Spooner Physical Therapy offers many specialty services to their communities, such as physical therapy for pelvic health. Carrie Yaeger, PT, DPT, PRPC, is a pelvic health rehabilitation specialist at the Spooner North Phoenix clinic. Carrie poses a unique understanding of the pelvic region and uses her training to help her patients. She shares her knowledge of pelvic health to the public as well as educates how this specialty service fits into the world of physical therapy.
1. What does it mean to be a Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner?
A pelvic rehab practitioner is a physical therapist who specializes in the abdomino-pelvic region. Through extra training I learned in greater detail more about the specific anatomy and relationship between the lumbar region, hips, abdomen and pelvis. I obtained my Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification (PRPC) to enhance my body of knowledge and skill set to be able to focus on an area of the body that can sometimes be overlooked when trying to find the source of a patient’s pain or dysfunction.
2. What interested you in becoming a pelvic health specialist?
My goal and focus entering the physical therapy profession wat to be sports/orthopedic therapist. In my first few years as a therapist, I feel I was lucky able to get experience and exposed to various realms of physical therapy. I took an interest to breast cancer rehabilitation and advanced my education and training to treat this population. This is where I started to become aware of how to work with a specialized population and realized how important my skills and knowledge were to women with breast cancer.
I would also see a patient case load of pregnant women who would need pre-natal and post-partum care. I also enjoyed treating these women, but I felt like I didn’t have enough information to fully understand the anatomy of the pelvic region and was incomplete in my treatment when patients had chronic hip and low back pain issues. They would get better, but not to the complete standard of which I knew where they should be. I then decided to take a course on the introduction to pelvic rehab. I was fascinated with it with the discoveries I was making! The dots started to connect for myself and how the issues I had been experiencing with my hip and pelvis were tied to my pelvic floor. I was captivated with the connection between the hip, low back and pelvic floor, and sought out pelvic therapy for myself only to realize there were not many people that knew how to treat these conditions. My experience working with my breast cancer patients brought to me the realization that this is also an underserved population and knew I could help people.
3. What training did you undergo to develop your practice?
I began by taking a series of courses for general pelvic rehabilitation which covered anatomy, palpation and examination that would support treating disorders of bowel, bladder, sexual dysfunction, GI tract dysfunction, and chronic pain. Additionally, I have taken specialized courses related to pelvic dysfunction, and am now teaching and assisting in these courses. Last year, I spent several months studying for the pelvic rehab practitioner certification which allowed me to review principles I had been learning and apply my knowledge to live patients. Over the last several years, I have been building relationships with physicians and the community to build my case load in order to share my expertise with my patients.
4. What type of patients can benefit from pelvic rehabilitation?
The majority of ailments that I can help with aren’t thought of to seek physical therapy. Patients that are having bowel, bladder or sexual dysfunction, I am able to treat. This also includes patients who are pre or post-partum, as well as those struggling with diagnoses such as chronic pelvic pain, Endometriosis, PCOS, infertility, scar tissue from multiple surgeries, interstitial cystitis, and pelvic organ prolapse. I also enjoy treating patients with chronic low back and hip pain that are failing to progress in their treatment, along with seeing patients who have had surgery to their hip that have pelvic involvement.
Men who have pelvic floor dysfunction are also a part of my patient population. This may include men with chronic pelvic pain from stress or trauma, coccyx pain, scar tissue adhesions that are result in pain due to surgery or more specifically hernia repairs, bowel or bladder dysfunction, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostatectomy, or erectile dysfunction.
5. What can the patient expect when they come to you?
When a patient comes to see me, they can expect to sit down with me and talk about their history. From there, I believe it is very important to focus on the education of anatomy and the diagnosis in order for the patient to fully understand the best treatment options. If time allows on the first visit, I always like to do some treatment and then discuss home management. When the patient comes back for follow up visits, they receive 30 minutes or more of one-on-one time in a private treatment room for appropriate manual procedures, education, discussion. Then they come out into a safe gym area to perform stretching and strengthening exercises if appropriate. Getting the patient moving again in a safe manner is essential for helping them return to full function.
6. How long does treatment take?
Each session is approximately 45 minutes to one hour. Typically, patients with chronic pelvic pain require more extensive care and can expect to be in therapy for three months to one year. In the beginning of treatment patients generally come for treatment 1-2 times per week, and then are weaned off appropriately, stressing home management and checking in as needed every other week to once/ month.
7. Are there specific cases that pique your interest?
I enjoy investigating the source of the pain with patients who are experiencing chronic hip pain and have not had any relief from other treatments they have received. After examination, I may conclude that there is an association of their pain to their pelvic floor. For me, it is similar to putting a puzzle together by piecing information and bits of their health history together that create a picture of their pain. Educating the patient about the involvement of the pelvic floor and seeing them make the connection to the whole body is fascinating and fulfilling.
Patients come to me sometimes as a last resort when looking for a solution to their chronic back, hip, or pelvis. Listening to my patients and validating their pain can provide them with hope that they may have not received from anyone else is so fulfilling to me. I find those patients who are experiencing these issues just want someone they can talk to and trust, hoping that they can get back to doing the things they love in life pain free. The pelvic floor is an area of the body that is very sensitive and vulnerable, which is why I always explain to them that no matter what, they will always learn something about themselves and their body.
8. What are your personal interests and hobbies outside of work?
Outside of work I enjoy getting in the outdoors to hike, run, play with my dog, play tennis, golf. I enjoy yoga for relaxation. I enjoy cooking, crafts, spending time with friends and family, traveling.
If you have further questions about Carrie’s pelvic health specialty, contact us today to schedule a complementary screen.