Two Albuquerque physical therapists are specializing in treating pelvic pain, an issue that is often overlooked but plagues many women.
Genevieve Richter and Quintal Calva opened Method Physical Therapy in Albuquerque. The clinic specializes in pelvic health with a special focus on women’s health.
It was a personal experience that motivated Richter to open the clinic. She was dealing with pelvic pain while studying physical therapy.
“When I was in PT school at the time we had this small little unit on pelvic health and it’s at the very end of our coursework,” Richter told KOB. “They are talking about all these conditions and I’m like, ‘check, check, check. Oh my gosh, this is me, this is me.”
Richter soon joined forces with Calva, another physical therapist, who initially focused on treating hip pain. “As I started treating patients with hip pain that isn’t getting better, I started understanding the relationship like, oh maybe it’s not just hip pain,” Calva told KOB. “I started learning more about pelvic floor stuff and some of the hip patients that were not getting better. Treating pelvic floor made a big difference.”
Their decision to focus on women’s health comes from understanding the changes a woman’s body goes through during childbirth but aren’t often addressed clinically. “The body changes during pregnancy and through the postpartum phase,” Richter said. “So, after you have this baby, historically there hasn’t been a lot of support for these women. But these changes that happen to their body – urinary incompetence, organ prolapse, pelvic pain – are really big issues that change their quality of life.”
The clinic not only helps patients with pelvic pain but treats women going through menopause and other issues. The owners also treat men’s health and said their overall goal is to help patients understand their bodies. “Some go, ‘well I am just older so it’s ok to just leak urine,’ like, no it’s not, there’s something that can be done so let’s address it,” Calva said.