Samantha Fazio , PT, DPT (WASHINGTON SQUARE) FEATURED PT
We Provide Personal Care For Personal Issues
This month’s featured PT is Samantha Fazio, PT, DPT from our Washington Square, Philadelphia location. Samantha finds it extremely rewarding to work with her pelvic floor patients, specifically those who have been having pelvic pain or bowel/bladder issues for a long time and enjoys helping them return to their normal activities without any limitations! Learn more about Samantha:
1. How did you decide to become a physical therapist and what motivates you to work with patients? After having several orthopedic surgeries, I realized that physical therapists are afforded quality time with their patients that is not only different from other healthcare providers, but also allows for a different type of patient-clinician relationship. I love getting to know my patients and learning what is important to them. I think it’s imperative that a person’s rehabilitation is tailored toward their individual goals. After expanding my practice to include patients with pelvic health related conditions, I am motivated more than ever to return my patients back to the most basic activities of daily living that can really impact someone’s quality of life. Men and women with pelvic floor-related conditions are a significantly under-served population, so I’m also motivated by bringing awareness about pelvic floor physical therapy to someone who might not have thought that they can be helped! 2. In your words, what makes Excel Physical Therapy different from other physical therapy clinics? Excel is different because our first focus is about quality of patient care before profit. We love working with people and want to deliver the best care we can, so we don’t load our schedules to a level that we can’t provide that for our patients. We strive to optimize care in each session, but also across the whole plan of care to get you better faster! 3. What was your most memorable patient experience? Working with pelvic floor patients is extremely rewarding! Most women I work with have been having pelvic pain or bowel/bladder issues for a long time and have not had relief. One patient sticks out in particular as she was experiencing urine incontinence for over 10 years after giving birth to 3 children. She was unable to last through a whole workout class without losing her bladder, which was embarrassing and uncomfortable. After 2 months, she had returned to all fitness activities including running without needing to wear a pad! It was especially memorable because she worked so hard and was willing to do anything I threw at her! 4. If you could be any animal, what would it be and why? A bird! I’d love to be able to ride the wind and fly wherever I want. 5. If you could describe yourself in one word what would it be and why? Fun! I like to make people laugh and you can bet I’ll try if you’re my patient. When a patient is discharged, I’ll sing a farewell song. I try to keep the energy fun and upbeat! 6. What do you like to do in your off time, outside the clinic? I love to eat! I love food and trying new restaurants. I also love to cook and learn new recipes! This summer, I learned to cook pasta in Italy and it was a dream come true!
Understanding Incontinence In Women Urinary incontinence has a reputation of being something which only affects the senior population, however, many young people also suffer from urinary incontinence. While more women than men are affected, men can also have urinary problems too, especially after prostate surgery. Fortunately, there are many treatments available for urinary incontinence. Behavioral treatment. Some people with urinary incontinence may get relief by making simple lifestyle changes. If you have stress incontinence, for instance, in which you leak urine when you cough, sneeze, or laugh, your physical therapist may tell you to limit how much you drink. If you have urge incontinence, in which you get the sudden urge to urinate and can’t always make it to the bathroom in time, your physical therapist may tell you to avoid spicy foods, caffeine, and carbonated drinks, because they can irritate the bladder and make the problem worse. Exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, known as kegels, can sometimes help people with stress incontinence. Kegels can also help people with urge incontinence. Sometimes, kegels are combined with biofeedback techniques to help you know if you are doing the exercises properly. For urge incontinence, bladder training, sometimes called bladder retraining, can also help. This involves gradually increasing the interval time between trips to the bathroom, working up to longer and longer intervals between bathroom stops. Devices and absorbent products. Protective pads and panty liners can help to avoid embarrassing situations. A pessary, a plastic device inserted into the vagina, may help prevent urine leakage by supporting the neck of the bladder and is most useful for stress incontinence. Mild to moderate cases of incontinence can be cured or greatly improved by behavioral or exercise therapy. Physical Therapists can also teach you habits and techniques to reduce urgency and urge incontinence (leaking with a strong urge on the way to the bathroom). Contact us today if you experience even periodic incontinence to learn more about therapies which can help!
www.excelphysicaltherapy.com
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