Image of a Pelvis

A very dear friend of mine suggested to me earlier this year that I should use a “more artistic” version of the pelvis for the logo of Foundations Physical Therapy. “It kind of looks like a gremlin,” he said, referring to the image I had chosen. But I didn’t want to change the logo – partly because it had taken a long time to arrive at the current design, and partly because I’m stubborn. But the main reason I didn’t want to “soften” the pelvis image is because of the mission of Foundations Physical Therapy, which is: 

Foundations Physical Therapy helps return people to the life they want to live by providing equitable, accessible, and trauma-informed physical therapy for individuals with pelvic muscle dysfunction.

My well-meaning friend suggested I ought to use a line-drawing version of the pelvis, with smoothed edges, or an image of the pelvis shaped like a butterfly. Aside from the fact that I’ve helped people with their pelvic pain and incontinence issues for over a decade now, and view the pelvis very differently from most people, my main goal in using the actual anatomical image of the pelvis was to demystify the pelvis.

To me using an anatomically correct pelvis picture in the Foundations Physical Therapy logo says, “here’s a pelvis, and it’s ok to talk about the pelvis.” Because of a variety of factors involving cultural influences, people often have a difficult time talking about all things pelvic – we tend to avoid talking about sex, and sexual problems, especially pelvic pain. This is true of conversations in larger groups as well as between couples. Bladder leakage is something that is laughed about as normal, and “just a regular part” of having a baby. And fecal leakage or bladder leakage in people after a prostatectomy? It’s just not mentioned.

I believe we should and can improve our ability to discuss the mysterious pelvis. If your pelvis hurts somewhere, I want you to feel ok bringing that up with me or your medical provider. If you have bladder or bowel leakage, you don’t have to live with it forever. If you feel afraid of pressure in your pelvis or are scared to move for fear that you will put something out of alignment, we should be able to talk about that.

Here are a few interesting facts about the Foundations Physical Therapy logo and pelvis anatomy to get the conversation started:

• The pelvis in the Foundations Physical Therapy logo is a female-sex pelvis. You can tell because of the wider angle in the center-front of the pelvis (and yes, I’m a big fan of the television series “Bones”)
• A wide variation in pelvic shapes among the sexes exists despite many medical and midwifery programs still teaching Caldwell-Malloy classification (1), which was well established in the 1950s and has been criticized as being overtly racist (2)
• The shape of your pelvis doesn’t necessarily determine the outcome of your birth (1)
• The colors of the Foundations Physical Therapy logo were chosen to represent inclusivity (special thanks to Fiona Martin, science illustrator with Visualizing Science for the artwork)
• Fusion of some parts of the pelvis (3) is not fully complete until age 30
• The pubic symphysis (the joint in the front of the pelvis) and the sacroiliac joints (the joints where the sacrum fits inside the pelvis at the backside) are extremely strong joints that are well adapted to handle daily loads
• The roughness of the joint surfaces of the sacroiliac joints gives those joints the greatest ability to resist movement out of any joint in the human body (4)​

Do you wish you could talk more about the pelvis? Do you have unanswered questions or pelvic problems? If so, please comment below, contact me using the contact form, or call Foundations Physical Therapy at (928) 350-8270. I look forward to helping you figure out how to live the life you want to live, without being limited due to pelvic floor muscle problems.
 
References:

1. Kuliukas A, Kuliukas L, Franklin D, Flavel A. Female pelvic shape:  distinct types or nebulous cloud? British Journal of Midwifery. 2015;  23(7):  490-496.
2. Geller PL, Stockett MK. Feminist Anthropology:  Past, Present and Future. 1st ed. University of Pennsylvania Press; 2006.
3. Broome DR, Hayman LA, Herrick RC, Braverman RM, Glass RBJ, Fahr LM. Postnatal maturation of the sacrum and coccyx:  MR imaging, helical CT, and conventional radiography. AJR. 1998; 170:  1061-1066.
4. Vleeming A, Stoeckart R, Volkers AC, Snijders CJ. Relation between form and function in the sacroiliac joint. Part I:  Clinical anatomical aspects. Spine. 1990; 15(2):  130-132.

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