INSTITUTE OF PHYSICAL THERAPY AND PELVIC HEALTH INC

Jun 2023

Serena is an excellent and very knowledgeable physical therapist. I started seeing her with lower back pain expecting some massaging. But instead, she went right to discover the core of the problem. She examined and analyzed the body as a whole and started treating the route causes with me, which included postnatal PT. I received tailored exercises for different parts of my body, which improved my back pain, and additionally gave me more stability and strength in core supporting muscles as well. I really appreciated her comprehensive perspectives and her focus on long-term improvement, which I can maintain myself by continuously tailored exercising. Thanks so much, Serena! Oh, PS, she is a lovely person too :)

Aug 2022

10 months postpartum and I'm finally able to get back into normal exercise thanks to Serena. 7 months ago when I first saw Serena, I had a really bad case of prolapse, hip and back pain, diastasis recti and incontinence after giving birth to a baby that was too big for my small body. I thought I was doing all the right things advised by my provider - daily kegels and walks but turns out I needed much more than that. She taught me how to do kegels properly (it was an arduous journey to reteach my body but so worth it) and worked with me to achieve my goals. I tried my best to stay disciplined with the exercises and Serena was able to modify my program when life (and baby) just got too much to handle. Her programs are very comprehensive and she gives a lot of feedback which can seem discouraging at times but I'm glad I pushed through the end. She's out of network which is a bummer but I would go back to see her any time I needed help with my pelvic floor vs any other general physio. She knows her stuff and she cares a lot about her patients and helping them improve their quality of life.

May 2021

I cannot say enough about Serena. I wish I had found her earlier. Long story, but here it goes...I delivered twins this fall at Stanford which as you can imagine did a number on my body. I ended up having two beautiful boys and a diastasis recti with a side of peeing in my pants when I tried to run (stress incontinence if you will). As you can imagine this was not an ideal situation for me. Having just moved to Palo Alto, I didn't really know where to turn, but I managed to finally convince them to give me a referral to the pelvic floor pt at Stanford (this is not easy if you aren't already a urogyn patient which doesn't make a lot of sense, but that is another issue). Well it was basically awful. Two telehealth visits and two in person visits and the therapist made me feel like an idiot and pretty hopeless. Thought my only hope would be a tummy tuck. I mentioned this to a friend who connected me to Serena at the institute of Physical Therapy and Pelvic Health. Hallelujah. First of all, it's nice to walk into a beautiful space that is pristine and modern with art on the walls (btw she painted the art). I immediately connected with her warm, friendly and upbeat vibe. She is so thorough and so knowledgeable. I left feeling confident that I could and would get better. And a couple months later, I am ready to wear a bikini, running without leaking and no longer scouring the internet for plastic surgeons. Plus she realigned my pelvis and back so I don't have any more back pain. You might be asking yourself why you would pay out of pocket for PT, if you can find some place that is in network. Well this is why. First of all when it comes to my lady parts I don't just trust anyone. You get individualized attention and an expert in women's health. Furthermore, I was easily able to submit to out of network benefits to get reimbursed for most of the cost. Not to mention Stanford billed 5x's that and I had to pay them more out of pocket before I reached my deductible that I did for a session with Serena which was above and beyond better. Also she is really cool and fun to talk with. If you are spending a lot of time with someone, you want to enjoy their company. Five stars for sure!!!