Dynamix Physical Therapy has continued to develop its offerings for potential patients as it announced in November a new program designed to address physical therapy involving women’s health.
“It definitely will be a different vibe from the typical physical therapy Dynamix does,” said Rachel Harmon, who joined the Dynamix team in October. “We’re not going to be out in the athletic area throwing baseballs.
“But there is an important area of physical therapy that isn’t offered in many places anyway, and this is the first place around here that this is being offered.”
Harmon has completed the Herman and Wallace pelvic floor coursework and is in the process of completing the American Physical Therapy Association’s obstetrics coursework.
With these courses and knowledge, and now a Pelvis Rehab Practitioner Certified (PRPC) provider, Harmon offers pelvic floor physical therapy for expecting and postpartum mothers.
“We’re not doing mammograms or anything like that,” Harmon said. “But we’re focusing on physical therapy that will be a lot of prenatal and postpartum care and anything PT that needs to be done related to pelvic health in women, including leakage, pelvic pain and abdominal pain.”
Physical therapy regarding women’s health has progressed significantly in the last 30 years, Harmon said.
“It wasn’t that long ago when pain that now is easily fixed with just a few sessions of PT were seen as something new mothers would just have to live with until it went away on its own after delivery,” Harmon said. “But through research and studies, we’ve seen that pain doesn’t need to be ‘lived with’ for however long it might last, which for some it was for the rest of their lives.”
“There’s therapy to fix what’s causing the pain, and that also goes for any pain felt during the pregnancy.”
There’s even a variety of manual therapy techniques that help decrease the visibility of scarring after a Cesarean birth.
Not all the physical therapy is related to pregnancy and childbirth.
“Pelvic floor dysfunction is something that can affect the bowels, bladder and reproductive health,” Harmon said. “We can deal with a lot of things connected to the pelvic girdle, tailbone pain, any kind of post-op work after abdominal surgeries and hormonal changes during menopause.
“Women’s health physical therapy is really a term that refers to a number of different things.”
Harmon works out of the Jackson location, and she’s the only one in rural West Tennessee who has all her certifications in this area of health practice.
“Our work can help women of all ages,” Harmon said.
Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news
