Let’s Talk About That: Meet Alexandria’s Pelvic Floor PT Game-Changer

Alexandria, VA – After earning her doctorate in physical therapy at GWU in 2011, Stephanie Stahr began her career focusing on wound care therapy in the hospital setting at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. Her team shared space with the pelvic floor therapy team, and she frequently heard interesting discussions about the field of pelvic health. At the time, the specialty of pelvic floor PT was still a burgeoning practice. Little did she know it would become her chosen field in the near future.

As Stahr progressed in her career, going from the hospital setting into home health, she saw firsthand the impact one’s pelvic floor health and function has on quality of life. Stahr recalled one homebound patient’s anguish when they became incontinent and didn’t receive any guidance from their providers, other than to just deal with it as part of their immobility and aging.

While pregnant with her second child in Germany, Stephanie experienced some pelvic floor dysfunction herself and was offered only a couple of suggestions from her provider. Even though she had been really impressed with Germany’s prenatal medical care, it seemed they also lacked awareness on the benefits of pelvic floor physical therapy.

Stahr was intrigued enough to learn more about this groundbreaking, specialized therapy. When she returned to the US, she decided to become a pelvic floor PT and trained at the Herman & Wallace Institute. After a couple of years in larger PT practices working in outpatient orthopedics and pelvic health, Stahr wanted a quieter, more personalized environment with more one-on-one time with each patient.

Her leap into private practice began when she met Sara Acheson, founder of Athena Wellness & PT. Acheson mentioned offering pelvic floor therapy on a neighborhood website, and Stahr reached out. They met for coffee, compared philosophies and goals, and Acheson simply asked, “So, when do you want to start?”

To date, her patients range in age from their early 20s to late 80s. Stahr sees women for a variety of reasons: pregnancy and postpartum, pelvic organ prolapse symptoms, urine and fecal leakage, menopause and perimenopause, and pain with intercourse, just to name a few. She is quick to point out that even symptoms such as chronic low back and hip pain can actually be due to pelvic floor dysfunction.

“I love when patients have that ‘aha’ moment realizing the pelvic floor is the source of their pain, and it can be treated,” she said. Although she specializes in pelvic floor dysfunction, she treats the whole patient and provides traditional PT services as well. This includes common musculoskeletal complaints like shoulder pain in the perimenopausal and menopausal population, or core weakness and general restrengthening for the postpartum patients.

Stahr uses a variety of methods in her treatments including curated exercises, patient education, and soft tissue massage, and modalities like dry needling, electrical stimulation, and cupping. “Human touch has a significant therapeutic effect as does knowledge,” she said. “I aim to heal but also empower patients so they can take an active role in their healing and wellness long term.”

“What I wish more people knew is that pelvic floor PT can help and it doesn’t need to be intimidating,” Stahr said. Although symptoms like incontinence, prolapse, pelvic pain, and even pain with intercourse can be embarrassing to discuss, they are quite common. “But they aren’t normal and you don’t have to suffer! I’ve been told I make talking about these intimate topics feel approachable. There’s really nothing that is TMI.”

Located in Alexandria, VA, Athena Wellness Physical Therapy offers physical therapies for breast cancer, pregnancy/postpartum, peri/menopause, pelvic floor pain and dysfunction, and general women’s health. Call or visit the website to request a free consultation: athenawellnesspt.com