“Why”
by Dr. Sarah Shimanek, PT, DPT, WCS, PRPC
Good Morning,
My name is Dr. Sarah Shimanek, and today I’m going to talk about “why.” “Why” refers to the underlying purpose of what we do. For example, Why did you choose a particular major in school, why did you volunteer feeding the unhoused, why did you decide to start that business and so on. Having a clear why helps us navigate where we are trying to go, whether in our health, in our career, in our family, or any other area in our life. So today, I’m going to talk about why I became a Doctor of Physical Therapy with a specialty in pelvic health.
This is important because somewhere between 25-75% of women and 15-60% of men suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction, including urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, all types of pelvic and sexual pain, and more. Maybe you suffer from one or many of these or know someone who does. If not, imagine how you would feel if you were having difficulty controlling your bladder or bowels, or were unable to have intercourse with your partner. This can make many individuals feel isolated and alone, broken, or embarrassed. Sometimes so much so that they don’t want to go out and do the things they love to do.
25-75% of women and 15-60% of men suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction
I myself suffered from interstitial cystitis when I was younger, as well as pelvic and sexual pain after childbirth, and back then the pelvic health field was much smaller than it is today, so I didn’t have help navigating those issues until much later. I’m proud to be part of a growing field that recognizes that these challenges can be addressed and healed so we can all be healthy and live our best lives.
Through my training and personal experiences, I’ve learned that good healthcare goes beyond the care we are usually subjected to in the Western medical system, but divides into 8 critical factors for human-centered care that truly promotes wellness: Listening, Holistic approach, Coaching, Healing, Support, Caring, Safety, and Thoughtful and through care.
In the next few weeks, follow my social media or blog as I dive deeper into each of these and really explain the “why” of how they are a crucial piece to anyone’s healing journey.