Written by: Madison Hasley, Class of ‘25 DPT Student

What inspired you to start this SIG?

I was inspired to help start this SIG because I saw a gap in our special interest groups. This is an area that is growing in our practice and I believe that students should have the opportunity to explore the area of pelvic health beyond what we learn in our curriculum.

How have you seen the culture around pelvic health adapt over recent years?

There has been a large shift in recent years for this area of practice. I think the biggest shift was switching the language from women’s health to pelvic health, because *fun fact* we all have pelvic floors.

What types of events have you had/do you have planned/hope to plan?

We are recently put together a panel of local professionals to speak to the students about their jobs, how they got to where they are, and all that pelvic health has to offer. We are also hoping to have an individual come in later this year to talk about working with individuals with eating disorders. This field has so many interesting topics to choose from to dig deeper into, so we are hoping to have more events planned soon!

Who should get involved in this SIG?

Anyone! Even if you don’t want to specifically practice in pelvic health in your career, if a topic comes up that interests you, then by all means come join us!

What do you hope to achieve through the development of this SIG?

I hope to give students a glimpse of another area of practice that they might not know much about. I hope to expand on all the knowledge that our wonderful faculty provide us and have fun doing it!

What do you want people to understand about pelvic health?

This is not a gender thing— every individual can find benefits from pelvic health. The other thing that I want people to understand is that it is not a bad or dirty thing to talk about, there is a big stigma attached to our pelvic area and there shouldn’t be! 

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In the past month, Regis faculty member Dr. Laura LaPorta hosted a PIPER Level 1 course, open to clinicians and DPT students (at a discount) interested in continuing education regarding treatment of the pelvic floor. Several Regis students utilized this course to developed their skills and expertise in the area of pelvic health, and look forward to a level 2 course to be hosted next year. Regis University is committed to developing this area of physical therapy, and educating practitioners in the treatment of life-altering pelvic dysfunction that affects men and women alike.

Keep an eye out for announcements and updates regarding upcoming Pelvic Health SIG events!