At Spear, we are always looking for ways to share our knowledge and expertise—that’s why we created our career workshop, From Classroom to Clinician: The Final Lesson!

Our Classroom to Clinician workshop is an amazing opportunity for physical therapy and occupational therapy students to learn about how to transition into their full-fledged careers. Last Saturday’s event was the first we held in-person since the pandemic. Hosted at our gorgeous, newly built Grand Central clinic, the workshop was a perfect opportunity for students to meet with our talented team members for mentorship and networking opportunities. A virtual live-streaming option was also available for those who weren’t nearby or able to attend in-person, ensuring all students were able to participate no matter the circumstance!

The workshop featured various helpful components to assist participants in this transitional period of their careers. One helpful component of the event was our resume building workshop, where each student received a one-on-one resume coaching session with one of our hiring managers. Gaining insight from clinicians already in the field provided an unparalleled opportunity for attendees to learn the best practices for landing that first job after graduation.

Our leaders also held an interview session, providing best tips on how to nail the interview portions of job searching. Working directly with the leadership team, and opening the floor for questions and inquiries, provided the participants with real-life advice and information easily applicable in their near-future application processes.

Thank you to all of our participants for attending! We’re elated to have the opportunity to provide students with the resources, connections, and information they need to be fully prepared for their shift from student to clinical career.

Missed the event? Keep a lookout—our spring session date will be public soon! You can sign up to be notified when the event goes live by visiting our Eventbrite page, and by following us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn!

Caitlin Selva, PT, DPT at our E 56th St clinic and Registered Yoga Teacher, guides you through a revitalizing Vinyasa Yoga sequence for our #MovementMonday series on Instagram. No equipment is needed, just grab a mat and you’re good to go!

Watch The Video Below:

Make sure to join us every week for #MovementMonday, where we’ll post a live workout right on our Instagram page!

Missed a workout? Visit our Youtube channel for more exercises, workouts, and advice from your expert PTs and OTs!

Stefanie Cuttita, PT, DPT, and the girl scout group work on some useful stretches together

Prioritizing your health is important at every age. Stefanie Cuttita, PT, DPT, and Lea Noonan, PT, DPT, recently volunteered with the Girl Scouts of the USA to help a group of second graders do just that by teaching them some effective skills and techniques for better health and happiness.

Though the Girl Scouts may be known best for their cookies, the organization is much more than that! With more than 2.5 million members, their mission is to change the world by building girls of courage, confidence and character to make the world a better place.

Participating as guest speakers, Stefanie and Lea worked with the young group to help them earn their “My Best Self” badges. The badge is awarded to girls as they learn how the body works, how to pay attention to their body’s needs, and when to ask for help regarding with their health.

Lea Noonan, PT, DPT, speaks to the group about ways in which to recognize your own health needs

The group was split into three and rotated through three different health stations: 1) important daily exercises/stretches, (2) injury prevention, and (3) daily exercise needs. Each group took turns learning about stretches, at home exercises, and stress relief techniques they could practice. They also learned about the importance of taking motor breaks when sitting for long periods of time, especially during school or while completing homework. No race is ever won without a finish line: the girls were asked a few questions by our resident volunteers to ensure they retained the information they learned.  The session ended with a nice group power pose to energize the girls, and a big congratulations on earning their new badges!

The event was a fantastic opportunity to empower young girls through ownership of their own health. It’s never too early to understand your own needs and jumpstart good habits for lifelong health.

Treatment Options

A pelvic floor physical therapist can perform an evaluation of the pelvic floor muscles and help release and stretch tight muscles to improve pain and muscle tension. They will also create a tailored stretching, mindfulness, and mobility program to help maintain and facilitate pelvic floor relaxation.

Techniques for calming the nervous system and relaxing the pelvic floor on your own:

• Cat/cow: Come onto you hands and knees. Arch and hunch your back slowly, continuing to breathe throughout the movement.

• Happy baby pose: Lay on your back. Grab onto the inside of your feet or behind the knees and bring the knees toward your chest and out and away from your body.

• Pigeon pose: bring one knee bent in front of you and the other straight behind you. Use your hands to adjust the intensity of the stretch. You can fold forward onto your elbows if it is comfortable.

These stretches should feel gentle. Try not to push to the point of increased pain to avoid reflexive tension on the muscles. Continue to breathe throughout the stretches to facilitate relaxation.

If you are experiencing pelvic pain or are interested in learning more about treatment options, come see a pelvic floor physical therapist at SPEAR today. You can also learn more about how pelvic floor physical therapy can help you here!

Pelvic floor physical therapy is one of the many specialties offered at SPEAR, and can help address a multitude of conditions, including Dyspareunia, a condition where the person experiences persistent or recurrent genital pain that occurs just before, during, or after intercourse. There are many home “remedies”, like warm baths or drinking wine. While some of these techniques may allow sex to be a little more tolerable, they don’t address the root cause of the problem. Painful sex can occur for several reasons, many of which can be addressed with pelvic floor physical therapy. The pelvic floor muscles are the muscles within the pelvis and play a big role in sexual function.

What is Dyspareunia?

Painful sex, also known as dyspareunia, is the complaint of persistent or recurrent pain or discomfort associated with attempted or complete vaginal penetration, usually in reference to sexual activity. Dyspareunia can be superficial (discomfort on initial vaginal entry), deep (discomfort on deeper penetration), or both. Pain is typically localized to the vagina or lower pelvis and occurs in the absence of other pathology.

Causes of Dyspareunia

Causes of dyspareunia can include:

• Vaginal dryness
• Skin diseases involving the vulva
• Menopause
• Vaginismus (muscle spasms of the pelvic floor)
• Emotional stress/trauma
• Pelvic organ prolapse
• Endometriosis or other pelvic organ pathology

Treatment for Dyspareunia

The treatment and management of dyspareunia is based on the cause of the dysfunction. If the cause is pelvic floor muscular dysfunction, physical therapy is one of the first lines of treatment. Physical therapy treatments may include:

• Behavioral modification
• Biofeedback
• Manual therapy techniques
• Patient education
• Pelvic floor muscle re-education
• Relaxation techniques

Some adjunct techniques that also help to treat dyspareunia are:

• Meditation and breathing techniques
• Use of dilators or wand for tight muscles
• Sex therapy or other talk therapy
• Education of partner if applicable

Dyspareunia is a commonly diagnosed but rarely discussed. Patients often feel embarrassment, shame or helplessness, but pelvic floor physical therapy has been shown to be effective in the management of dyspareunia.

If you suffer from painful sex or are interested in learning more about dyspareunia, come see a pelvic floor physical therapist at SPEAR today.