68: Why Your Vulvar Pain Might Not Be What You Think with Dee Hartmann

Dee Hartmann is a pelvic health physical therapist who spent nearly three decades specializing in chronic vulvar pain. After treating thousands of women in her Chicago practice, she discovered that conventional approaches were missing critical connections - between old injuries and current pain, between visceral tension and pelvic floor dysfunction, and between pain elimination and pleasure cultivation.

In this conversation, Dee shares her journey from treating incontinence to becoming a leading voice in vulvar pain treatment. She explains why pelvic floor dysfunction is a symptom rather than a cause, how seemingly unrelated issues throughout the body contribute to vulvar pain, and why her approach now centers on pleasure as a pathway to healing.

What you'll learn:

• How Dee's own experience having five children in six years led her to specialize in pelvic health
• Why treating just the vulva or just the pelvic floor isn't enough
• The five exercises that can decrease vulvar pain before penetration of any kind
• How pleasure and arousal fit into physical therapy treatment
• What to look for (and avoid) when seeking pelvic health care
• Why a multidisciplinary approach matters for chronic pain

Dee retired from clinical practice in 2017 and co-authored "The Pleasure Prescription" with Elizabeth Wood. She now travels internationally teaching her approach and speaking about the intersection of physical therapy, sexual health, and pleasure.

Theme Song: Don't Stop by Fleetwood Mac

Connect with Dee Hartmann:

Dee Hartmann Physical Therapy Website: Dee Hartmann Physical Therapy

Book: The Pleasure Prescription on Amazon:

Find Dee on Facebook and LinkedIn

Connect with Blueberry Therapy:

Website: Blueberry Therapy

Instagram: @Blueberrytherapypelvichealth

Subscribe to The Hole Shebang Podcast on your favorite podcast platform