Post-partum Physical therapist/Chiropractor/Ortho Recommendations
Hi everyone,
I gave birth almost four months ago and still have a lot of pubic bone/pelvic pain (gets especially bad at night). Icing helps a little bit but after this much time, I need to do something.
Do you know of any Post-partum Physical therapists, Chiropractors, and/or Orthopedic surgeons who have a track record of success or have helped you heal, are in network with anthem blue cross, and lean more on non-invasive, safe for baby, root cause finding, long-term fixes?
Thanks so much!
Jan 22, 2023
Parent Replies
I use Armene at Awaken Chiropractic on Grand - she was wonderful throughout both my pregnancies and I still see her regularly now. I have sent many of my friends postpartum who also swear by her!
Karen Hodges at Bayo Vista Physical Therapy helped me so much postpartum. Unfortunately they're not in-network with any insurance but if you have an FSA or HSA you can use those funds to cover it. https://bayovistapt.com/
Had EXCRUCIATING pubis symphysis dysfunction from 5.5 months of pregnancy onward, through delivery. Most of it relieved itself after delivery, but still had sharp pain for a good 4-5 mos postpartum. Put together the best combo care team through research and referrals that helped me manage my pelvic pain in pregnancy and re-build strength after. Do not have much pain at all now.
I will rank these in order of importance based on my experience treating my pelvic pain:
Physical therapy with whole-body approach: Karen Hodges at Bayo Vista Physical Therapy. She saved me. She is a private PT; I submitted super bills to my insurance directly.
Chiropractic: Awaken Oakland. Saw them during pregnancy and still see them today (have an appointment this afternoon). Love Dr. Armene Boatright. Cannot recommend enough. I was skeptical about how much this could help me, but after one visit Dr. Boatright was able to give me some relief, which kept me coming back.
Bodywork: Ereene at Bravebird Bodywork. Wonderful during and after pregnancy. Still see her now. She releases the following month's availability on the first of every month; online booking. Great for massage and relaxation; not a pelvic "fix" per se, but great in concert with physical therapy.
Orthopedic surgeon: Cal Sports. Have found them to be great, but super hard to get into. I have been covered with them on both Aetna and Blue Shield PPO over the years. I have long-standing knee issues (20+ years with 3 surgeries) so I only saw them re: my pelvis because I was already there for hyaluronic acid injections in my knee. They did an x-ray of my pelvis in-office (everything was fine) and later an MRI of my pelvis, which revealed torn labrum in my hip. They do not push surgical intervention and have other ideas and options, which I like.
Good luck. Wishing you healing and peace.
Karen Hodges! She fixed my pelvis before and after kids :)
She's a PT and a Certified Functional Manual Therapist (CFMT)
https://bayovistapt.com/
I would highly recommend my acupuncturist! Jenny Nieters is a sports acupuncturist (works with the 49ers so you might not get her but her colleague Erin is also FABULOUS!). Ligaments and tendons response well. I had significant tail bone pain. I tried pelvic floor PT but that didn’t really help (not sure I believe the answer is “just do my kegels”….)
i also started post partum pilates and noticed a huge difference in my core strength. I follow Kim Saha on YouTube. CanNOT recommend enough! (PS make sure you’ve been cleared for exercise by your OB…)
I worked with a physical therapist at PHRC (Pelvic Health Resource Center) and she was very knowledgeable and helpful. I would imagine anyone there would be great. I think they did require authorization from PCP so you may need to talk to your OB/GYN to get a referral. But having to still ice at 4 months postpartum is not normal so you should definitely get some support!!
Hi! I wanted to respond to you because I was in the same boat and the thing that finally helped me was 1-on-1 megaformer pilates sessions. After just a few sessions, I was pain free. I learned that I needed to strengthen surrounding muscles that had weakened during pregnancy to support my pelvis. I hope you find relief!
If you are open to a more self-guided approach (or as an addition to personalized care), I am currently doing this program and finding it really valuable: https://every-mother.com
Went to Origin Women's Physical Therapy in SF. Not in Berkeley, but they take insurance and will breakdown costs before the first appointment. Staff is friendly and welcoming. Lots of different techniques available to try and ease pain.
https://www.theoriginway.com
Hi There,
Im not sure if they accept Anthem Blue Cross but I’d like to recommend Awaken Chiropractic in Grand Ave in Oakland. Awaken is woman-owned / operated and they specialize in everything you mentioned. I went there all through out my pregnancy.
https://www.awakenoakland.com
Best of Luck!
Dr.Melissa at life chiropractic is excellent.
not in network but she has affordable family plans and is worth it! Excellent hours too
The only pelvic physical therapist I found that takes insurance was at the Women's Health Center in Lafayette, and they were great. https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-location/facility/womens-health-cente… I looked really really hard in 2018, so there might be other options now, but the general issue is that there are great practitioners around, but they don't take insurance, and give you superbills to submit on your own. I also went to Reclaim in Lafayette, and she was amazing. But we could not get Blue Shield to process my superbill claims, all of them were denied, which we have unfortunately found is common with superbills from various practitioners with various insurance providers over the years (we've had issues with Aetna and Cigna with another provider my husband sees). I would also add that it's totally worth seeing someone, even if you have to pay out of pocket, and can't really afford it, it's that important to go.
This isn’t the type of service you mentioned, but a very dear friend in the Santa Cruz area has dealt with pelvic floor issues and significant pain for over a decade & your situation has similarities to hers. She recently found fantastic benefits from myofascial release work. The provider really “gets up in there” (her words), so something to be aware of. She’s also found that crying often occurs during the sessions as the pain she has experienced is the result of her body physically holding on to past traumas. So maybe something to check out? Wishing you luck and the end of pain.
I’ve been going to Origin PT in SF for my pelvic floor issues, seeing Madeline Mannion. I am very impressed with her and the clinic. And they take insurance! It’s a bit of a journey to Cow Hollow from the East Bay but they do have video visits for some problems.
I love Kendra and and Armene at Awaken for chiro. They literally helped me walk during my pregnancy and moved things around later. I also saw a pelvic physical therapist. The team at Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center is amazing. My insurance didn’t cover it but it really helped.
The chiros at Awaken Chiropractic are both incredible. Highly recommend.