Your SoftWave Therapy Questions, Answered

While Softwave is a much faster and less “invasive” treatment method than acupuncture (appointments are only 15 mins long, compared to an hour) it does not have the added benefits of being able to treat the nervous system (stress, anxiety, emotional regulation) or internal health in the way that acupuncture does. Acupuncture can also treat things like pain, stress, and internal issues all at the same time.

Softwave: for Faster Healing & Pain-Free Living

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Beyond the Pelvic Floor: How Acupuncture and Integrative Care Support Healing

Our favorite thing to do at BPHAC? Helping you feel great in your body again!
Our next favorite thing? When our acupuncturists and physical therapists can collaborate on your care, bringing you results from multiple areas of expertise.

Many of our patients benefit from the multidisciplinary nature of our clinic by having an acupuncturist, physical therapist, and massage therapist on our team. We are strong believers in the benefits of having more than one pair of eyes on an issue, and multiple tools in your toolbox.

Combining acupuncture and physical therapy care can be exactly what is needed to address pain, whether something long term & stubborn, or something new that has just reared its head. These approaches combined also work wonders for prenatal and postpartum care; from helping you conceive and maintaining a healthy pregnancy, to preparing for labor/delivery and healing post-birth.

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese/East Asian medicine practice that involves inserting thin needles into specific points on the body. Traditionally, these points correspond to pathways and meridians in the body through which energy flows. Stimulating certain points along these pathways helps Qi, or the body’s natural energy, to restore and flow properly.

A more modern understanding of acupuncture takes into account the affect that stimulating these points and nerves in the body has a deep affect on the nervous system; bringing the body from “fight or flight” into “rest and digest” which allows the body’s natural healing to occur, while also improving blood flow and circulation, reducing inflammation, and cueing the brain to release endorphins.

While not totally free of sensation, acupuncture does not hurt. In fact, most people fall asleep on the table, and find the experience incredibly calming. The needles are thinner than a strand of hair and very flexible. The initial insertion feels like a fast and gentle pinch, which quickly fades. Acupuncture is safe and side-effect free, making it a great choice for those looking for a more natural way to regulate pain, stress, and improve their health.

Patients usually retain needles on the table anywhere from 30-50 minutes in a session. Additional elements like infrared heat, cupping, moxibustion, gua-sha, or herbs may be included in your session as well. Because acupuncture is a cumulative process, we encourage weekly treatments for your first 3-4 sessions. Some patients see immediate relief, while others need several sessions before feeling lasting results. After your first few, the frequency of sessions usually starts to space out farther apart. The cadence and frequency of treatments necessary will be determined between you and your practitioner, depending on what you are treating and how you are progressing.

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For those seeking care for pelvic floor related issues, acupuncture is an incredible option as well. We treat these things together daily in our clinic! Because of its ability to improve blood flow and reduce inflammation, acupuncture can help to get patients out of pain by treating the tissue, nerves, and nervous system, before starting to focus on strengthening and muscle coordination or muscle retraining with a physical therapist.

Acupuncture can help to regulate your body’s nervous system and hormonal health, all of which assists in the treatment of pain, muscle tension, menopause/perimenopause, urinary issues, digestion and constipation issues, pain with penetration and erectile dysfunction, and more.

Acupuncture can help you in your fertility journey, support you through pregnancy pains and morning sickness, help ease anxiety and postpartum depression, and even help flip breech babies and induce labor. Meanwhile, your pelvic floor physical therapist can help ensure you have the exercises, stretches and breathing techniques to ease you into a healthy birth, then help your body heal and strengthen after delivery.

In addition to pelvic health, having an acupuncturist on your team can make a world of difference for your health. Acupuncture can treat virtually every part of the body; so if your pelvic floor pain and incontinence issues resolve, but next you’re hit with seasonal allergies or stress-related headaches, you know exactly who to call next.

Together, your acupuncturist and your physical therapist can help address pain and postural imbalances that may be contributing to your chronic neck, back, and hip discomfort. Not to mention headaches, jaw pain, shoulders, knees and toes, too 🙂

Our practitioners deeply understand how the whole body is interconnected and works together, not as separate parts, and bring that level of understanding to every treatment.

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How does this work? What do I book first? Am I seen by both doctors at once?

We require all patients new to our clinic to be seen first for an Initial Assessment. If you’re not sure if acupuncture, physical therapy, or Softwave is the best place to start for you, please reach out to inquire! Our office staff will consult with our providers to try and find the best starting point for you.

If you’re really not sure, oftentimes we highly recommend first coming in for a course of acupuncture treatments. Because acupuncture works internally and so directly with the nervous system, it is an great starting point for a vast array of issues, and has the benefit of being able to treat multiple concerns at once.

If your practitioner at BPHAC refers you to acupuncture or physical therapy to begin working from a different approach, we will set you up with another Initial Assessment to start within this new discipline. The Initial Visit for each unique discipline is an important step in transferring and collaborating on care. It allows your New Doc to have ample time to go through all your history, progress, and goals, while diving into this new aspect of your treatment without being rushed.

Appointments at BPHAC are always 1:1 between you and the practitioner you are seeing. Because each treatment plan is as unique as the individual receiving it, sometimes collaborative care looks like a person alternating back and forth between seeing their acupuncturist and their physical therapist.

It can also look like seeing an acupuncturist for several sessions before switching over to focus on physical therapy for a few visits (or vice versa, of course). It may also just look like your practitioner consulting with one of their colleagues who specializes in another area on your case, with your permission.

Either way, your practitioner will always make use of the fact that at BPHAC, we have the benefit of multiple approaches and specializations under one roof, bringing you the best care possible.

Taking Charge of Your Recovery – Lifestyle Tips for Pelvic Health


Understanding Pelvic Health: The Hidden Key to Your Comfort & Confidence

Everyone has a pelvic floor. We can help you give it the care and attention it deserves.

What exactly is the pelvic floor?

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and connective tissues located at the bottom of the pelvis, supporting organs such as the bladder, uterus, and rectum.  Everyone has a pelvic floor and these muscles play a crucial role in posture, controlling urinary and bowel functions, as well as sexual health in all genders.

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We understand how personal and life altering these struggles can be. They can feel like anything from confusing annoyances, or massive, life changing issues, or anything in between. Our pelvic floor specialists want you to know that you are not broken, and that help is absolutely possible. We’re here to support and educate you about your body, in a shame-free environment that values your privacy.


Meet BPHAC: Your Partner in Pelvic Health & Whole-Body Wellness

We treat with a variety of modalities, including; acupuncture / East Asian Medicine, physical therapy (both orthopedic and pelvic floor), Softwave (Shockwave) Therapy, massage therapy, and more.

  • Personalized: Everyone’s experiences are unique and we work with you to develop a custom plan to best address your individual needs and lifestyle.
  • Holistic: We take an integrated approach to wellness that accounts for the functioning of our minds, bodies, and environments. 
  • Compassionate: This is a new approach to healthcare where nothing is dismissed, concerns are respected, and everyone is welcome.

Understanding this part of our bodies is an integral part of supporting your whole health. Our practitioners are experts in helping to educate and treat you in a shame-free, trauma-informed, and supportive environment.

While we specialize in the pelvic floor and are experts in treating pelvic floor dysfunction, we also absolutely treat the whole body! Rest assured, you can come to us for support on any issue you are facing.


Understanding Constipation and How Pelvic Floor Therapy Can Help

Understanding Constipation and How Pelvic Floor Therapy Can Help

Constipation is more than just infrequent bowel movements—it’s a condition that often includes straining, hard stools, or a feeling of incomplete emptying. While diet, hydration, and exercise are crucial for bowel health, many people overlook the role of their pelvic floor muscles in this common issue.

How Does the Pelvic Floor Affect Constipation?

Your pelvic floor muscles play a key role in controlling bowel movements. If these muscles are too tight (hypertonic) or uncoordinated, they can make it difficult to relax and pass stool. This is known as dyssynergic defecation, a common but often overlooked cause of constipation.

How Can Pelvic Floor Therapy Help?

Pelvic floor physical therapy offers a tailored approach to relieving constipation:

  • Muscle Relaxation: Therapists use manual techniques to release tight pelvic floor muscles.
  • Biofeedback: Learn to coordinate your pelvic muscles properly during bowel movements.
  • Education and Strategies: Discover better bowel habits, posture, and breathing techniques for easier elimination.

Takeaway

If constipation is affecting your daily life, pelvic floor therapy may provide the relief you need. A trained therapist can help restore proper muscle function, improving both your comfort and bowel health.

Don’t let constipation hold you back—take the first step toward feeling better today!

Get help with managing constipation. Start treatment today with one of our compassionate and skilled practitioners. Book online here!

Learn more about how pelvic floor therapy works and what it can treat here

Understanding the Overlap Between Back Pain and Urinary Issues: How Pelvic Physical Therapists Bridge the Gap

Understanding the Overlap Between Back Pain and Urinary Issues: How Pelvic Physical Therapists Bridge the Gap

Back pain and urinary issues often seem like unrelated concerns. Back pain may conjure thoughts of strained muscles or herniated discs, while urinary issues may point to bladder or pelvic dysfunction. However, these two conditions frequently intersect due to the body’s complex musculoskeletal and nervous system connections. Pelvic physical therapists (PTs), who are also trained as orthopedic PTs, are uniquely equipped to address this overlap.

The Connection Between Back Pain and Urinary Dysfunction

The pelvis and spine share critical anatomical and functional relationships. The pelvic floor muscles, which play a key role in urinary control, are intricately linked to the lumbar spine, sacrum, and hip joints. When one area is dysfunctional, it can directly or indirectly impact the other.

Here are some common scenarios:

  1. Nerve Involvement: The lumbar and sacral spinal nerves (particularly the pudendal nerve) control pelvic floor function. A herniated disc or lumbar stenosis may compress these nerves, causing both back pain and urinary symptoms such as urgency, frequency, or leakage.
  2. Muscle Imbalances: Chronic low back pain often leads to compensatory muscle patterns, which can overburden or weaken the pelvic floor. This may result in incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse.
  3. Postural Changes: Poor posture, whether from prolonged sitting or injury, can misalign the pelvis and lumbar spine. This alignment issue can stress the bladder or pelvic floor muscles, creating urinary symptoms.
  4. Stress and Tension: Stress-related conditions such as pelvic floor hypertonicity can manifest as both low back pain and bladder discomfort, as the pelvic floor muscles are in constant overdrive.

The Role of Pelvic Physical Therapists in Treating the Overlap

Pelvic PTs are uniquely qualified because they are also trained in orthopedic physical therapy principles. This dual expertise enables them to assess and treat both the musculoskeletal and visceral aspects of pain and dysfunction.

Comprehensive Evaluation

Pelvic PTs take a holistic approach to understand the root cause of your symptoms. They assess:

  • Spinal mobility and alignment
  • Pelvic floor muscle function (strength, endurance, and coordination)
  • Posture and gait patterns
  • Core stability and breathing mechanics

Tailored Treatment Plans

Treatment often involves a combination of techniques, such as:

  • Manual Therapy: To release tight muscles, improve joint mobility, and address fascial restrictions.
  • Pelvic Floor Training: Strengthening or relaxing the pelvic floor as needed to restore balance.
  • Core Stabilization Exercises: Targeting deep abdominal and back muscles to support the spine and pelvis.
  • Neuromuscular Re-education: Retraining the brain and body to work together more effectively.
  • Behavioral Modifications: Guidance on bladder habits, posture, and ergonomics to prevent recurrence.

Why Choose a Pelvic PT for Back and Urinary Issues?

While many orthopedic PTs can treat back pain, not all are trained to address the nuanced relationship between the pelvis and urinary system. Pelvic PTs bridge this gap, offering a unique skill set that can address both conditions simultaneously, reducing the time to recovery and improving overall quality of life.

If you’re experiencing back pain with urinary symptoms, you don’t have to manage them separately. A pelvic PT can provide the specialized care you need to uncover the connections and restore your health holistically.


Ready to take the next step?
If you’re dealing with overlapping back pain and urinary concerns, consult our pelvic physical therapists to regain control of your body and comfort in your life.

Are Your Ab Workouts Working? Ask Your Back! 

Are Your Ab Workouts Working? Ask Your Back! 


When most people think about strengthening their core to protect their back, they picture endless crunches, sit-ups, or other abdominal exercises. While these moves might make your abs burn, they don’t necessarily provide the support your back needs. In fact, they can sometimes do more harm than good if not paired with proper form and functional stability practices. 

To truly manage back pain and develop a functional core, it’s time to focus on what really works: understanding neutral spine and mastering stabilization.

The Myth of Ab Workouts and Back Protection

Abdominal exercises often target just the 6 pack abs. While these muscles are important for many movements of the spine, they’re only part of the abdominal wall and only one piece of the “core”. Your core also includes deeper muscles like the transverse abdominis (your body’s natural corset), pelvic floor muscles, and spinal stabilizers and require the support from the pelvic muscles (aka gluteal muscles). 

Signs that you are not engaging your deep core system: 

  1. A Pooch even though you do a ton of abs. This is not a sign of a fat stomach. This is the sign of serious muscle imbalance 
  2. Your back hurts and it’s not getting better. Easy. If your back hurts, you’re doing it wrong! 
  3. Your single leg balance either stinks OR you have to hike a hip or lean back to stand on leg. Believe me, this is one of the biggest tellers of stable spine. 
  4. Your hips click like crazy during your ab workouts. This, my friends, is the sign that your midline cannot move your leg through space. Our legs our heavy and when it clicks, there are little micromovements happening instead of spinal stability. 

The Real Key: Neutral Spine and Stabilization

The secret to a functional core lies in achieving and maintaining a neutral spine—a position where the natural curves of your spine are in alignment. This is the posture that allows your core muscles to engage properly and support your back during movement.

Stabilization exercises train the entire core to work as a team to support your spine and pelvis, whether you’re sitting, lifting, or twisting. This functional strength is what prevents injuries and reduces strain on the back.

Stabilization Exercises to Try

Watch more on The Portal

Bottom Line

Protecting your back isn’t about how many crunches you can do; it’s about building functional strength through stabilization and maintaining a neutral spine. When your core muscles work together to support your spine, you’ll feel stronger, move better, and finally kick back pain to the curb.

Ready to trade crunches for real results? Focus on stabilization by utilizing our Portal tools and your back won’t lie! 

Looking to fine tune your strength and mobility? Start treatment today with one of our compassionate and skilled physical therapists. Book online here!

The Truth about Kegels

The Truth about Kegels

Kegels have long been touted as the go-to exercise for pelvic floor health, especially for people dealing with issues like incontinence or postpartum recovery. While they can help isolate and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, Kegels alone often fall short of delivering true functional benefits.

Why? Because our bodies don’t operate in isolation. For your pelvic floor to function optimally, it needs to work in harmony with your entire core and adapt to the dynamic movements of daily life. Without this integration, Kegels can become an exercise in futility.

The Problem with Kegels

  1. Lack of Functional Application:
    Kegels focus on contracting and releasing the pelvic floor muscles, but this movement rarely mirrors real-life demands. Your pelvic floor isn’t just called upon when you’re sitting still; it’s working when you lift, squat, walk, and breathe.
  2. Over-Isolation of Muscles:
    By isolating the pelvic floor without addressing its relationship with surrounding muscles (like the diaphragm, deep core, and glutes), you risk creating imbalances. Overly tight or weak pelvic floor muscles can lead to dysfunction, just like any other muscle in the body.
  3. Failure to Address Coordination:
    The pelvic floor works as part of a team. It should naturally contract and relax in response to movement and changes in intra-abdominal pressure (like when you sneeze or lift something heavy). Kegels don’t train this coordination, which is essential for functional pelvic health.

The Functional Alternative

To truly improve pelvic floor function, exercises must integrate the pelvic floor into whole-body movements. Here’s how:

  1. Link the Pelvic Floor to Breathing:
    Your pelvic floor and diaphragm are closely connected. Practicing diaphragmatic breathing can help you engage the pelvic floor naturally during inhalation and exhalation, training it to respond to pressure changes.
  2. Incorporate Functional Movements:
    Exercises like squats, lunges, and deadlifts—when performed with proper alignment and core engagement—naturally involve the pelvic floor. These moves train the pelvic floor to support your body during the activities you perform daily.
  3. Focus on Stability and Coordination:
    Exercises like bird dogs, bridges, and planks can help integrate the pelvic floor into larger movement patterns, ensuring it works cohesively with other muscles.

Final Thoughts

Kegels aren’t inherently bad—they’re just not the whole story. Isolating the pelvic floor can be a useful first step for some, especially in early stages of rehab. But if you want lasting results and improved function, you need to think bigger.

Train your pelvic floor to move and respond as part of a coordinated system, and you’ll not only strengthen this critical muscle group but also improve your overall movement and quality of life.

Say goodbye to endless Kegels and hello to functional movement for true pelvic floor health!

Your care and wellbeing matters. Learn more about Pelvic Floor care at BPHAC here!