In this presentation, Kelly Alhooie challenges the prevailing belief that pelvic floor therapists must hold specific certifications such as Herman & Wallace (H&W) or Women’s Care Specialists (WCS) to be legitimate. She argues that pelvic floor therapy is fundamentally an orthopedic discipline that integrates the entire musculoskeletal and functional system, not merely a niche skill set. Alhooie outlines a holistic, whole‑body model that includes core/abdominal function, pressure management, load transfer from hip to knee to foot, and the interplay of the glottis, diaphragm, pelvic floor, and lower‑limb musculature. She highlights commonly ignored contributors to pelvic health—stress, nervous system regulation, nutrition, lifestyle, and overall wellbeing. The core message is that credentials are less important than real‑world experience; aspiring therapists should seek seasoned mentors who have treated tens of thousands of clients rather than rely on basic continuing‑education courses that cover only superficial anatomy. Alhooie’s company, Ortho Pelvic, embodies this integrative philosophy, symbolized by a puzzle‑piece logo representing the missing pieces in conventional pelvic health practice.
Chapters
Okay, another myth is you must take all the Herman and Wallace classes, or you must be the WCS certification to say that you are a pelvic floor therapist. And that's not correct. Okay, even if you took Herman and Wallace Level 1, which is literally just showing you like what a vag is and like how to stick a finger in your vagina and like the parts of the clock, very basic. You can become a pelvic floor therapist. And I say that because all of us have had orthopedic backgrounds. All pelvic floor therapy is, is orthopedic and combining pelvic health. And it's actually not as complicated as most people think it is. And so you combined everything. And once you combine everything, it's like, wow, Like, it, it all goes together. This is why I named my company called Ortho Pelvic, because no one was combining it. Also, I made my logo a puzzle piece because no one was putting the pieces of the puzzle together. So when we talk about pelvic health, you know, there's this debate between internal exams and not internal exams. I'm whatever is going to get the result, okay? And here's the things that I see. Number 1, abs make a big difference, and I've believe most therapists miss that, like pressure management and abs and how your abs are functioning. Number 2, the load impact from your hip to your knee to your foot. I believe most therapists miss that. Um, also, I do believe the pelvic floor has an impact on how those muscles are firing. So I think the entire system, from your glottis to your diaphragm to your belly to your pelvic floor, to your knee, to your foot, it's a whole system. And you have to look at the whole thing. And I believe most therapists, whether or not you're an occupational therapist, whether or not you're a physical therapist, don't know how to combine all of it. Because physical therapists have been taught that it has to probably— it's a musculoskeletal. Occupational therapists have been taught, well, maybe it's functional, or maybe it's psychological, or maybe it's something they're doing in their daily life, right? I would say all of that is true. And so you have to combine it all. We don't ever talk about stress. Stress plays a big role in all this. We don't ever talk about nervous system. Nervous system plays a big role in all this. We don't talk about nutrition. Nutrition plays a big role in all this. We don't talk about, like, their lifestyle and are they happy in the place that they're at. All that has massive impact. So when you think you have to have all these letters behind your name to truly practice as a provider, I would say that's 100% false. I don't believe that. I think you need a good mentor. Whether or not, you know, I personally would just hire someone if you feel like— hire not a Harmon and Wallace because it's very basic. These con ed courses, just so you know, they're very basic because they have to be basic because I have to follow like a regimen. You wanna hire someone that's been in the field for years and years and years and seen like tens of thousands of clients. Okay, well that's the person I'm hiring because they've seen the real life stuff. It's not a con ed class that you're gonna learn it from.
