5 Underrated Courses Every Pelvic Health Practitioner Should Consider

At Herman & Wallace, we know that pelvic rehabilitation is a dynamic and ever-evolving field. While foundational courses like Pelvic Function Level 1 and Dry Needling and Pelvic Health often get the spotlight, there are several highly valuable courses that tend to fly under the radar. These courses offer practitioners the opportunity to deepen their knowledge, broaden their skills, and better serve patients with complex needs.

Here are five underrated courses that can have a powerful impact on your practice:

1. Nutrition Perspectives for the Pelvic Rehab Therapist
Pelvic health doesn’t exist in isolation from the rest of the body, and nutrition plays a critical role in tissue healing, inflammation, digestion, and pelvic pain syndromes. This course introduces pelvic rehab practitioners to the fundamentals of nutrition as it relates to pelvic health.

Participants learn how to recognize when dietary factors may be contributing to issues such as constipation, bladder irritation, vulvar pain, or chronic inflammation. While not a course that trains clinicians to act as dietitians, it empowers them to screen for red flags, collaborate with nutrition professionals, and make basic, evidence-informed recommendations that can significantly impact patient outcomes.

2025 Course Date Options: October 11-12, December 6-7.

2. Oncology and the Pelvic Floor Series
(OPF1: Foundations, OPF2A: Male Pelvic & Colorectal Cancers, and OPF2B: Female Pelvic & Bladder Cancers)

Pelvic health isn’t just for perinatal or orthopedic populations. People undergoing treatment for pelvic and abdominal cancers face unique and complex challenges, including incontinence, pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, and scar tissue restrictions.

The Oncology and the Pelvic Floor series offers a comprehensive framework for working with patients at every stage of the cancer journey, and provides the knowledge and sensitivity needed to support this underserved population, integrating trauma-informed care, manual therapy, exercise, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

2025 Course Date Options: Level 1 September 13-14, Level 2A December 6-7, Level 2B November 1-2.

3. Pharmacologic Considerations for the Pelvic Health Provider
Medications have a profound impact on the pelvic floor—often in ways that are overlooked. Whether it’s constipation from opioids, hormonal changes from contraceptives, or bladder irritation from certain antibiotics, understanding pharmacology is crucial.

This course demystifies medications commonly encountered in pelvic health practice. It helps clinicians understand how drugs can influence bowel, bladder, sexual function, pain processing, and healing. Armed with this knowledge, practitioners can engage in more informed discussions with patients and other members of the healthcare team, helping to troubleshoot barriers to progress.

2025 Course Date Option: September 13.

4. Yoga for Pelvic Pain
Yoga is more than stretching—it’s a mind-body practice with proven benefits for nervous system regulation, pain management, and muscular balance. Yoga for Pelvic Pain teaches practitioners how to integrate evidence-based yoga principles into rehabilitation for patients with chronic pelvic pain.

This course goes beyond asana (physical postures) to incorporate breathwork, mindfulness, and gentle movement tailored to the needs of people with complex pain syndromes. Participants leave with practical tools they can immediately incorporate into one-on-one sessions or group classes, supporting both physical function and emotional well-being.

2025 Course Date Option: September 13-14.

5. Rehabilitative Ultrasound Imaging: Pelvic Health & Orthopedic Topics
Rehabilitative Ultrasound Imaging (RUSI) provides real-time feedback for both clinicians and patients. It’s an invaluable tool for assessing muscle activation, motor control, and coordination - particularly for the deep core and pelvic floor muscles.

This course covers both pelvic health applications (like visualizing pelvic floor contractions) and broader orthopedic topics (like assessing the transverse abdominis or multifidus). Practitioners gain hands-on experience in using ultrasound to refine exercise prescription, improve patient engagement, and objectively document progress. Despite its transformative potential, RUSI remains underutilized in many pelvic rehab settings.

2025 Course Date Options for September 5-7: Self-hosted, Indianapolis IN, Seattle WA.

Don’t Overlook These Gems
Expanding your clinical toolbox with specialized knowledge can transform your patient care. Whether it’s understanding how nutrition, medications, cancer treatments, or mind-body practices influence the pelvic floor—or learning to harness the power of ultrasound imaging—these courses provide essential insights that go beyond the basics.

Ready to elevate your practice? Explore these courses and others at Herman & Wallace and continue your journey as a lifelong learner in pelvic rehabilitation.