She personally experienced the difference pelvic floor physical therapy can make after being diagnosed with endometriosis and learning more about women’s health.
“All the things that pelvic health therapists treat are the things that women get told are a normal part of life, like postpartum issues and painful periods,” Girlinghouse said. “I realized we can do something about that, and dismissing it is not okay.”
The clinic has three North Texas locations and treats issues such as:
- Back and hip pain
- Bowel and bladder retention or leaking
- Pain with intercourse, pelvic exams or tampon use
- Postpartum or pregnancy pain
The team at The Fit Pelvis understands that treatment for these issues can be difficult for patients, especially those who have experienced labor/delivery trauma or sexual trauma, so they prioritize patient comfort.
“It starts with the environment,” Girlinghouse said. “We have a nice, cozy space with a couch and chairs, so when you walk in you feel at home. That sets people's minds at ease. When we’re doing our exam, we always explain everything and walk through each step of the process. If people are ever uncomfortable, we stop and we give them the space that they need. We make sure that there's always informed consent the whole way through.”
One thing that makes The Fit Pelvis different is its patient-focused care model. As a cash-based practice, the clinic isn’t limited by insurance constraints, which often cap the number of sessions or restrict certain treatments.
“Insurance will put a limit on the number of visits, and someone who has had pain for five years is not going to get better in six visits,” Girlinghouse said. “It takes more time than that to build a lifestyle change.”
While the practice does not accept insurance, patients can use money from health saving accounts and flexible spending accounts.
To make care more accessible, The Fit Pelvis actively promotes awareness through weekly newsletters, community classes and educational events. The team also partners with mental health professionals when emotional healing is part of a patient’s journey.
Another aspect of the practice that makes it unique is its whole-body approach.
“We need the hips to be working with the pelvic floor,” Girlinghouse said. “We need the abdominals and the diaphragm and the back to be moving all in coordination. So we start on the table and work small muscle groups, and then we build up to higher level activities like weightlifting, jumping, running and picking up your kids. We start small and then look at the whole picture.”
The Fit Pelvis has locations in Dallas, Prosper and McKinney, at:
- 8160 Walnut Hill Lane, Ste. 316, Dallas
- 713 E. First St., Prosper
- 101 W. Louisiana St., Ste. 207, Mckinney
The above story was produced by Multi-platform Journalist Mary Katherine Shapiro with Community Impact's Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.
