What is Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Table of Contents
What Kinds of Things do You do During Treatment?
We find strategies to work with your body, including:
Therapies can include internal treatments of muscles and tissues via relevant orifices when indicated, but often meaningful change and progress can be achieved with external treatment as well.
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Finding work arounds for limitations
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Improving strength, coordination, and balance through exercises
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Stretching
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Biofeedback
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Manual therapies/mobilizations
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Nervous system desensitization and retraining
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Modifying routines and techniques
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Modalities such as cupping, electrical stimulation, thermal and topical treatments, taping, and splinting
Where do You Practice?
Dr. Paserpskis is licensed to practice PT in Arkansas and Oklahoma. At this time, The Refuge can come to you in the privacy of your home within a 15 mile radius of our home office (including Alma, Van Buren, Fort Smith, Roland, Spiro, Greenwood, and Barling). Appointments outside of that radius will require an extra fee in consideration of additional time and distance. We can also provide virtual sessions through our patient portal, PTEverywhere, excluding initial evaluations.
What Should I Expect for my First Visit?
Your first visit is a fact finding mission! Most of the first visit is detailed questions about your problems, activities, history, and patterns. Too much information is better than not enough when trying to find the various culprits, but you should never feel obligated to share anything you aren’t comfortable with.
A physical evaluation to assess posture, movement, hip and back involvement is common. For some conditions, the best information can be gathered from a pelvic (vaginal or rectal) exam, but these will only be performed with your full consent and participation. Most frequently, this component is not part of the first visit to ensure your comfort and consent.
If you want to have another person present, we welcome any support person you prefer. If you will never feel comfortable with an internal exam, there are many other facets and strategies that can be used to help.
Do I Need to do Anything to Prepare for an In-Person Visit?
No. You do not need to shave, or clean house, or anything else in preparation. The only space needed is enough to set up a portable treatment table. In fact, if activities you might do around the house are things that tend to increase your symptoms, leaving them not done specifically so you can strategize techniques and practice is a great idea!
What Should I Expect from a Virtual Visit?
At your appointment time, you will have a connection via the patient portal in PTEverywhere, and your therapist will join you virtually with video and audio. Dr. Kinje uses a computer that provides transcription for her, so she will read both your lips and the transcription. In virtual sessions, we review strategies, modifications, exercises, and stretches. You will never be asked to undress or show your genitals on camera.
What Makes The Refuge Different from Other PT?
At the Refuge, you get one on one dedicated time with Dr. Kinje for the duration of your session. She is able to treat you in the comfort and privacy of your own home, and has specialized training in the sensitive and personal issues surrounding pelvic, bowel, bladder, and sexual health.
In addition to the bones and muscles of the specific area, Dr. Kinje will take into consideration other system interactions, movement and routines, dietary patterns/sensitivities, your personal history, and contributing factors from other parts of the body to create a strategy that is practical for how you live your life.
Do You Take my Insurance?
We are covered by Out-Of-Network Physical Therapy Benefits, and provide you with a superbill you can give to your insurance carrier for direct reimbursement. Unfortunately, Medicare/Medicaid does not allow out of network services and we are not yet in network with Medicare
What is Pelvic Floor PT?
Much like “normal” PT, Pelvic Floor physical therapy works with muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and nerves, taking into consideration systemic patterns of movement, diet, hormones, sleep, and mental/social well being- it just also includes and addresses the parts in your undercarriage. I like to think of it in “P”s- Pee, Poo, Pain, Pleasure, Prenatal, Postpartum, Prostates, Perineum, and other Private Part Problems.
What can Pelvic Floor PT Help?
Everybody has a pelvis and stuff that attaches to it, and sometimes that stuff is injured or goes haywire and can use a helping hand getting right again. For a list of conditions Dr. Paserpskis can treat, check out our What We Treat page.
Do You Work with Things Other than the Pelvic Floor?
Dr. Paserpskis is also trained to incorporate treatment for/address issues with breathing, general orthopedic and neurological issues, BPPV (dizziness from the inner ear), various forms of chronic pain issues, and has been working to stay up to date on post-Covid and long-term Covid considerations.
Do I Need a Referral from a Doctor?
You sure don’t! In Arkansas, because we have what is called direct access, you can choose your PT provider and arrange your own care.
In Oklahoma, you can be evaluated and receive 30 days of PT before a referral is required to continue.
Even though we don’t require a referral, we are happy to collaborate and work with your physicians and other care providers to get the best outcomes for you!
Does In-Home Treatment Mean I Have to be Home-Bound?
While insurance regulations for “Home Health” requires an individual to be reasonably unable to leave their home, our service is back to the old-time house calls and is essentially outpatient therapy. It is intended to allow you to be in the place you are most comfortable and center care on you and your needs as the client.
What Forms of Payment do You Take?
All major credit/debit cards, cash, and HSA cards/cheques.
Dr. Kinje is Deaf? How does That Work?
Yes, she was born that way. She does not sign, but instead reads lips, faces, context cues, body language, and feels sound vibrations. In clinical practice the onset of universal masking has proven challenging, so The Refuge has invested in windowed masks to allow lipreading in-session. For more information on specifics of practice, Kinje wrote about Deafness as a Physical Therapist for the Academy of Pelvic Health.
What are Your Covid Precautions?
Utilizing direct access means you won’t be in a crowded waiting room or gym, minimizing your exposure risk. Dr. Kinje has been vaccinated with two doses of Pfizer vaccine herself, and requests that everyone wears a mask while working together. We provide windowed masks for your use to allow Dr. Kinje to read your lips, and she is happy to wear one for you as well if you prefer to see her lips. If you or someone in your household are currently positive for COVID or have been in the last two weeks, she will wear full PPE any time during your visit. Additionally, we have the option to convert in person visits to telehealth visits.