Cleveland Pelvic Wellness Center

09/11/2025

When most people think of those that suffer from urinary leakage, most people think of pregnant women, postpartum women, or the elderly. However, urinary leakage can affect a lot other individuals like younger athletes.

At least 1 in 4 high school or college female athletes experience urinary leakage. Those that participate in high impact sports especially those with a lot of landing like volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, runners, long jumpers, etc. are more affected. Urinary leakage is not only a physical issue, but can affect the athletes performance as well as their mental health.

The good thing is that urinary leakage is very treatable with the help from a pelvic floor physical therapist!

09/10/2025

Can you relate to having symptoms like an itchy va**na and tests always coming back negative for yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, STDs?

Did you know that va**nal itching, irritation, or pain can actually be rooted in pelvic floor dysfunction. When all the testing comes back negative, the pelvic floor may be the cause of these symptoms.

09/08/2025

Our very own Dr. Karen Connor, PT was a coauthor to "Female S3xual Function, Dysfunction, and Treatment: A Biopsychosocial Multidisciplinary Approach" in The Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology (JMIG). All our practitioners are innovative and passionate about pelvic health. We have leaders in Female S3xual Health that work with other disciplines to optimize your plan of care.

We are so lucky and proud to have Karen a part of our team!

09/04/2025

Cleveland Pelvic Wellness Center takes pride in creating an inclusive environment for all genders. The research shows that pelvic floor therapy pre and post operatively for gender affirming surgeries, both top and bottom surgeries, can result in better outcomes. Bottom surgeries like vaginoplasties can affect the pelvic floor musculature tremendously. Vaginoplasties require the use of dilators to promote wound healing and maintain the va**nal canal. If this is not done correctly, this can result in pelvic floor dysfunction leading to pain with in*******se or pelvic pain (Fernando 2018). There is also a risk for urinary incontinence postoperatively due to weakness in the pelvic floor musculature (Hazin et al., 2021). A referral to a pelvic floor PT is important to assess pelvic floor dysfunction and implement a program to prevent postoperative complications and optimize postoperative outcomes (Jiang et al., 2019). Here at Cleveland Pelvic Wellness, we aim to create a safe space that considers your gender experience to provide the best care and allow you to reach your wellness goals!

07/14/2025

A recent study demonstrates that there is a stinky truth to your p**p and what it says about your overall health. The study shows that p**p schedule can be a determinant of overall health. Decrease frequency in bowel movements or constipation could lead to protein fermented bacteria build up in the gut which can be toxic. Those with diarrhea in the study were shown to have biomarkers in their stool that were associated with liver pathology. Your p**p can say a lot about your health!

At Cleveland Pelvic Wellness Center, our therapists treat bowel dysfunction every day whether it’s chronic constipation or looser stools. Schedule with us today, so we can help improve your bowel health thus improve your overall wellness!

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07/09/2025

Psst.... want targeted abdominal treatment and assessment?

At both locations, our clinics have Rehabilitative Ultrasound machines that provide real-time feedback on what your abdominal muscles are doing and how well you are activating them. Our therapists not only have the mad skills, but also the technology to assess core activation and use this information to create targeted treatment plans for each individual person.

Schedule with us today at www.clevelandpelvicwellness.com at both Eastside and Westside locations, so we can individualize your treatment plan to strengthen your core and improve your function!

07/08/2025

Our very own Dr. Jessica Jenkins and yoga therapist Polly Manke will be collaborating at The Heart Center this Wednesday July 16th at 6:30 pm to discuss and integrate active practice of pelvic health and wellness.

If you are interested in joining us, reserve your spot today at https://app.fitdegree.com/t/dashboard/registrables/3494296 or reach out to The Heart Center in Chagrin Falls.

07/08/2025

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THE HEART CENTER FOR YOGA WELLNESS is putting on a pelvic floor workshop on Wednesday, July 16th at 6:30PM featuring Cleveland Pelvic Wellness Center's very own, Dr. Jessica Jenkins, as the expert speaker.

Please join us!

The Heart Center
8456 E Washington Street
(Above Kitchen & Bath Etc.)
Chagrin Falls, OH 44023
(440) 769-0101

Wednesday, 7/16/25 - The Heart Center - Chagrin Falls, OH | A "Wellness Wednesdays" Event Join pelvic health expert Dr. Jessica Jenkins, PT, DPT, CLT and yoga therapist Polly Manke for an engaging, educational, and embodied evening of pelvic floor wellness. In this empowering presentation with Dr Je...

06/09/2025

Come to the Lee Road Branch Cleveland Heights Library TODAY at 7 pm to learn about your Pelvic Floor, its functions, and what pelvic floor dysfunction looks like from Dr. Jessica Jenkins!

06/05/2025

54 year old female attends PT complaining of right hip pain that travels down lateral thigh and is exacerbated at night when laying on her right side. PT and anti-inflammatory medications were implemented with little to no improvements in symptoms.

After months of physical therapy, the PT recommended she be referred for an ultrasound confirming a diagnosis of Calcific Gluteal Tendinopathy. The patient had a history of low thyroid function or hypothyroidism. Thyroid hormones are important for metabolism and calcium regulation, so low thyroid function can lead to degeneration and calcium deposits near tendons. This means that in order to address this person's pain, the root cause must be addressed. In this case, hypothyroidism.

There can be different causes to pain and dysfunction. Overall health can play a role in pain and dysfunction like in the case study in this post. Especially our endocrine and hormonal systems.
This is why at Cleveland Pelvic Wellness Center, we treat holistically and make sure to treat the whole person. Without looking at the bigger picture, we could miss a large piece of the puzzle that could make a huge difference in pain and dysfunction. Our therapists are trained to identify any red flags or comorbidities that may influence their presentation of pain, then collaborate with other providers to establish the best plan of care!

05/28/2025

Did you know that your jaw and pelvis is connected?

1. Embryologically, the openings for the mouth and the urinary/bowel/reproductive systems develop around the same time.

2. There are also fascial lines that connect your jaw/tongue to the pelvis, this commonly results in fascial restrictions or tightness in both the jaw and pelvic floor muscles.

3. The vagus nerve is a long nerve that helps to regulate our parasympathetic or "rest and digest" nervous system. Stimulating this nerve helps to relax our nervous system and bodies. The vagus nerve travels from the tongue to the pelvic floor.

4. Lastly, there are common areas that people tend to hold tension. The jaw and the pelvic floor are very common areas where tension is held, so tightness in one region likely affects the other!

This is important in our line of work as we tend to see individuals with both jaw and pelvic floor dysfunction. If you are experiencing both, healing and recovery cannot be fully obtained if both areas are not addressed. Our therapists have experience in treating both pelvic floor dysfunction and temporomandibular disorder (TMD). We can help address your body as a whole and improve overall function!

05/27/2025

Persistent Ge***al Arousal Disorder or PGAD is when someone experiences spontaneous, persistent, and unwanted ge***al arousal without s3xual stimulation. It can lead to discomfort like burning, throbbing, pressure, or tingling.

This is NOT pleasurable for those that suffer from it and can lead to feelings of embarrassment, frustration, and affect mental health tremendously.

Treating PGAD requires a multidisciplinary team focused on medical management, behavioral or s3x counseling, and pelvic floor physical therapy!