Patient Portal Login
Request an Appointment

What’s holding you back from getting Pelvic Floor PT? All of your concerns addressed here!

We help women and men overcome their pelvic condition, naturally and wholistically, without pain medications, so that they can get back to an active life and have a smile on their face again!

You want results.  You feel uncertain about what pelvic floor PT is and, actually a little intimated by it.  You are also hesitant because your problem is personal and you don’t want to waste your time going to someone who doesn’t know how to help you.

This is your validation that you deserve to feel better and to get rid of your pelvic problem.  And that you have found the right place to receive your pelvic floor PT and help you!   What’s holding you back?

If your hesitation is that you don’t know where to go and who can help you.  Then. Stop. That. Excuse. Right. Here.  We offer expert pelvic floor PT treatments.

At Purple Mountain PT we specialize exclusively in providing wholistic, effective and expert care for pelvic floor PT. We treat all pelvic conditions that women and men experience.

When you choose Purple Mountain PT you are choosing to be proactive, to address your nagging problem and to get results.  You don’t want to waste your time, going to someone who doesn’t know how to help you.  We also understand you might feel nervous because your condition is in a private area and pelvic floor PT sounds a bit intimidating.  Rest assured, our patients tell us that their appointments are helpful, comfortable and educational, that they feel heard and understood.  In contrast to your fears and anxiety, we can assure you that your time with us will be uplifting, informative and encouraging!  Our pelvic floor PT is comprehensive, meaning a lot of our treatment occurs far away from the pelvis, such as at your shoulder blades or your thighs.  We also include lifestyle, exercise, nutrition, stress management and other wholistic interventions because these help you get results!

How can we say with confidence that we are the right choice for your pelvic floor PT?  Because our patients tell us that all the time.

If you give us a try, you will know within the first phone call if you think I may be able to help you. At your first visit you will receive an education and in-depth evaluation that is different from anything you have had with any other provider.  We’re not just making this up, our patients tell us this.  These are the types of things we hear from our patients:

I was hesitant to come to pelvic floor PT.  I didn’t know what to expect, now I wish I had come sooner because I could have felt better long ago!

I’ve gone to a chiropractor and pelvic PT for months and still have problems, I decided to try you because I like that you specialize in this.

I went to someone else, but they didn’t explain it like you.

You are my third PT and the first one to help me feel better.

My other provider never treated all the things you are treating.

At my other provider I felt like my appointments were too short to really treat everything I needed.

My other provider didn’t seem to know what my problem was and gave me a sheet of exercises to do that I knew wouldn’t help me.

I went somewhere else and they didn’t examine things nearly as in depth as you and didn’t ask me the questions you asked.  I can tell you know what you are doing here.

You get the idea.  I understand why you may be skeptical that pelvic floor PT could help you, especially if you’ve already gotten care that didn’t work.  But, many of our patients have been in your shoes and have found that by choosing Purple Mountain PT and getting wholistic and expert care, they finally feel hopeful and can see they will get better.

You will receive your pelvic floor PT care from someone who knows how to get you results!

Dr. O’Keefe has devoted her life and her curious mind to learning and treating pelvic floor conditions and all pelvic problems.  She has treated just about every pelvic condition you can imagine.  Pelvic floor PT is a path forward for you, proven in research to help you get better.  We have invested more than 2 decades into learning, studying, treating, teaching and post-graduate education focused on pelvic problems and wholisitic healing.  If you are wondering how qualified and what expertise Dr. O’Keefe has, here’s a glimpse:

  • Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree with a capstone project on physical therapy indications in pregnancy, exercise in pregnancy and a focus on pelvic conditions
  • Masters of Physical Therapy Degree with a research project on the movement patterns of individuals with total knee replacement and a heavy focus on orthopedic injuries and clinical rotations working in busy orthopedic clinics.
  • Bachelors Degree, biology major and chemistry minor with research project on blood transfusion.
  • Division I volleyball player, athlete and exercise enthusiast.
  • Certification in dry needling.
  • Tons of post-graduate education taken all over the country specific to pelvic problems.  This includes:
  • Advanced training in pregnancy and postpartum recovery, diastasis recti, birth preparation, exercise in pregnancy, pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy and postpartum and more.
  • Advanced training specific to male pelvic health & pelvic floor dysfunction including prostate conditions, chronic prostatitis pain, post-prostatectomy recovery, male erectile dysfunction, male pelvic floor dysfunction, male pelvic pain, testicular pain, hernias and more!
  • Advanced training & treatments in all bladder conditions including overactive bladder, urinary frequency and urgency, urge incontinence, stress incontinence, nocturia (getting up at night to pee), urinary retention, neurogenic bladder, neobladder post-cancer.
  • Advanced training and treatments for interstitial cystitis.  In fact, the specific treatment methods we use were researched in a 6 clinic nationwide NIH study and because they worked, the guidelines for treating IC include this exact treatment you will receive!  Here is a link to the guidelines!
  • Advanced training and treatments for painful sex, vulvodynia, provoked vestibulodynia persistent genital arousal disorder, penile pain, anorgasmia and more!
  • Advanced training and treatments for all spine conditions.  Sub-specialty in spine problems including completing a post-graduate spine certification program that was one year in length.
  • Advanced training and treatments for all orthopedic pelvic problems including SI joint dysfunction, pubic pain, sports hernia, hip labral tears, sciatica, low back pain, neck and thoracic problems, hamstring pulls, coccyx pain and more!
  • Advanced training in pelvic floor dysfunction, core, diaphragmatic breathing and coordination of these muscles to control intra-abdominal pressure and optimize bladder control and reduce pelvic organ prolapse
  • Advanced training in pelvic organ prolapse, cystocele, urethrocele, hypermobile urethra, rectocele, rectal prolapse, uterine prolapse.
  • Advanced training and treatment methods for Pudendal neuralgia, sciatica, posterior femoral cutaneous nerve injuries, obturator nerve injuries and other pelvic nerve injuries.
  • Advanced training and treatments for myofascial mobilization and fascia release.
  • Advanced training and treatments for chronic pelvic pain, chronic pain syndromes, pain neuroscience education and overlapping pain conditions.
  • Advanced training and treatments for visceral mobilization.
  • Advanced training and work experience in busy orthopedic and rehabilitation clinics, including serving as the spine specialist for failed low back syndrome, working with athletes, treating individuals with spinal cord injury, neurologic conditions, post-stroke recovery, burns and complex trauma.

You don’t settle for anything in your life, why settle for pelvic problems, a less active life and less than high quality pelvic floor PT treatment?

Do you know there is treatment for:
**Stress incontinence: you don’t have to lose pee everytime you laugh!
**Urge incontinence: you don’t have to rush to the toilet and fear losing pee
**Urinary frequency: you don’t have a small bladder! You need treatment!
**Pelvic Organ Prolapse: this is a biggie! Ladies, if you have any prolapse you can optimize the pelvic region to provide better support to the area.
**SI Joint pain: This hurts! We know your pain and we can help it!
**Gluteal tendinopathy: Does your glute hurt? We can check you out and help you figure out why. If it is tendionpathy we have a treatment program for that! If it’s something else, we know what to do to help you!
**Pubic pain: This. Is. Frustrating. To. Have. & I can help you!
**Pudendal Neuralgia: The monster of pelvic pain. It can get better!
**Sciatica: ‘nuf said. It hurts. PT helps.
**Endometriosis: The long, painful, lonely road. PT helps endo pain!
**Interstitial Cystitis: Beastly bladder condition & I specialize in treating it!
**Recurrent urinary tract infections: You probably have pelvic floor dysfunction and we can get that better to reduce your risk of another infection
**Vulvodynia: Yep, we know you are suffering silently. We specialize in helping this. It’s awful & can get better!
**Painful sex: Sex shouldn’t hurt! There’s treatment for this!
**Painful cesarean scars or other scars: We can address this and get rid of that pain! Wouldn’t it be great if your clothing didn’t hurt your scar?
**Pelvic muscle spasms: Ouch. Yep, they feel just like you imagine. & I can help them go away.
**Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: All those muscles “down there” not quite working right? I can help that.
**Constipation & straining: Believe it or not, the pelvic muscles and involved in this problem and I can help you! Take care of it so you don’t give yourself a prolapse.
**Pregnancy related pelvic girdle pain: My specialty!!
**Postpartum recovery: Again, this is my jam! I love to help you get back to feeling strong and confident as you recover.
**Birth trauma injury: I have seen them all & I can help you!
**Chronic prostatitis pain: PT is the way out of this problem!
**Testicular, penile or vulvar pain: PT works! I can help you!
**Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder: This. Is. Awful. I know it and I can help you!

Purple Mountain Physical Therapy, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a specialty pelvic floor PT clinic.  We help women and men with pelvic floor dysfunction recover so they can live an active life! We have been exclusively focused on pelvic health for over 20 years and offer a level of expertise and wholistic care that you won’t find elsewhere! If you are wondering if we may be able to help you, call 616-516-4334 to talk to Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT. We can discuss your symptoms and condition and determine if pelvic floor PT may help you!

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT

How Do You Feel About Your Postpartum Recovery? Would Pelvic PT help you?

Being Pregnant and Postpartum can be an Overwhelming Experience and Definitely Changes Our Body! Pelvic Floor PT is a Key Component of Your Postpartum Recovery.

Each of us will experience our unique emotional reactions to the changes in our body!  You don’t have to know all the answers.  Expert help from a pelvic floor PT will take your postpartum recovery to the next level!

How do these changes in your postpartum body make you feel?  What do you think about your body now?  If you are struggling with disappointment in your pregnant or postpartum body, I can help you get back to feeling more like yourself when you join me to complete a postpartum PT recovery program.  Pregnancy and the postpartum period carry a risk of low back pain, pelvic girdle pain (such as SI joint pain, pubic bone pain, coccyx pain), painful sex, pelvic floor dysfunction, diastasis recti abdominus and urinary incontinence.  This is quite a long list, actually, of unfortunate things that you be experiencing as a result of being pregnant.  The good news is that working with me you will get a comprehensive evalution and treatment program to ensure you get your  body back into top form.  Pregnancy changes our posture, breathing, abdominal wall, pelvic floor, bladder, bowels and sex life.  I can help you recover all of these things!

What should your postpartum recovery program look like and include?  Pelvic floor PT help you get your body back and return to an active life!

  • Check you for a diastasis recti abdominus and develop a program of recovery from this
  • Evaluate and treat every muscle of your pelvic floor to determine how each one is working and to get each one to come back to function.
  • Teach you how to recover optimal breathing function, which was disrupted when you were pregnant and the baby moved your diaphragm.  Recovering breathing is crucial to recovering your pelvic floor function.
  • Take you through a progressive exercise program to restore your pelvic floor strength, coordination, function and speed.
  • Address your posture, especially increased midback hunch, tight shoulders, forward head and tilted pelvis.  Pregnancy changes your fascia and postural alignment and we look at this and help you correct it.
  • Optimize your pelvic organ suppport, a very important part of addressing pelvic organ prolapse
  • Strengthen your back and abdominals so you can confidently lift your baby and everything else you need to lift.
  • Get you back to higher level activities including jumping, skipping and running.

Research confirms that exercise and hands-on care for pregnant women can help their low back pain

Exercise (any exercise on land or in water), may reduce pregnancy‐related low‐back pain and any exercise improves functional disability and reduces sick leave more than usual prenatal care. Evidence from single studies suggests that acupuncture or craniosacral therapy improves pregnancy‐related pelvic pain, and osteomanipulative therapy or a multi‐modal intervention (manual therapy, exercise and education) may also be of benefit.

https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD001139.pub4/full#:~:text=minor%20and%20transient.-,Authors’%20conclusions,more%20than%20usual%20prenatal%20care.

Pregnancies and a live baby were hard to come by in my experience.

I was one of the healthiest people I knew.  I was fit and active.  I was a physical therapist and knew how to help women through their pregnancy.  I had a regular cycle and zero clue that becoming a mother would take years of tears, pregnancy losses, hopelessness and digging in.  I had to discover wholistic ways to facilitate fertility, I had to work on stress/mind/body/spirit.  I had to call on my faith to get us through this.  I did just about everything under the sun to facilitate becoming a mother.  If you have experienced infertility you know what I’m talking about.  Yep, I did everything.  Everything.

My postpartum experience wasn’t so peachy, either.  I had to do extensive pelvic floor PT, abdominal wall recovery and rebuilding my strength and conditioning.

In my first 30 days postpartum I had emergency surgeries and spent ten hellish days in the hospital.  My family was amazing and scared to death for me.  It is not an exaggeration to say it looked like I wasn’t going to make it.  The will got drawn up in the hospital bed and the priest came.  It was a serious and dangerous and God-awful experience.  I had two kids under two years old who were not allowed at the hospital.  My family and friends were amazing and provided around the clock care for our kids, with my husband shuttling between the hospital and the two locations where our kids were staying.  My family wanted to touch base with me or my husband each hour to see how I was doing, because it seemed to change rapidly and would go downhill fast.  We were desperate to get me stable, but the roller coaster had begun and it was decidedly out of control.  And, remember, I was one of the healthiest people I knew!  I was an athlete, super healthy eater, had come to pregnancy after completing years of wholistic healing.  And. Still. It. All. Went. Wrong.  Until it went right!  Yay!  Eventually I stabilized and got to go home, exhausted and uncertain if I would be able to take care of our two kids.  And my body was a wreck.  My pelvic floor was a disaster (so many surgeries and my labor and delivery had done a number on me), my abdominal wall had a huge diastasis recti abdominus, all of my body muscles had atrophied.  I remember looking at my calves when I was in the hospital and shedding a tear at how atrophied they became.  It happened so quickly, over a matter of two weeks.  My OBGyne  said “well, you’ve lost all of your pregnancy weight and then some.”  And I remember replying “It is all atrophy.  I will weight lift and get it back.”  And I did.  It took a long time & a lot of discipline to recover my abdominal wall and pelvic floor and to get strong again.  But I did it, with the help of pelvic PT and my clinical background in how to take a woman through a safe and progressive postpartum recovery program.

Now you know a bit about how I got to be the person I am today.   I have been through an epic pregnancy and postpartum recovery and found a path forward that is authentically grateful, happy, strong and whole!  And I offer this wisdom and understanding to my patients.  I know  my patient’s pregnancy and postpartum experiences feel like a huge challenge to them.  May feel overwhelming.  May feel hopeless, like you are stuck with urinary incontinence or a “mommy pooch.”  I am proof positive that this is not the case.

Working with individuals who are experiencing pregnancy or are postpartum is a calling for me!  I love it!

I offer these women an insight, grace, clinical expertise, understanding and joyfulness for their pregnancy.  I had to complete intensive postpartum PT recovery.  Because of the nature of my labor and delivery and postpartum complications I had serious work to do to recover my pelvic floor, abdominal wall, strength, conditioning and function.  I did the hard work.  And, I know the commitment it takes to reach your goals.  It doesn’t happen overnight and it takes real insight and expertise to provide postpartum pelvic health physical therapy to a woman.  It is an honor to work with women who are pregnant and postpartum.

I have advanced training in providing pregnant and postpartum women pelvic floor PT and designing a postpartum recovery fitness program.

And my training dates back to the 1990s!  So, I’ve been studying and treating pregnancy and postpartum recovery for more than 2 decades!  Many pregnant women come to me experiencing miserable pelvic pain.  It might be their SI joint hurts, or their pubic bones are grinding everytime they move their leg, or they cannot roll in bed without back pain.  Or it might be that they are experiencing urinary incontinence or pelvic floor muscle spasms or a diastasis recti.  I can help all of these conditions!  How lucky am I?  It is truly an honor to help women during their pregnancy and postpartum periods.

I offer compassionate, patient-focused wholistic treatment for people who are suffering from pelvic conditions!  Are you interested in addressing your postpartum recovery?  Call Today for Information on our Program.

Continue reading →

SI Joint Treatment in Grand Rapids

Do You Need Expert SI Joint Treatment in Grand Rapids?  Are you looking for more than run-of-the-mill care that doesn’t work?

We offer comprehensive SI joint treatment right here in Grand Rapids, so you can finally feel better again.

We offer expert care to evaluate and treat your SI joint and pelvic condition.

At Purple Mountain Physical Therapy we have more than 20 years’ experience helping people overcome SIJ problems.  We treat individuals with SI joint issues who often have already been to other providers and still hurt.  Many of our patients are pregnant and worried that they may not be able to walk or function in their third trimester.  Give us a call if you know you need high quality care!

You Need Comprehensive SI Joint and Pelvic Care that Includes Evaluation and Treatment of Your Pelvic Floor Muscles

Did you know that your piriformis muscle, which many people who have SI Joint problems are familiar with, is part of your pelvic floor?  There are additional pelvic floor muscles, also, that influence your SI joint.  That’s why our treatment program will check these muscles for you and determine if they are problematic. We find that SI joint problems rarely are happening in isolation.  Some people with SI joint dysfunction also experience hip pain or bladder control problems. We’ve found some of our patients also have gluteal tendinopathy, a separate tendinitis condition, going on at the same time as SI joint dysfunction. We will figure this out with you and develop a customized treatment program for you.

We Provide You A Detailed & Comprehensive Evaluation and Treatment Plan That is Probably Different than You’ve Had Before!

SI joint pain can be debilitating and we offer a comprehensive treatment program that helps move you forward.  Your SI joint problem is in your pelvis, which is our expertise! Our comprehensive care includes assessment and treatment of the SI joint, hips, pubic bones, low back and all associated muscles, nerves, tendons and ligaments, including the pelvic floor muscles.  Pregnant women, we’ve got you covered!  We know how to help you navigate SI joint dysfunction, pelvic girdle pain and low back pain.

The Importance of a Proper SI Joint Evaluation

Research and years of experience have taught us that there are specific tests and measures that need to be done to evaluate an individual with SI joint dysfunction.  We will evaluate your joints and your muscles, as well as your ligaments, fascia and nerves.   We look at your posture and alignment, from your feet to your knees and hips upto your shoulders and neck.

Your muscle spasms, tightness and misalignment will improve

By providing a combination of specific, graduated exercises and advanced manual therapy methods to optimize alignment, reduce trigger points and muscle guarding we help you feel better.  We don’t just tell you to stretch it out!  In fact, many of our patients have been told to stretch their problem, which can aggravate an SI joint condition when not done carefully.  By restoring your boney alignment, using methods that balance your pelvis and SI joint, you will feel things are in place again!  Addressing underlying pelvic floor muscular problems is sadly often overlooked, but is necessary to recover from SI joint dysfunction. A typical patient with SI Joint Dysfunction comes to us with a considerable amount of pelvic floor dysfunction.  Once we treat these muscles, in conjunction with everything else provided, the condition will begin to heal.

For more information on SIJ physical therapy, here is an article that may be of interest https://www.choosept.com/symptomsconditionsdetail/physical-therapy-guide-to-sacroiliac-joint-dysfunction

If you are suffering from SIJ syndrome and are frustrated with lack of progress, come give us a try.  We want to make sure we are a good fit for you, so call us at 616-516-4334 to get your questions answered.  We promise to give you expert, compassionate care that is designed to help you feel better!

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT

Pelvic Pain PT in Grand Rapids

We provide quality and effective pelvic pain PT in Grand Rapids!

End your suffering!  Get answers today!  You have found the right place!

Not all pelvic pain physical therapy is the same.  You are not a run of the mill person and your condition is not run of the mill.   If you have pelvic pain and you want to end your suffering, you need results and expertise!  That’s what we offer.

What sets Purple Mountain Physical Therapy apart when we treat pelvic pain? 

–We care about you in exceptional ways!  From the first moment when you meet us, you will feel the difference!  We offer the opportunity to discuss your condition with our staff, often with our physical therapist, before you come to an appointment.  Our pledge is that from day one you will feel supported, acknowledged and confident that you are in expert hands!  We take care of you and you will feel this care. Our pelvic pain PT in Grand Rapids is a comprehensive program that is focused on helping you to feel better!

–We understand pelvic pain!  We have studied it for over 20 years.  We have traveled around the country to attend professional conferences specific to healing pelvic pain.  We have completed extensive and continuous education in pelvic pain physical therapy techniques, pelvic pain rehabilitation, chronic pelvic pain, myofascial pain syndrome, pelvic floor dysfunction, endometriosis, chronic prostatitis, interstitial cystitis, Pudendal neuralgia, trigger point pain, pain neuroscience and more.  This is so we can offer you the best!  Ever feel like your provider has never seen your problem before?  That will not be the case when you are treated by us.

–Your evaluation will be more comprehensive than you ever could have imagined!  We conduct an evaluation that is unlike anything you’ve had before.  We use our clinical expertise to pinpoint what we need to assess.  We will assess your many nerves, muscles, joints, organs, blood vessels, skin and fascia so that we know exactly what needs to be treated.   If you need pelvic pain PT in Grand Rapids, you can count on receiving comprehensive and quality care at Purple Mountain Physical Therapy.  Contact us to learn more.

–We ask you what your goals are, and our treatment focuses on you achieving them! You are here to get better!  We want your future life to be painfree, active and achieving all of your goals. Goal setting is an important part of recovery from chronic pain and we will design your treatment program to allow you to achieve your goals.  Our plan of care teaches you self-care, exercise, behavioral changes and other important things you can do to feel better.  To learn more about goal setting and self-care, here’s a good resource:

https://painguide.com/pain-care/

–We educate you about your condition and what you can do to feel better!  We have devoted our career to learning how to treat chronic pelvic pain.  When we work with you, we are educating you on what we are finding, why this is a problem, what we see has changed from the last visit and where we expect you to be heading going forward.  Our knowledge is based in clinical expertise and in having treated people just like you for over 20 years.  We are like a trusted guide who can help you get to your destination.  Our patients tell us this, alone, helps decrease their anxiety around their uncontrolled pain.

In our next article we will discuss some of the features of our pelvic pain physical therapy program so you can learn more about what sets our approach apart from the rest!

To learn more about our pelvic pain PT in Grand Rapids, call us at 616-516-4334.  We would be happy to answer your questions and determine if we are a good fit to help you end your suffering.

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT  Doctor of Physical Therapy specializing in pelvic health.

Contact us