Sam Arrow, PT, DPT
Visit types: Office/Hospital/At home
Spoken languages: English
Interpreting services for other languages: No
Philosophy of care and typical treatment strategies: First and foremost, my goal is to educate patients on how their body functions and how they can self treat their pelvic floor dysfunction. I will always be available to them but since endo is a chronic condition, they may need to step away from therapy for periods of time and I want them to have the tools they need to do it confidently. I incorporate internal and external manual therapy to address muscle tension (visceral mobilization, scar tissue massage and myofascial release), gentle therapeutic activities such as diaphragmatic breathing, perineal bulging and yoga-type stretches, dietary changes, tool assisted pelvic floor muscle stretching (dilators, wand), constipation management, relaxation exercises that help the patient reconnect with their pelvic floor and build awareness and pelvic floor muscle coordination. Every person is different and will have different needs, so I get the patient’s history and behavior of symptoms and address what we find in our visits. I may also address fluid intake, toileting, incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse as needed. I often am assisting to coordinate care by recommending Drs who I trust in Phoenix and helping patients learn to self advocate. I strive to create an environment that is safe and affirming for my patients, I am trauma-informed.
Jennifer Keesee, PT, DPT
Visit types: Office/Hospital
Spoken languages: English
Interpreting services for other languages: No
Philosophy of care and typical treatment strategies:I embrace a holistic approach when working with patients with endometriosis, acknowledging that each patient’s needs and goals are unique to the individual. Some specific techniques I regularly use include myofascial release, trigger point release, neuromuscular re-education, therapeutic exercise, yoga, guided meditation, breathing techniques.
Kimberly Buonomo, PT, DPT
Visit types: Office/Hospital;Virtual
Spoken languages: English
Interpreting services for other languages: No
Philosophy of care and typical treatment strategies: I take a comprehensive and individualized approach to treating patients with endometriosis. I primarily focus on manual therapy using myofascial release and connective tissue mobilization to reduce pain, but also use physical activity to improve a patient’s pain free function including addressing any range of motion or strength deficits that are negatively affecting their ability to function. Depending on the patient’s specific needs and goals, we may also be working to manage constipation, reduce pelvic floor muscle tension, or improve their ability to coordinate the muscles around their pelvis in order to improve their ability to participate in appropriate physical activities and reduce symptoms (such as tai chi or yoga). A comprehensive evaluation will help us determine each patient’s specific goals, which we will discuss and update regularly. Treatment includes an ongoing conversation where we review how each previous session went, and use that information to plan our new goals and treatment ideas moving forward.
I am mindful of concurring conditions often seen in patients with endometriosis, such as Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, etc. and while I do not treat these specifically as a physical therapist, I understand the impact that these conditions can make as part of the big picture when treating a patient comprehensively and encourage them to seek care with specialists when appropriate. I collaborate with local specialists including gynecologists, gynecological surgeons, GI, urologists, nutritionists, naturopaths, etc. and believe that we all work together to provide the best care for our patients, addressing all of their needs.
Giselle Roedel, PT, DPT
Visit types: Office/Hospital;Virtual
Spoken languages: English
Interpreting services for other languages: Yes
Philosophy of care and typical treatment strategies: Biopsychosocial approach to care including myofascial release, movement education, general health and nutrition as it relates to hormone health and self care to achieve desired level of function in all aspects of life
Lauren Barlow, PRPC, PT, DPT
Visit types: Office/Hospital
Spoken languages: English
Interpreting services for other languages: Yes
Philosophy of care and typical treatment strategies:
Lauren Barlow, PT, DPT is a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic health. She has a passion for working with all genders with pelvic floor dysfunction (bladder, bowel, and sexual health), to regain empowerment in vital functions and intimacies of life, and to enhance the quality of life. She strives to provide patient-centred and individual patient care by obtaining a thorough medical history and a whole-body examination. A multidisciplinary medical team approach is utilized that can include physicians/surgeons, psychologists, nutritionists, etc. Some specialized treatments for those affected with endometriosis include visceral mobilization, myofascial release, joint mobilizations, biofeedback for up-training and/or down-training, behavioral modification, and functional training. All treatments provided are based in research and maintain trauma-informed care.
Jordan Alnemer, PT, DPT
Visit types: Office/Hospital
Spoken languages: English
Interpreting services for other languages: No
Philosophy of care and typical treatment strategies: As a pelvic floor physical therapist, I have been trained in visceral (uterus/ovaries, bladder, and colon) mobilization, myofascial release, fertility considerations, and pelvic tissue mobilization (internal and external treatment). My treatment philosophy is to work with the patient to reach their goals. I can work as a guide to get people where they need to be while providing education and expertise along the way. My treatment philosophy is very hands-on, with instruction for pain/symptom management techniques. I strive to provide optimal care of those who have endometriosis, regardless of how far along they are in their treatment process.
Melinda Fontaine, PT, DPT
Visit types: Office/Hospital;Virtual
Spoken languages: English
Interpreting services for other languages: No
Philosophy of care and typical treatment strategies: I approach each person’s care by looking at the whole person and what treatments or referrals may be helpful. I perform hands on myofascial release, some abdominal visceral mobilization, stretching, strengthening, coordination training, and breathing practice.
Molly Bachmann, PT, DPT, Birth Doula
Visit types: Office
Spoken languages: English
Interpreting services for other languages: No
Philosophy of care and typical treatment strategies: My philosophy of care is to provide trauma informed patient centered care always which typically means that my treatment plans are very individualized and are determined by the individual objective findings as well as goals for the patient. Interventions often include connective tissue mobilization, trigger point release, myofascial release, therapeutic exercise, neuromuscular re-education, diaphragmatic breathing practices, etc.
Melissa Patrick, PT, DPT
Visit types:Office/Hospital
Spoken languages: English, Spanish
Interpreting services for other languages: Yes
Philosophy of care and typical treatment strategies: My philosophy is to treat the person as a whole, I take all lifestyle factors into consideration to design a treatment plan that works for the patient. I treat with a variety of physical techniques including visceral mobilization, connective tissue release, myofascial release both internally and externally and dry needling. Additionally, I emphasize the mind body connection when working to heal pelvic pain. I use therapeutic yoga as a modality to improve autonomy and self management strategies for patients.
Emma Codman, PT, DPT
Visit types:Office/Hospital; At home; Virtual
Spoken languages: English
Interpreting services for other languages: No
Philosophy of care and typical treatment strategies: Emma’s interest in physical therapy began while she was training to be a classical ballet dancer. After sustaining several injuries, she was determined to understand how and why physical injuries occur and how they can be prevented. Her dance experiences resulted in her choosing to attend Northeastern University to earn a BS in Rehabilitation Sciences and a Doctorate of Physical Therapy.
While in school, Emma interned as a Rehabilitation Assistant at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. This is where she learned about the pelvic-health physical therapy specialty. She was drawn to this specialty because of the therapist’s ability to improve the patients’ quality of life for the long term.
In her final year at Northeastern, Emma was fortunate to be granted a clinical internship in pelvic health, where she received in-depth clinical training and completed her Herman & Wallace Level 1 Certification.
After completing her degrees, Emma moved to NYC to work at an outpatient physical therapy practice, treating both orthopedic and pelvic-health conditions. She continued her education, with Herman & Wallace, Barbell Medicine, and the Level Up Initiative. In 2021, Emma received her Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification through the Herman & Wallace Institute.
Emma is empathetic, caring, and easy to talk to. She is passionate about teaching her patients about their bodies and how they can impact their own health. Her goal is to empower patients to be confident in themselves throughout the healing process.
Anne Clifford, PT, DPT
Visit types: At Home
Spoken languages: English
Interpreting services for other languages: No
Philosophy of care and typical treatment strategies: My treatment philosophy often focuses on coordination and proper technique. I emphasize breath control, breath coordination with abdominals and pelvic floor, use of breath for relaxation and control of pain. I believe touch is important for both awareness of proper muscle activation, awareness, and in calming the sympathetic nervous system. I work on myofascial work through the pelvis, abdomen, and pelvic floor and include visceral mobilization as needed. I am pilates trained and incorporate pilates progressions through my core stabilization programming. I find that with endometriosis patients, as well as with other patients experiencing chronic pelvic/abdominal pain, it is important to empower them and provide them strategies for long-term management of their symptoms. I believe in teaching the patient to become their “own” physical therapist vs. seeking out a “fix” so they become a part of the treatment process.
Lila Bartkowski-Abbate, PT, DPT
Visit types: Office/Hospital
Spoken languages: English
Interpreting services for other languages: No
Philosophy of care and typical treatment strategies: Treatments can consist of joint mobilizations, soft tissue work, myofascial and trigger-point release, strain/counter-strain techniques, modalities for pain or tissue relaxation as well as re-education with computerized biofeedback up-training (strengthening) or down-training (relaxation). Real-time ultrasound is used for muscle imaging and instructional use to teach our patients how to control their muscles. We teach each patient a personalized home instruction program that can empower them to manage their own symptoms. Manual therapy for biomechanical pelvic positioning, osteopathic approach to all joints along with rib realignment, visceral mobilization, along with craniosacral therapy (if needed), internal vaginal and rectal pelvic floor muscle release to decrease muscle spasms to improve pain.
