Pelvic floor therapy clinic opens in Journal Center

Alaina Mencinger, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·2 min read

Aug. 6—When physical therapist Tara McCarthy Sanford first learned about pelvic floor therapy, she decided it was her "sole purpose in life."

And now, as of June 13, McCarthy Sanford owns her own clinic devoted to that purpose. Balanced Physical Therapy — Pelvic Health & Wellness is located at 5150 San Francisco NE.

McCarthy was a yoga instructor before deciding that she wanted to learn more about health and wellness, and decided to return to school to get her doctor of physical therapy degree. She's specialized in pelvic floor therapy since graduating in 2013.

Pelvic floor therapy can help patients that struggle with incontinence, pain during sex or pelvic pain. Many patients seek pelvic floor therapy during or after pregnancy.

"I've always been super concerned about issues surrounding women," McCarthy said. "Helping women was my initial thought ... but then I found out there's a huge need for lots of populations."

There's been a flood of interest in the clinic's services since it opened. McCarthy is booked with new patient evaluations until mid-September. She's even had patients travel from Santa Fe to get treatment.

"These are issues that affect people every day — every minute of every day," McCarthy said.

McCarthy worked as a pelvic floor specialist at a general physical therapy clinic before opening her own clinic, which employs three physical therapists. Bringing pelvic floor specialists under one roof, McCarthy says, helps normalize talking about pelvic pain and incontinence.

Physical therapist Ashlee Lee says that the goal of the clinic is to make patients feel comfortable talking about their conditions. Lee said that seeing other patients in the same boat makes patients feel less alone.

"It's let me help people get their life back," Lee said.

The Pelvic Health & Wellness clinic is a new addition to Balanced Physical Therapy & Wellness' portfolio of clinics. The clinic accepts insurance.

The clinic is partnering with University of New Mexico to develop an accredited women's health physical therapy residency program. Currently, there are only 15 such residencies in the nation.

Visit balancedrehababq.com for more information.