“I was diagnosed with endometriosis and had two surgeries for it, and the pain was not getting better,” she said. “I started working on some physical therapy things for it, and my pain went away. That was helpful for me. I have two kids, so I saw the leaking piece, the pain in pregnancy piece—I’ve experienced all those things.”
While working as a physical therapist for five years, she repeatedly saw women who had back and hip pain but were not getting better with normal physical therapy treatments.
“I found there was a need where women could get help with leaking, pain during pregnancy and postpartum,” Girlinghouse said. “Too many women are told pelvic pain is normal and you should just deal with it or take some medication. There are other options out there for them.”
Although she opened her practice in April 2020, she didn’t open her McKinney office until May 2021.
“I started with home visits,” she said. “As I grew and got busier, I didn’t have as much time to travel to see as many people—you can only drive so far in one day—so I opened this office.”
She chose to launch her practice in McKinney because she lives a mile away. She opened a second location in Prosper in 2022 and another one in Sherman in May.
Services provided relate to pelvic health such as bladder problems, leakage, difficulty emptying bladder, constipation, bowel leakage, pain with sex, abdominal, pelvic and hip pain, and anything pregnancy related.
Although most of their patients are women, Girlinghouse said they also treat men.
“I see men for pain—pain with sitting, pain with standing,” she said. “They have pain in their groin, sometimes testicular pain, or rectal pain.”
Girlinghouse employees two physical therapists, a yoga coach and health coach.
Most of their patients are McKinney residents whose ages range from 24 to 40 years old.
“They are parents who want to feel good and be active with their families,” she said. “They’re tired of missing out on things like jumping on the trampoline or running because of the leaking or pain they are having.”
She said she feels successful when her physical therapists tell her about a breakthrough their patient experienced.
“They are surprised at how quickly they get better,” Girlinghouse said. “People expect it to take weeks and weeks to feel better, but a lot of our patients in the first one to two weeks start seeing changes and notice how much better they feel that fast.”
The Fit Pelvis
101 W. Louisiana St., Ste. 207, McKinney
704 E. First St., Prosper
214-600-8168
www.thefitpelvis.com
Hours: Mon.-Thu. 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Fri. 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Sat. yoga class 8-10:30 a.m., Sun. closed
Top reasons patients visit The Fit Pelvis
- Pain in pregnancy, such as when rolling over in bed, getting out of chairs, standing on one leg, walking up or down stairs. Treatments focus on loosening tense muscles, strengthening core, hips and more.
- Leaking when jumping, running, coughing or sneezing. Treatment involves determining if the pelvic floor is tense or weak, then figuring out why the pelvic floor is not functioning the way it should be. Posture as well as core and hip strength are assessed.
- Birth prep is for people who want to have the easiest, smoothest birth possible. They might want to go to a birth center or have a home birth; they don’t want a cesarean section. Patients will practice pushing, breathing techniques and labor positions.
