Herman & Wallace is proud to feature Elizabeth Fiser, PT, DPT who has completed all four of the Herman & Wallace Pelvic Floor Series courses.
Describe your clinical practice
Currently I work in a hospital-based outpatient clinic in Mobile, AL. I see a mixture of patients ranging from urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, constipation, to fecal incontinence.
How did you get involved in the pelvic rehabilitation field?
Right after graduation but before I took by licensure boards I took my first Herman & Wallace course which was PF1. Shortly thereafter I moved to Eastern Tennessee where I started working in small, rural community at a hospital based outpatient clinic. I chose this clinic because they were interested in starting a women’s health program with me. After a great deal of planning, marketing and public speaking the program started growing and had an extremely positive impact on this small community.
What/who inspired you to become involved in pelvic rehabilitation?
My professors, Tracy Spitznagel and Stacy Tylka at Washington University in St. Louis Program in Physical Therapy inspired me to become involved in pelvic rehabilitation during a lecture they gave. I was fascinated by their presentation and enthusiasm and became eager to share what I had learned from the lecture with anyone who would listen. That being said, anyone who did listen became educated on how to properly sit on a toilet in order to have a comfortable bowel movement.
What patient population do you find most rewarding in treating and why?
I enjoy treating both urinary incontinence and pelvic pain patients. I find it very rewarding when I am able to empower my patients to overcome a problem in order to improve their quality of life and self-confidence. Frequently my patients have started to isolate themselves from social encounters due to feelings of embarrassment or pain. I really enjoy when a patient starts experiencing success and you can visibly see their personality and outlook on life positively change. Their transition from outwardly discouraged to bright smiles and laughter is very rewarding for me.
If you could get a message out to physical therapists about pelvic rehabilitation what would it be?
So often people, even my co-workers, become uncomfortable or embarrassed when they hear what type of physical therapy I have specialized in. They don’t want to know the “details” of what pelvic therapy entails because it happens behind closed doors. They appreciate how I’m able to help patients but are hesitant to discuss it. I work with skeletal muscles just like everybody else, just the location of these muscles is much more discreet. A functioning pelvis is integral to the movement system but often gets overlooked.
What has been your favorite Herman & Wallace Course and why?
I’d have to say it is the first course I took with Herman & Wallace because it further proved to me how my keen interest in pelvic health would blossom into passion and dedication.
What do you find is the most useful resource for your practice?
My most useful resource is my pelvic floor model named Virginia. It’s one thing to verbally discuss pelvic floor anatomy but to be able to see the pelvis in 3D helps my patients tremendously. It helps orient them to how everything relates to pelvic function. Yes, Virginia is probably about 20 years old and is starting to show signs of aging, but somehow patients seem better able to identify with her because of this. When I’m using her as an educational tool and her pelvic floor bottoms out somehow even the patient that is on the verge of tears from frustration starts to giggle and then they comment on how that is exactly how they feel sometimes, too!
What is in store for you in the future?
I am gearing up to take the two specializations; one from Herman & Wallace and the other from the APTA. I also have a whole list of courses I want to attend.
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