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MECHANICALLY INDUCED PELVIC PAIN AND ORGANIC DYSFUNCTION: THE PPOD SYNDROMEJUST WHAT IS THE MECHANICALLY INDUCED PPOD SYNDROME? The mechanically induced PPOD (pronounced pea pod) Syndrome is a disorder characterized by various combinations of symptoms of chronic pelvic pain, and disturbances of bladder, bowel, gynecologic and sexual function. Caused by an "atypical" mechanical disorder of the spine, the mechanically induced PPOD Syndrome is quite variable in its clinical and symptomatic presentation. In some individuals for example, the primary complaints may be limited to chronic pelvic and/or genital pain, while in others, symptoms may be more extensive and widespread, and include multiple areas of pelvic pain, as well as numerous disturbances of bladder, bowel, gynecologic and sexual dysfunction. Figure 1 below, highlights typical areas of pelvic pain, while table 1 below lists the various symptoms of bladder, bowel, gynecologic and sexual function commonly encountered in the mechanically induced PPOD patient. 
TYPICAL HISTORY OF THE MECHANICALLY INDUCED PPOD PATIENT The typical mechanically induced PPOD patient is a woman of 20-55 years of age, however, men can also be affected. Not uncommonly, some of the PPOD symptoms may have had their onset in association with some type of injury, fall, pregnancy, or delivery. While many PPOD patients have a history of chronic or recurrent back pain, the back pain component of their overall disorder may be overshadowed by the severe nature of the accompanying PPOD symptoms. Interestingly however, the mechanically induced PPOD Syndrome has been found to occur in individuals having no history of back pain as well. The usual course of PPOD involvement is that of gradually developing symptoms, which tend to become more severe and numerous over time. Many patients with long-standing PPOD involvement have undergone various diagnostic procedures, such as laparoscopy, sonography, CT scanning and MRI, in an attempt to identify the cause of their complaints. Commonly however, they soon become frustrated by the inability to identify a specific cause for their complaints. As a result, the wide range of symptoms typically found in the mechanically induced PPOD patient are commonly attributed to "abnormalities" of questionable significance bearing little conceivable relationship to the individuals PPOD complaints. Yet despite the inability to specifically identify the cause of the complaints, symptomatic treatment, ranging from various types of medications to specialized therapy programs and invasive surgical procedures, is none-the-less tried. All too often however, these procedures have had little or no effect in resolving the wide range of symptoms associated with the mechanically induced PPOD Syndrome. Having exausted all therapeutic options, the PPOD patient may then be told that there is nothing further wrong, and that their ongoing complaints, are most likely functional or psychogenic in nature, and "probably related to having children or getting older". Accordingly, with no other viable treatment options at hand, the frustrated PPOD patient is then referred for psychological counseling and emotional support. Devastated, they either accept a psychogenic basis for their ongoing complaints, all the while questioning their own sanity with respect to the reality of their condition, or, completely reject out of hand the notion that their pain, functional impairment, and physical deterioration could be psychologically induced. In either case, the mechanically induced PPOD patient frequently resorts to a life of quiet desperation, as they intuitively know there is in fact something physically wrong, but don't know where next to turn. Fortunately, a new approach to the treatment of this disorder has been developed. | |||||||||||||
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