Wilmington Pelvic Physical Therapist

Meet Amy Newberry! Amy is a Wilmington pelvic floor physical therapist whom I had the pleasure of connecting and chatting with over coffee at one of Wilmington’s best coffee shops, Casa Blanca. As we sipped lattes, shared stories of how we ended up in Wilmington, and chatted all things business, I told Amy was I was doing kegels as we spoke. To my surprise, Amy told me that pelvic physical therapy isn’t all about kegels! Say what?? When I think of pelvic floor health, I always think of kegels. Intrigued to learn more? Read on!

What is pelvic physical therapy?

Pelvic PT helps women and men with problems relating to the pelvic region, bladder, bowel, and sexual health. This includes urinary/bowel leakage, pelvic heaviness/prolapse, abdominal separation/diastasis recti, constipation, urinary urgency/frequency, urinary retention, pelvic pain (pubic bone, tailbone, sacro-iliac joint), genital pain, pain with intercourse/pelvic exams/tampon use, hip pain, and back pain. Your Pelvic PT is trained to assess your WHOLE body AND your pelvic floor muscles.

How did you get started as a Pelvic PT?

In 2018, I took my first step into the pelvic health physical therapy world after seeing first-hand the impact pelvic health therapy has on women dealing with chronic pelvic pain and women recovering postpartum. I met many women who were struggling with different problems relating to their bladders, bowels, and sexual health, but finally had hope for change by the means of pelvic health therapy. The disparities of women’s health in the U.S. are alarmingly drastic, and I started to see how physical therapists could change that, so I decided I wanted to make an impact too by helping women stop accepting “dealing with” urinary leakage or painful intercourse.

What inspired you to start your own business?

I have always envisioned a business that brings the community together to provide premier care to women. Our medical model is disjointed with healthcare professionals staying in their boxes and not communicating with each other and patients being shuttled around without clear answers. My goal is to create a space that is interdisciplinary, so patients can have their needs met. This doesn’t exist yet but soon one day!

When should someone seek a Pelvic PT?

You should seek help from a Pelvic PT when you have changes in your bladder, bowel, or sexual health OR if you’ve been dealing with chronic hip, back, or pelvic pain (tailbone, sacro-iliac joint, pubic bone)- even if you’ve been to physical therapy… you may need to see a pelvic physical therapist instead! Sometimes the pelvic floor muscles can refer pain into these other nearby regions. The sooner the better!

Is it all about kegel exercises?

Despite popular belief, pelvic PTs do NOT just give you kegels for homework! The pelvic floor muscles are a dynamic group of muscles that need to be both flexible and strong. Most of the time women only focus on strengthening and miss the boat on flexibility! You cannot strengthen a tight muscle. Your pelvic PT will make sure that your pelvic floor muscles are both flexible and strong to make sure you do not leak, feel pressure, or have pain!

What if a mom just had a baby, feels fine, and everything checked out okay at her postpartum visit, is there any reason why she should see a Pelvic PT?

100% YES! Even if you feel fine, you should still make an appointment with a Pelvic PT. At most 6 week postpartum check ups, your OB doesn’t have time to do a physical exam, and even if your OB does, he or she is not looking at how your muscles are functioning. A Pelvic PT can assess your abdominals, pelvic floor muscles, and posture/breathing to ensure the most optimal postpartum healing. After knee or shoulder surgery, people go to physical therapy to stretch or strengthen the muscles that were disrupted… So why wouldn’t we go to physical therapy after delivering a baby? Delivering a baby is a HUGE event that results in MAJOR physical changes. A Pelvic PT will help you rehab your core correctly and get you back to your favorite activities!

What can someone expect from their first appointment with you?

At your first appointment, we will discuss any problems you are dealing with that you are comfortable talking about relating to your bladder (leakage, urgency, frequency, hesitancy, prolapse), bowel (constipation, leakage, prolapse), and sexual health (pain with sex or orgasm, difficulty with orgasms) function. We will also ask you about your medical history, surgeries, and any other treatments you’ve already tried for this problem. We will then assess your posture, breathing, strength, mobility, and movement patterns to look for any contributing factors to what may be the root cause of your symptoms. With consent, we may also assess the pelvic floor muscles, which can be done externally or internally via an intra-vaginal or rectal assessment to determine if the muscles are too tight or weak, both of which can contribute to the above listed symptoms. After all of the information is gathered, we will make a game plan with you so that you can get back to doing all the things you love without fear or embarrassment!

How can someone make an appointment with you?

To make an appointment with us, you can email amy@pelvicprescription.com or call 770-910-0684 to schedule a free consultation to determine if we would be a good fit for you. You may also visit our website www.pelvicprescription.com or follow us on Instagram @pelvic.prescription for free pelvic health content!

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