Celebrate Local: Elise Umbarger, PT, DPT
Welcome to my “Local Highlights” Blog! As a doula, an amazing part of my job is to not only provide my clients with the information needed for them to make informed decisions, but to connect them with professionals with the skills and knowledge to make those decisions a reality
. If you have taken any of my classes, you will know that building a fully supportive birth team is at the core of my practice. There are so many, extremely unique, and wonderful people filled with passion for every step of your birth journey, right here in the KC Metro Area! Today, I would like to introduce you to one of them, Elise Umbarger, PT, DPT.
Elise Umbarger is a physical therapist at Preferred Physical Therapy in Lenexa KS, specializing in pelvic floor PT. According to their website, their pelvic floor PTs are trained to treat a whole slew of pelvic floor dysfunction, including prolapse, urinary incontinence, chronic pelvic plain, and erectile dysfunction. When writing about her work, Elise claims, “The urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, back pain, and painful intercourse are common but not normal, and they can be fixed! Pelvic floor physical therapists have many tools in their box and can help you.”
Elise has always been physically active, participating in various sports while growing up in western Shawnee and as a member of the track and field team at the University of Kansas as a thrower (despite hating running). It was in college that Elise learned the importance of correct body movement during exercise, which translated into her taking her physical therapy training at KU Medical Center.
“I strive to provide care that is engaging, energetic, and ever changing . . . The phrase I hear most often in my office is “I didn’t even know you could do PT for that.” Then the next question is, “so my symptoms can get better?” The answer is typically always, yes.”
Elise and her husband, Austin, love to exercise together, though Elise has never developed a love for cardio (who can blame her) and focuses more on weight lifting. She is driven and goal oriented, working to improve herself just as she does her patients. For example, when Elise set the goal for herself to do a pull-up on the morning of her 30th birthday, she was able to do two in a row!
Elise is certified in Astym therapy, as are many of her coworkers, two of which also preform dry needling. She strives to consistently change up her therapy, using complementary exercises to keep your sessions engaging while getting you to your goals.
When asked if she and co-worker Addie Long would be interested in presenting her knowledge to another local organization, KC Women’s Ministry, they leapt at the chance! KCWM is a non-profit group of doulas and volunteers providing birth services and education to women in the KC Metro Area. To further that purpose, they hold an Enrichment once a month, helping to educate both their own doulas and the public on topics related to pregnancy, early postpartum, and a healthy life. Click the link above to learn about future Enrichments!
Doulas are right with our clients, learning their aches, pains, and pregnancy related dysfunctions. Getting women in to work with physical therapists early is very important for their healing, making doulas a huge potential asset, connecting our clients with needed pelvic floor therapists. Elise and Addie taught us key phrases and questions to listen for in our clients while pregnant that may signal a need for pelvic therapy, such as
“What can I do for this leg pain?”
“What can I do to keep my stomach muscles from separating like my last pregnancy?” or
“My lower back is killing me!”
and situations after giving birth, such as back labor, episiotomy, vaginal tearing, C-section, etc.
To view the full video, join the KC Women’s Ministry’s Members group on Facebook, then click here!
Elise absolutely loves her work in the niche of pelvic physical therapy and is incredibly passionate about the success stories she has been blessed to be a part of! She explains it like this, “There are muscles that are dysfunctional in some way, soft tissue becomes tight from scars or other sources of tension, and it creates weakness or an overactive pelvic floor that causes the patient’s issues. Getting these muscles to function correctly can take time, but the sooner we start intervention with a patient, the better.”
If you want to learn more about Elise’s work or book an appointment, click here!
Or call 913-492-0333
As always, thank you for reading and God Bless!
