(Image: Soula with Professor Lorimer Moseley and diagnosing physiotherapist Anne-Florence Plante)
It felt like a miracle and took all of about 15 minutes for the physiotherapist (at the chronic pelvic pain clinic at the Women’s here in Melbourne Australia) to give me her French infused explanation that my pain was most probably coming from my Pudendal Nerve (yes, a name, I had a name!). It took another 15mins for her to put me in on my back (I never lay on my back as it was too painful) and apply a pressure/postural technique that switched my pain off! (Yes, OFF… calm, silence, stillness, roar gone, no spasm, quiet, peace)… unbelievable but this is true.
I won’t go into much detail about how I felt, there really isn’t any way of explaining the relief of having a roaring pain that’s been halting your soul for 4.5 years, identified, clarified, acknowledged, manipulated with a single finger’s pressure point. I can’t explain how it felt to finally know (not hope or dream) that I will eventually become the best I can and that I finally found a practitioner and therapy that was going to help me. I could almost see my issue in the palm of my hand (before I was in limbo and had to come up with my own names, I won’t write them here!!).
What I will describe though, is the language, empathy, understanding and thorough explanations that I have had during my appointments so that anyone else in the same situation will know exactly where they need to go (Actually I’d be surprised if you were still reading! Taxi!! Physiotherapy Department, 1st floor Grattan Street & Flemington Road Parkville VIC).
My conversations have gone something like this:
Me: I haven’t told anyone this but there’s this short denim skirt I have and whenever I wear it I have a less painful day…
Physiotherapist leaves and comes back with a pregnancy/baby pressure belt that is adjustable either side. Et voila, a support for the pelvis adjustable to my requirements which was not so tight over my implant and uninjured side.
Me: In winter, I’m sure it hurts more to walk because my boots are heavier than shoes and I’m wearing a heavy coat.
Physiotherapist: Yes, weight is pressure for the nerve.
Me: I’m on fire today, I have all this burning, like fireworks going on.
Physiotherapist: lies me prone, applies pressure to a pressure point, fire put out instantly. This is a flare up.
Me: I feel like I have my finger stuck in a power point, I have a surge up my spine, the rattle of a tram or car drives me crazy, and don’t scare me or I’ll drop, my legs get weak and I can’t move….
Physiotherapist: Sensory pain.
Physiotherapist: How is your pain now?
Me: My pain is good now.
Physiotherapist: Laughs… but doesn’t really find this funny. Pain is never good.
So now when I have a physiotherapy appointment, instead of blank stares when I attempt to describe the fine details of my pain and activities I get clear descriptions for every point I make, in fact I even get a diagram and descriptive explanation, drawings referencing my insides, url links, and best of all, solutions in the form of techniques to release my pain, positions to release my entrapped nerve, even my husband gets attention, empathy for the difficulty he endures, he is shown the pressure points and techniques so he can help as accurately as possible (therefore finally finding peace for himself!!). I even had an explanation about my extracted ligament and septum, she’d seen it happen with trauma (pregnancy or birth) to the hips.
Finding this wonderful therapist leaves me in a very positive position too. I never had options before, I was told: go home and make yourself comfortable, but now I can calm my pain and I still have further treatments to explore depending on how I progress and this is thanks to the few specialists that have insisted on researching and learning about peripheral neuralgia and not ignored it leaving it a psychological condition or the more general we don’t know with back pain.
Read more about The Women‘s Physiotherapy Department.
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My practitioners
[…] got something really exciting and important to share with you all after a recent catch-up with my diagnosing physiotherapist and friend, Anne-Florence […]
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Hi Soula!
I’m so glad I’ve found your site! I’ve been dealing with this pain for nearly 2yrs, since the birth of my daughter. No one could tell me what is wrong with me and I too tought I was going mad.
How is your pain now years on? And do you still require treatment?
I’m in Melbourne and I’m trying to track down Anne-florence Plante, apparently she has left the womens centre approximately 12ths ago.
Thanks so much
Emily
Have a hunt around the website Emily, all the answers are here! Anne-Florence is no longer working at The Womens’.
Hi, is there a way of learning the pressure point without seeing your therapist im in the uk and fireworks roaring fire going on i need to learn the pressure points is it on utube by any chance ? i need your strengh i put a good face on for so long then the pain makes me want to pass out :'(.
thank u xxxx
Jo I have been trying to meet up with my therapist so we can record this and put it up on my site. You have inspired me to ask again and push this along. I understand you. We can sometimes push through the pain… only to be rewarded with a monster! You know it’s probably worth experimenting yourself. It’s a push on the hip bone and a ‘pulling out’ of the buttock of the side that hurts. Be on your back with the knee that is on the side of the entraped area folded and pointing out (with your foot pointing to the opposite knee. so imagine bringing your foot to the opposite inner thigh). Legs over a bolster (or large pillow).
Take care xxxx
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Soula….after so many years of being made to feel as though I was completely mad, over 30 operations and investigations, a smashed coccyx as a 15 year old, again at 18 and then two difficult births, my pain specialist is now taking me off any meds that give me a tad of relief as the system does not like the only pain relief that I am not seriously allergic too. Everything else sends me into seizures and fitting. Bless….off to investigate the best I can! ♥♥♥
Good luck Caroline. Thanks so much for your comment and loads of love sent. I hope this is the beginning of some serious pain relief and better quality of life. Lots of love and health wishes back to you. xx