Celebrate Muliebrity with Michelle Lyons

Hello and welcome to this episode of the podcast, where I'm having a conversation with my friend and colleague, Megan Jackson, all about how to have the pain neuroscience conversation - and how to do it well!
Megan has created an amazing resource, The Pain Deck, which is a book and educational deck of cards, and we're taking a deep dive today into how clinicians can hone their skills when it comes to pain education

In our conversation today, we talked about:
​pain science education and patient engagement
​validating the personal pain experience: language and tools to use
​the evolution of pain management in physiotherapy
​ clinician approaches for nociplastic pain management

and much, much more! You can find Megan on instagram @the_pain_deck along with how to purchase the book/cards
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And if you’d like to take a deep dive into the biopsychosocial management of persistent pelvic pain, my online course, Female Pelvic Pain Rehab, is available at CelebrateMuliebrity.com along with all of my other online courses
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Until next time! Onwards & Upwards, Mx #celebratemuliebrity

Hello and Welcome! In today's episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Dr Sula Windgassen, health psychologist, psychotherapist and author of one of my favourite new books, 'It's All In Your Body', which explores the conversation between mind, body and environment and how that can influence and sustain pain and poor health
In today's conversation, we discussed lots of different threads, including the intersection of psychology and physiology in health care, particularly for pelvic pain and bladder/bowel conditions.
We explored the Power Threat Meaning Framework, stress management, and goal-setting approaches, emphasising the importance of process goals rather than solely focusing on pain elimination.
Sula shared her personal health journey and explained how health psychology differs from clinical psychology, and we both highlighted the need for integrated care between psychologists and physiotherapists.
We discussed the complexities of stress, particularly how it relates to endometriosis and the challenges faced by those with persistent pelvic pain, and explored how stress can be a stressor, an automatic response, and an action, emphasising the need to differentiate between these concepts to avoid self-blame and stigma.
Sula explained that stressors can be external or internal, and automatic stress responses can be psychological or physiological, highlighting the importance of understanding these distinctions to better support individuals experiencing stress-related issues.
Sula's book explores the intersection of biology and psychology in pain management, particularly relevant to women's health issues, such as bladder dysfunction, IBS and persistent pelvic pain. For anyone who has ever worried that their pain neuroscience education has floundered, and the people that we are working with are left with the feeling 'they think this is all in my head' - this book will give you the tools to counteract that fear!
We also discussed the upcoming release of Grainne Donnelly's new book, Sports Medicine & the Pelvic Floor, to which we've both contributed - a great time for book loving pelvic health nerds, for sure!
If you'd like to learn more about Female Pelvic Pain Rehab, my online course is available, alongside all of my other online courses, at CelebrateMuliebrity.com
Until next time, Onwards & Upwards, Mx #celebratemuliebrity

I'm so pleased to share this conversation with high performance rehab specialist, SJ McDonnell, who is leading the charge to integrate pelvic health into sports medicine at Sport Ireland.
Our paths crossed many (many) years ago but we reconnected when SJ and I started having conversations about how to bring pelvic health into high performance sports - how to bring expertise into this field in a thoughtful way.
We discussed lots of different ways to empower and educate athletes, coaches & medical staff about assessing and managing pelvic health conditions, including:
the importance of the MC in sports & the challenges of bringing a nuanced approach to menstrual health
the level of information about pelvic health that is available to athletes
the difficulty with the diagnosis and management of LEA or dysmenorrhea in athletes who have limited access to medical appointments
that athletes may not seek help for a variety of reasons
and how a one size fits all approach to menstrual health is not a good strategy & how more training & understanding are required to improve the skills practitioners need to better support female athletes
Ultimately, there is a definite need to do a better job at integrating pelvic health into sport at every level, with the inclusion of psychological health into this domain as well, as there is a complex interplay between physical performance and mental wellbeing. SJ is leading a great team at Sport Ireland and is driving the conversation about creating a safe space for athletes to discuss menstrual & pelvic health. She shared how this approach has worked well for other issues such as sleep management for elite athlete and the lessons that could be applied in educating and involving athletes, coaches and medical support staff to develop an evidence based and fit for purpose approach to athletic pelvic health.
Can't wait to see how this all evolves under SJ's leadership at Sport Ireland and beyond!
and if YOU would like to learn more about menstrual health and the pelvic health needs of the younger female athlete, then The Menstrual Detective course could be exactly what you need - it comes with free (evergreen!) access to the mini course 'Pelvic Health for the Younger Female Athlete' and you can find all the details, along with all my other online courses, at CelebrateMuliebrity.com
Until next time, Onwards & Upwards, Mx #celebratemuliebrity

Hello & Welcome to Today's Episode about all things Female Athlete with my friend and colleague, Ros Cooke. I had the pleasure of seeing Ros present on this topic at the POGP conference in Edinburgh last October.
In today's episode, we discussed
pelvic health in sports
the 6Rs framework for postpartum athletes and its application to broader pelvic health considerations. (Donnelly et al 2022 Reframing return-to-sport postpartum: the 6 Rs framework)
we also explored how pelvic floor dysfunction can contribute to groin pain in athletes and emphasized the importance of integrating pelvic health into mainstream sports medicine practice.
The conversation also covered ACL injury prevention in female athletes, with Ros highlighting that while hormonal factors may play a role, they are just one aspect among many including biomechanics, training environment, and overall athlete resilience.
We both agreed that successful injury prevention programs need to be purposeful, meaningful, and integrated across all aspects of an athlete's training and lifestyle, with pelvic health being an essential component of this holistic approach.

I love needing out with clever people at this intersection of hormonal, pelvic & musculoskeletal health - and I think Ros is doing amazing things in this space to improve education, awareness and outcomes - you can find her on instagram @rosralph - you can find my continuing adventures in women's health there too @michellelyons_muliebrity
And...if you'd like to learn more about menstrual health AND pelvic health for young female athletes - you might enjoy my latest online course, 'The Menstrual Detective' and you'll get the mini course 'Pelvic Health for the Younger Female Athlete' FOR FREE!!! all the details can be found at CelebrateMuliebrity.com
Until next time, Onwards & Upwards! Mx

Hello & Welcome to today's episode, where I'm chatting with Dr Melissa Davidson about prolapse, avulsions and pessaries!
My guest today is a specialist physiotherapist in pelvic health, and we discussed her career journey, including her specialization in pelvic health in New Zealand, where she is the only registered specialist. She highlighted her expertise in advanced clinical practice, research, and leadership within the profession. Melissa also shared her experience conducting research in bioengineering at Auckland University, which revealed that physiotherapists' assessments of muscle tone and stiffness lack objective measurement methods, challenging traditional practices in the field...
We discussed the importance of evidence-based practice in pelvic health physiotherapy, particularly regarding prolapse and pain management. Melissa shared her experience conducting a PhD in bioengineering, which challenged many accepted beliefs in physiotherapy and highlighted the need to think outside traditional silos.
Melissa shared her experience developing and using a 3D model named Lily for patient education, discovering its effectiveness in helping patients understand complex medical concepts. She discussed her collaboration with bioengineers, noting that while the engineers were initially skeptical about her approach, they eventually recognized the value of her clinical perspective
We explored the diagnosis of levator avulsion and emphasized that a definitive diagnosis should not be made before 6-12 months postpartum, and we highlighted the importance of careful wording when communicating with patients about this condition, as the diagnosis can be devastating and there is currently no surgical fix.
Melissa discussed her approach to pessary management and training for physiotherapists, emphasizing the importance of medical clearance and speculum exams for assessing mucosal integrity. She explained the assessment process for avulsion injuries, including the use of a training model and peer-to-peer learning. Melissa also highlighted the need for informed decision-making during pregnancy regarding delivery options, advocating for patient autonomy and open discussions about birth plans.
We definitely agreed on the importance of using validated research and scientific terminology, rather than relying on subjective assessments or unproven treatments.
This was definitely a deep and rich conversation, that I really enjoyed...and I hope you will too!
Want to learn more about prolapse and other perinatal pelvic health issues, from a whole woman, evidence based, clinical reasoning from assessment to management perspective? And do it all online, with evergreen access to the course AND a private fb support group? Look no further! My new online course, Perinatal Pelvic Rehab, has you covered, from preconception through pregnancy to postpartum (including what we need to be aware of when someone is postnatal AND perimenopausal! - if you work with perinatal women aged 35+, you need to know this!). Visit CelebrateMuliebrity.com for all the course info!
Until next time, Onwards & Upwards, Mx