pelvic floor muscles in response to stress and anxiety. It just doesn’t seem to apply when pain is based on when your uterus decides to dump its monthly gift on you. Although I am sure that anxiety and stress wouldn’t help much if I found myself anxious or stressed.
If you have actual chronic pelvic pain, especially if you’re a man, I can see it being helpful. I, myself, found it so incredibly comforting and reassuring when they spoke of how common it is to feel you have to give up your dreams because of the pain and that it will never go away. I thank them for that.
I do question their Extended Paradoxical Relaxation. I think that’s what they call it. Yeah, it’s meditation. They recommend 2 hours a day. I assume that’s because most people can’t hit deeper delta and theta states otherwise. But I get it. If you spend any significant time in deeper levels it’s going to calm your nervous system and help your aggravated pelvic floor muscles relax and heal. Personally, I would shortcut that with binaural beats meditation tracks designed to produce theta states and even with EFT tapping.
I don’t understand the bit about not being able to relax if you’re actually trying to relax. IDK. I’ve done self-hypnosis meditation for about 20 years now, and I currently meditate about 3x a day. My ability to get my body to relax on command is probably a bit above average.
All in all, educational but not aimed at my particular problem. Has a lot of potential to educate and help some people, though.
There seems to be next to nothing here that focuses on cyclical pelvic pain, which I have (due to uterine disease). It has nothing to do with anxiety or any of that. I get the whole premise that they believe pelvic pain is caused by tightening of the pelvic floor muscles in response to stress and anxiety. It just doesn’t seem to apply when pain is based on when your uterus decides to dump its monthly gift on you. Although I am sure that anxiety and stress wouldn’t help much if I found myself anxious or stressed.
If you have actual chronic pelvic pain, especially if you’re a man, I can see it being helpful. I, myself, found it so incredibly comforting and reassuring when they spoke of how common it is to feel you have to give up your dreams because of the pain and that it will never go away. I thank them for that.
I do question their Extended Paradoxical Relaxation. I think that’s what they call it. Yeah, it’s meditation. They recommend 2 hours a day. I assume that’s because most people can’t hit deeper delta and theta states otherwise. But I get it. If you spend any significant time in deeper levels it’s going to calm your nervous system and help your aggravated pelvic floor muscles relax and heal. Personally, I would shortcut that with binaural beats meditation tracks designed to produce theta states and even with EFT tapping.
I don’t understand the bit about not being able to relax if you’re actually trying to relax. IDK. I’ve done self-hypnosis meditation for about 20 years now, and I currently meditate about 3x a day. My ability to get my body to relax on command is probably a bit above average.
All in all, educational but not aimed at my particular problem. Has a lot of potential to educate and help some people, though.
January 20, 2021
Full disclosure I did not finish the book. I read this after suffering an exercise related injury in my obturator internus. I had no idea what that was at the time and it took several doctor visits and searching on Reddit to figure out what was actually causing me pain when I was running. This book more than anything gave me hope that my injury could be healed. It helped push me to find a physical therapist and when that one didn't work out, to find a new one who would. If anyone is ever dealing with a pelvic injury or pelvic pain, this book is the gold standard and will give you hope that your injury can begin to heal. The book offered exercises, but I was mostly interested in learning the anatomy and then working with a physical therapist. I felt more informed with the physical therapist and was able to discern when the first one was not adequately meeting my needs. Highly highly recommend to anyone with pelvic pain/injury.
July 2, 2019
I got diagnosed with Prostatitis a month and a half ago and was left with more questions than answers . My urologist did a poor job describing the condition and basically threw antibiotics at it. This book does an incredible job explaining the condition and goes into great detail as to how it caused more by tension and stress than an infection. It proposes exercises ( some more awkward than others ) to work out the tension. My only complaint was that there was little to any info on diet. Some foods can make the inflammation worse.
October 15, 2018
A great review of chronic pelvic pain syndromes and the practical understanding of causes, symptoms, and treatment. I feel like the principles in this book can be used to understand and manage any form of chronic pain regardless of location including headache and if read, understood, and utilized, this book could help many pain sufferers get to the true source of their pain and avoid unnecessary and dangerous medications and surgical procedures.
March 5, 2020
I was recommended this book by my physio therapist, as a tool for gaining knowledge of pelvic pain. It might be a good first step if you're experiencing pelvic pain and haven't seen a doctor or physio therapist about it but it also might scare you more than necessary. I found a lot of their practices unrealistic and dismissive of real life and the invasiveness of their treatments.
September 19, 2023
This book seemed to give some hope but in quite a longwinded and almost out of reach way. New theories on pain coming out by people like Lorimer Moseley and his backing of pure pain science through Pain Revolution and Tame the Beast are much more direct and at the forefront of modern pain science.
September 12, 2025
I think the principles in this book are sound and important and not being widely considered. I bet the techniques are very effective. But it was about 350 pages longer than it needed to be, which I found very frustrating.
September 7, 2018
Very informative
A very helpful and informative book for anyone suffering with pelvic pain. Parts could have been shaved down for ease of read.
A very helpful and informative book for anyone suffering with pelvic pain. Parts could have been shaved down for ease of read.
June 29, 2022
Pretty sure this book just saved my life. After 7 years of being told my pain is in my head, this book has half my life story.
I plan on looking into going to see Dr Wise and his clinic.
I plan on looking into going to see Dr Wise and his clinic.
February 14, 2023
Meeting patients with orthopedic dysfunction (esp. pelvic floor dysfunction) where they are.
Read
June 24, 2024(Read 2018 ed.)
August 5, 2024
Self advertising book.
August 29, 2024
I wish they explored the physiological causes of pelvic pain and designed treatment modalities around those.
March 24, 2025
The Back Mechanic for those with pelvic pain. And if you don’t know what that means, count your blessings.
April 4, 2025
Stress is bad
June 13, 2025
I didn't read straight through, but I did read many parts that related to me. I found it very helpful.
April 12, 2022
A scientifically innovative or cutting edge approach to dealing with pains in the pelvic floor for men and women that may include prostatitis like pains. A thorough analysis and description of pelvic floor pain is provided along with many tools to deal with the symtoms and causes.
March 17, 2024
A very thoughtful book. An interesting paradigm for pelvic pain, by way of analogy between back pain (or the eponymous attendant "headaches") and pelvic pain. While I think medicine and urology have gone too far in this direction [it's kind of turned into the new cipro for prostatitis, the new hasty opinion], it's still an outstanding book, especially David Wise's contributions. His personal experiences really inform and drive the writing a lot, resulting in a coherent and well written work worth reading from beginning to end.
There's still a long way for science to go, especially the pathogenic etiology of prostatits, however. Basically all such science in this book, which Dr. Anderson presents, is informed by bacterial cultures that are are primitive and crude in this day and age, not more precise molecular diagnostic tests and more current statistical data and scientific knowledge on known or hitherto unknown pathogens of the genitourinary tract, some of which may exacerbate extant hypertonicity of pelvic musculature, or perhaps even plainly cause it. The data that even Wise and Anderson cite themselves show significant but modest reductions in symptom scores (30%) for a large statistic of men and women treated with the Protocol. This is not all that different from the efficacy of other therapies used to help manage these conditions; it's far from curative. I think we'll probably get there by the end or even the middle of the twenty-first century, though. This book will still be very valid and enduring nonetheless.
There's still a long way for science to go, especially the pathogenic etiology of prostatits, however. Basically all such science in this book, which Dr. Anderson presents, is informed by bacterial cultures that are are primitive and crude in this day and age, not more precise molecular diagnostic tests and more current statistical data and scientific knowledge on known or hitherto unknown pathogens of the genitourinary tract, some of which may exacerbate extant hypertonicity of pelvic musculature, or perhaps even plainly cause it. The data that even Wise and Anderson cite themselves show significant but modest reductions in symptom scores (30%) for a large statistic of men and women treated with the Protocol. This is not all that different from the efficacy of other therapies used to help manage these conditions; it's far from curative. I think we'll probably get there by the end or even the middle of the twenty-first century, though. This book will still be very valid and enduring nonetheless.
July 22, 2016
Worth your time
This book does explain referred pain which is so confusing! It explained a lot about my symptoms, and how it takes a complete regime and behavior modification to live with this syndrome. Thank you for the information to live a better life.
This book does explain referred pain which is so confusing! It explained a lot about my symptoms, and how it takes a complete regime and behavior modification to live with this syndrome. Thank you for the information to live a better life.
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April 9, 2019As a pelvic floor physiotherapist, I read this book to research different ideas, opinions, and expand my repertoire of exercises for this issue.
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