A Pain in the Bladder: Interstitial Cystitis

What do you do and who do you see when you feel like you have a UTI… but you don’t? You might feel like you have to pee all the time and it might even cause you a burning pain. You’ve been given antibiotics, dose after dose. You’ve been told to do a million kegels… but you are back to square one. Today we sit down with the brilliant Dr. Allyson Shrikhande, a board certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist and the Chief Medical Officer of Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine. We discuss bladder pain syndrome, often called Interstitial Cystitis, it’s symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment plan. Dr. Shrikhande advocates for a holistic approach to medicine where the patient is evaluated for more than just the single organ that seems to be an issues. Especially when it comes to pelvic-related problems, there can be multiple components that might be causing pain. Dr. Shrikhande is also the Chair of the Medical Education Committee for the International Pelvic Pain Society. She is working with other experts in the field of chronic pelvic pain to develop training modules for residents and physicians interested in learning about the diagnosis, treatment, and management of chronic pelvic pain. A leading expert on pelvic health and a respected researcher, author and lecturer, Dr. Shrikhande is a recognized authority on male and female pelvic pain diagnosis and treatment.She recently collaborated with Sneha Physical Therapy and Talking Back Pictures in our 5-part digital series “A Girl’s Gotta Know” to educate people in dyspareunia (pain with intercourse). Connect with Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine at www.pelvicrehabilitation.com.