Pelvic Health & Orthopedic Physical Therapy
Addressing your questions about pelvic, women's, and musculoskeletal health. Health is a journey. Movement is healing!
Congrats! Whether you are a student physical therapist or a Physical Therapist looking to make a change. Welcome to rewarding and complex specialty. It is a little overwhelming though! Where do you even begin once you know you are interested in pelvic and women's health? I am not an expert. I can only tell you my path to practicing in pelvic health and hopefully shed a little bit of light when comparing job opportunities.
I felt that I wanted to specialize in pelvic health PT while I was still a PT student. My only exposure was through my own frustrating experience of seeking treatment for pelvic pain and eventually getting treatment from a pelvic PT. I was thinking about applying for residencies so I decided to take the Pelvic Health Level 1 class through the Section on Women's Health as most residencies require a Level 1 Pelvic Class (either through SOWH or Herman and Wallace in order to be eligible for their program). The SOWH had a course in an area close to me where I had some friends I could stay with, plus they offer student discounts. So I enrolled. This course was awesome! I took it August my third year. It was very motivating and educational regarding incontinence. It also offered lots of information and practice regarding pelvic assessment so when the time came during my pelvic health clinical that fall it was not overwhelming to evaluate and treat patients. Now I know some people have some very passionate opinions regarding taking courses through the SOWH or through Herman and Wallace. As a caveat I have yet to take a course with Herman and Wallace, but would love to. I would say as a student since you are bankrolling the expenses find courses that are the best financial option for you. Both companies seem to have good instructors and offer similar information for the first installment of the pelvic health coursework. It is after the first course that the companies structure their courses differently, but you don't really need to worry about that as a student necessarily. Just check the websites and figure out based on your caseload when you are working which company works best for you. Then you have to stick with a certain company to finish the three part series I believe. Don't limit your learning opportunities to just courses though. Women's Health in Physical Therapy (Irion &Irion)is a lovely comprehensive text on women's health considerations. The chapters are short and packed full of digestible and applicable information. There are tons of journal articles available through the SOWH. Many blogs are also available with information regarding pelvic health. I would say read anything and everything you can get your hands on! Another really valuable source is social media. It has been a great way to network, learn about jobs, build a reading list, and a great resource of treatment ideas. There are quite a few groups on Facebook for physical therapists specializing in pelvic health and sub-specializing within that. Twitter has also been a wealth of information and offers many connections within the pelvic health community. So the overview of how to get started in pelvic health: 1. sign up for a pelvic health course 2. get connected on social media 3. get your hands on reading material and start building your library. In terms of jobs it is a little different if you are looking for a job vs if you are starting a program. I can only offer perspective regarding looking for jobs. As a new graduate with no restraints geographically I had a lot of options when it came to jobs, which was a blessing and curse. Wanting to practice in pelvic health opened lots of doors. There were also many things to consider though. For instance, evaluation and treatment times were something I was interested in. How long would I get with patients? I had some jobs that would only allow 45 min evaluations. Some that wanted follow up appointments completed in 30 mins. Others would allow up to an hour with patients. Some would have you split your time with a tech. This can give you more information about what your schedule would look like in a day. What are the productivity standards for that clinic and can you handle their expectations? I also wanted to know if I was the only pelvic PT at the clinic or if there would be other pelvic PT's there? This was a LARGE factor for me as a new graduate. I did not want to be the only pelvic PT in a clinic even if there was another one in the company at a clinic close by. I wanted onsite mentorship and support, but that was my personal preference just feeling a little green. Are you coming into a practice that is already established or is it expected that you build the program? If you do elect to start a program is the time you spend marketing reimbursed by your clinic? Do they allow you to do this during your regularly scheduled hours or are you expected to do this at other times? Speaking on mentorship. What does their mentorship and training look like for new clinicians? Is it structured? Is there a specific person in charge of this? How long does the mentorship last? Simply hearing yes there is mentorship is not enough. Do they offer reimbursement in terms of continuing education? What does that look like? Does it include travel for courses? What kind of support staff do they have on hand for patients? Do they have access to a social worker if necessary at the clinic? What is the typical caseload they see in the clinic? (Women, men, children? This is more for self-reflection. Are you comfortable seeing the caseload the clinic sees? Are you willing to treat men and children?) Is it primarily pelvic health or is it a mix with orthopedics or some other specialty? What does that mix look like typically? This is certainly not an exhaustive list. The overall environment and people are so important! These are just some considerations as you begin your search for a job in pelvic health. Best of luck and again, welcome to the pelvic health community! Happy Valentine's day! While you may be getting ready to spice things up with your partner don't forget to grab a good lubricant. Lubrication is key to an enjoyable intimate experience for you and your loved one. The female body produces a natural lubricant with stimulation and proper foreplay. Sometimes though it just isn't enough. This can be the case after menopause. Women stop producing estrogen after menopause and that natural lubrication system just doesn't work as well.
So on this day celebrating love and intimacy make sure you take care of your lady parts. In terms of lubricants you want to steer clear of petroleum based products like KY and things with a laundry list of chemicals. Your vagina has a microbiome of bacteria that can be irritated by the use of these types of products. You want to try to get a water-based lubricant. Brands include: Slippery Stuff, Sylk, and Blossom Organics. These can be purchased mostly online through your drugstore or Amazon. Additionally, you can utilize coconut oil for lubrication. However it CANNOT be used with condoms as it can break them down. So if this is your primary form of birth control look at a water-based product instead. If you are continually experiencing vaginal irritation and/or dryness throughout the day or pain with intercourse make sure to discuss that with your physician. Valentine's Day is only 13 days away, but it is never too early to start thinking about your heart and heart health. There is a misconception that women do not have as many heart attacks as men do in the United States. However for women heart disease is the LEADING cause of death (1). More women die from heart attacks than men. Women don't always recognize the symptoms of a heart attack as they can be more vague than when a man experiences a heart attack. So what symptoms should you look out for? According to the American Heart Association you may feel (2):
If you are experiencing these symptoms seek medical attention immediately. Call 911. Women may not experience the crushing chest pressure that most men experience so oftentimes they confuse a heart attack with some other diagnosis. It is important to screen the health of your heart and vascular system. Go to the physician regularly for check-ups. Ensure that your blood pressure is within a healthy range as well as your cholesterol. You can add heart healthy foods into your diet and stop smoking. Additionally it is so important to get cardiovascular exercise into your week. Based on your heart rate you should be getting 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity every week to keep your heart healthy. References:
1. Leading Causes of Death in Females, 2014 (current listing). Health Equity. https://www.cdc.gov/women/lcod/2014/race-ethnicity/index.htm. Published January 11, 2017. 2. Heart Attack Symptoms in Women. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartAttack/WarningSignsofaHeartAttack/Heart-Attack-Symptoms-in-Women_UCM_436448_Article.jsp#.WnO0tWinHrd. Published December 5, 2017. |
AuthorHello! I am Caitlyn, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Board Certified Women's Health Physical Therapist working in St Louis, Missouri. Faculty in developing residency program. Endowarrior Categories
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