Embracing a Biopsychosocial Approach in Pelvic Health: Introducing the 3PSQ and Fre-PAQ
By: Maggie Bergeron, MSc(PT), and Carolyn Vandyken, BHSc(PT) ∙ Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Advancing Biopsychosocial Care in Pelvic Health: New Tools and Approaches

The last few years have brought incredible growth in our understanding of the foundations of a biopsychosocial approach in pelvic health. Research is confirming what many clinicians have known for the past 15 years: the holistic, patient-centered strategies we’ve been using are truly foundational in effective pelvic health care.

And the best part? Embracing this approach is getting simpler and more practical than ever. Lifestyle medicine has moved to the forefront of therapeutic strategies for pelvic pain, empowering patients to take an active role in their healing.

What’s New in Embodia?

To make biopsychosocial care easier and more actionable, we’re excited to introduce two new questionnaires to Embodia:

1. 3PSQ (Persistent Pelvic Pain Questionnaire)
   
   The Persistent Pelvic Pain Questionnaire (3PSQ) is a brand new initial screening questionnaire that can be used with new patients to screen the various psychosocial distress pieces that are relevant in persistent pain (SAD CLLIFSS). 
   
   

   

   This one-page questionnaire helps you quickly understand key psychological, social and physical factors that

   may be contributing to a patient's pelvic pain- making it easier to tailor your approach from the very first visit.  

   

   
   This questionnaire then allows you to pick the "secondary" screening tools needed to create measurable targets in stress, anxiety, catastrophization, low self-efficacy, low positive impact, injustice, fear, shame and sensory-motor dysregulation (SAD CLLIFSS).
   
   This tool helps to minimize questionnaire-fatigue for our patients.
   
   
   
2. Fre-PAQ (Sensory-Motor Dysregulation Questionnaire)
   
   The Fre-PAQ is a brand-new questionnaire designed to assess sensory-motor dysregulation in pelvic pain patients. This is a crucial step for every patient experiencing pelvic pain, helping clinicians identify patterns of motor and sensory changes that may affect treatment planning.

Shifts in Pelvic Health Language and Approach

Alongside these tools, there are a few important updates in the field:

1. Central sensitization is not a clinical diagnosis.  It is one of the underlying mechanisms of nociplastic pain.  It can be assessed in the clinic by observing diffuse pain, pain hypersensitivity, sensitivity to touch, movement, pressure, or heat/cold.  It should be described to patients in terms of pain system hypersensitivity. 

   Nociplastic pain is one of the three pain descriptors coined by the International Association for the Study of Pain (2017) (the others are neuropathic pain and nociceptive pain).  Nociplastic pain does not respond well to manual therapy, surgery or other interventions aimed at the tissues.

2. Lifestyle approaches are becoming central in treating nociplastic pain, emphasizing nutrition, sleep, stress management, and movement.

3. Multimodal physiotherapy has been shown to be more effective than manual therapy or psychological interventions alone (Starzec-Prosperpio, 2025).

These changes reflect a growing understanding that empowering patients to “heal themselves” through targeted,

evidence-based strategies is often the most effective path to recovery.

Upcoming Opportunities for Clinicians

In addition to the new questionnaires, there are two major opportunities coming up to deepen your clinical skills:

• Webinar Series by Carolyn Vandyken: a 2‑part webinar series titled “A (Much Needed) 2025 Update on a Biopsychosocial Approach in Pelvic Health”.

In this series, you’ll learn to:

• • Shift away from outdated terminology like “trigger points” and “central sensitization”
  • Use the 3PSQ as a screening tool
  • Apply lifestyle‑based, multi‑modal frameworks such as RAMS (Relaxation, Activation, Mobility, Strength) for pelvic pain care

If you’ve completed foundational pelvic health courses but haven’t yet updated your skills for the nociplastic era, this is a great opportunity.

• The Year of Mentorship: Carolyn’s full‑year mentorship program is designed to break down the knowledge and skills required in pelvic health into digestible, system‑based pieces you can immediately apply in practice. 

While registration details are still being finalized, you’re invited to fill out a short 3‑question survey to help shape the program’s structure and content. This ensures the mentorship responds directly to practitioners’ needs and workflows.

Why This Matters for Clinicians

By integrating the 3PSQ and Fre-PAQ into your practice, you can:

• Screen more efficiently for psychological and sensory-motor factors.

• Tailor interventions to each patient’s unique biopsychosocial profile.

• Embrace lifestyle and multimodal approaches with confidence.

• Stay current with international terminology and best practices.

Ready to Get Started?

Both the 3PSQ and Fre-PAQ will be available on Embodia soon! They will be available in the Questionnaires template library.