Please help us welcome Irene Hernández, MS, PT to our pelvic health team. Irene is a physical therapist specializing in pelvic physical therapy. She received her Physical Therapy degree in Spain, from Universidad Europea de Madrid, and her postgraduate degree in Urogynecological Physical Therapy from Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha in Spain. She is also a trainer and educator in the use of Indiba Indiba Radio Frequency for pelvic physical therapy. 

As a result of this diverse set of educational and professional influences, Irene has developed an approach to physical therapy, and in particular, to pelvic physical therapy, that can be summarized in these principles

• Emphasis on Clinical Reasoning: an ongoing appraisal of patient input to drive a targeted therapy: pelvic physical therapy presents with complex challenges and requires continuous revision of therapeutic targets.
• The pairing of classical pelvic PT interventions with technology to improve tissue health: cutting-edge ultrasound and EMG biofeedback, and Indiba radiofrequency.
• Awareness of the Body: “enhanced” with anatomical knowledge and Yoga and Somatics-inspired techniques to acquire refined body proprioception.

Irene started her professional life as a Software Engineer, accruing 15 years of experience in the field both in Spain and the USA. She graduated from a six-year program in Spain, in Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in 1993, and accumulated a total of 15 years of professional experience both in Spain as well as in the US. Difficulties with scoliosis, chronic back, and pelvic pain led her to explore therapeutic options for herself, becoming certified in Yoga in the Iyengar method and studying the Somatic body awareness method with Bonnie Bainbridge-Cohen. This knowledge ultimately crystallized her decision to become a physical therapist, and later to specialize in pelvic physical therapy. Irene’s approach marries her love of technology and algorithmic decision making with her understanding of the body from the standpoint of improved awareness and sensory experience. Irene enjoys incorporating Yoga and body-mind knowledge into the therapeutic process to help improve body awareness and understand how different factors such as activity, posture, emotions, etc. may cause or aggravate symptoms, and how to introduce therapeutic changes in daily life. She is also a Pilates instructor, a marathon runner, and an avid swimmer and specializes in athletes with pelvic dysfunction. 

If you’re tired of suffering from persistent pain, Sutton Place Physical and Aquatics Therapy can design a pain management plan that will help maximize your positive results - one that those around you can easily see. Let us help you be your best!

Why Getting PT First During COVID-19 Makes Sense

Because of the closures of physician's offices, stoppages of elective surgeries, and social distancing guidelines resulting from COVID-19, many people with pain or joint issues have had appointments or surgeries delayed. If you're one of them and you haven't scheduled an in-person or Telehealth appointment with us yet, you should. Here are some reasons why:

Early PT leads to better outcomes

Studies have shown that people who receive PT sooner have better outcomes, lower costs, are less likely to have surgery, use opioids or have unnecessary testing. Because back pain is so common, there is a lot of outcome data from people with back pain.  A study of 150,000 insurance claims published in Health Services Research, found that those who saw a physical therapist at the first point of care had an 89 percent lower probability of receiving an opioid prescription, a 28 percent lower probability of having advanced imaging services, and a 15 percent lower probability of an emergency department visit. Unfortunately, only 2% of people with back pain start with PT, and only 7% get to PT within 90 days.

Early PT saves money

The rising cost of healthcare is well known and early PT is something that has been shown to reduce costs without reducing the effectiveness of treatment. A study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy showed that patients who obtained physical therapy via direct access had significantly lower medical costs—an average of $1,543 less per patient than those who chose referral from a physician. They also had significantly fewer visits and spent significantly fewer days in care.

Surgery may not be as effective as you think

Many patients look to surgery as the fix for their pain, but surgeries aren't always as effective as patients believe. A large study looking at worker’s comp patients with back pain found that people who have surgery have a 1 in 4 chance of having a repeat surgery, a 1 in 3 chance of a major complication, and a 1 in 3 chance of never returning to work again. Recent large studies of arthroscopic surgeries for meniscal tears have shown no difference in outcomes between people who have surgery and those who don't. Other procedures with questionable effectiveness include kyphoplasty, vertebroplasty, and injections for nonspecific back pain.

So, if you were planning on seeing your PCP or a specialist for an orthopedic condition or pain and you haven't seen one of our physical therapists yet, please consider making Sutton Place Physical and Aquatic Therapy your first stop.  Whether you choose to come to our clinic or see our team via our virtual visit telehealth option, you could end up getting better faster for less money and you might avoid riskier treatments like opioids or surgery.