On this podcast, we are joined by Dr Deepak Ravindran and discuss the topic vulvodynia. Deepak has over 20 years of experience in helping people overcome their pain - in the NHS and in private practice. He is one of the few consultants in the UK who possesses dual certification in this area. He has been a consultant in pain medicine for the last 10 years, at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust in the UK. He is currently clinical lead for the specialist pain services for all of West Berkshire since 2015.
He has written an excellent though provoking book called The Pain-Free Mindset: 7 Steps to Taking Control and Overcoming Chronic Pain. The topic we will be discussing today is vulvodynia. This is such an important but not a widely understood or discussed area in medicine which thousands of women suffering intolerably. It’s a chronic pain condition which can be due to many causes which we will further discuss today; inflammation (from infections such as thrush or allergies which may then lead to nerve proliferation and further pain, hormonal imbalance and changes, dermatology and skin issues such as lichen sclerosis, pelvic floor muscle dysfunction and damage of the nerve supplying the area – the pudendal nerve. The treatment is dependent on the cause and lifestyle measures can be used effectively to help improve pain and reverse some of the hormonal causes. The term neuroplasticity is also discussed which describes how the brain is fluid and how its nerve networks are constantly rewiring and changing and we can use this to try to retrain the brain in how it perceives chronic pain. Today, Deepak and I take a deep dive into this area in more depth.
Today we cover
1. What is vulvodynia
2. Why do we not hear much about it?
3. The causes of vulvodynia
4. What are treatment options in UK for vulvodynia – lifestyle measures, pelvic floor therapy, medical management
5. Referral pathways for vulvodynia
6. What are the treatment of pudendal nerve issues
7. How can we raise awareness of this condition.
Please subscribe to this podcast to get notifications when my new podcasts are released.
If you have any feedback, any specific topic requests or would like to be a guest speaker on my podcast show then you can find me on my handle on Instagram as @drmilliraizada or contact me through the website www.drmilli.co.uk.
My Instagram page is @drmilli
My website is drmilli.co.uk
Disclaimer: This podcast show has the opinions of Dr. Milli Raizada and her guests. The content should not be taken as medical advice and is for information purposes only. Listening to this podcast does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. If you have any medical questions, please consult your healthcare professional. The opinions expressed in the podcast are our own and whilst we ensure all the information shared is content accurate, any feedback suggestions or comments on errors are welcome. Please contact us on www.drmilli.co.uk
On this podcast, we are joined by Dr Deepak Ravindran and discuss the topic vulvodynia. Deepak has over 20 years of experience in helping people overcome their pain - in the NHS and in private practice. He is one of the few consultants in the UK who possesses dual certification in this area. He has been a consultant in pain medicine for the last 10 years, at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust in the UK. He is currently clinical lead for the specialist pain services for all of West Berkshire since 2015.
He has written an excellent though provoking book called The Pain-Free Mindset: 7 Steps to Taking Control and Overcoming Chronic Pain. The topic we will be discussing today is vulvodynia. This is such an important but not a widely understood or discussed area in medicine which thousands of women suffering intolerably. It’s a chronic pain condition which can be due to many causes which we will further discuss today; inflammation (from infections such as thrush or allergies which may then lead to nerve proliferation and further pain, hormonal imbalance and changes, dermatology and skin issues such as lichen sclerosis, pelvic floor muscle dysfunction and damage of the nerve supplying the area – the pudendal nerve. The treatment is dependent on the cause and lifestyle measures can be used effectively to help improve pain and reverse some of the hormonal causes. The term neuroplasticity is also discussed which describes how the brain is fluid and how its nerve networks are constantly rewiring and changing and we can use this to try to retrain the brain in how it perceives chronic pain. Today, Deepak and I take a deep dive into this area in more depth.
Today we cover
1. What is vulvodynia
2. Why do we not hear much about it?
3. The causes of vulvodynia
4. What are treatment options in UK for vulvodynia – lifestyle measures, pelvic floor therapy, medical management
5. Referral pathways for vulvodynia
6. What are the treatment of pudendal nerve issues
7. How can we raise awareness of this condition.
Please subscribe to this podcast to get notifications when my new podcasts are released.
If you have any feedback, any specific topic requests or would like to be a guest speaker on my podcast show then you can find me on my handle on Instagram as @drmilliraizada or contact me through the website www.drmilli.co.uk.
My Instagram page is @drmilli
My website is drmilli.co.uk
Disclaimer: This podcast show has the opinions of Dr. Milli Raizada and her guests. The content should not be taken as medical advice and is for information purposes only. Listening to this podcast does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. If you have any medical questions, please consult your healthcare professional. The opinions expressed in the podcast are our own and whilst we ensure all the information shared is content accurate, any feedback suggestions or comments on errors are welcome. Please contact us on www.drmilli.co.uk