The Movement System and Women's and Pelvic Health
Want to know more about the movement system and how to apply these concepts to women’s and pelvic health? Join us as Dr. Spitznagle and Dr. Wente discuss the movement system, it’s relationship to women’s and pelvic health, and their new online course available now, “Movement System Foundations: Application to Women’s and Pelvic Health Practice.”
Disclaimer: The JWHPT promotes scholarly discussion and clinical dissemination of best available evidence; Journal Club presenter’s are responsible for the accuracy of the content. Ideas and opinions expressed may not be those of the Academy of Pelvic Health and JWHPT.
Watch Recording
About the Presenters
Karla Wente, PT, DPT, CLT, Board-Certified Women's Health Clinical Specialist
Karla Wente is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Women’s Clinical Specialist, graduating from Washington University in St. Louis Program in Physical Therapy in 2013. She completed her Clinical Residency in Women’s Health with a focus on application of the movement system in 2014. She has practiced in private practice for most of her career throughout Chicagoland (her hometown), and has focused in evaluation and treatment of males, females, and children with pelvic health conditions. She also loves to treat orthopedic conditions from a movement system approach, and loves treating older adults. In addition to her pelvic floor specialization, she loves education and has served as the Educational Review Committee chair for the Academy of Pelvic Health, earning her Volunteer of the Year from the Academy at Combined Sections Meeting in 2020. She loves all things patient education, teaching, clinical instruction, and mentorship and has served in a variety of capacities in all of these roles. She has also recently started PhysioSage, which is dedicated to promoting physical therapists as patient educators. When she is not geeking out about physical therapy, she loves to do yoga, write and make music (she plays 6 instruments!), go for long walks with her husband, and spend lots of time cuddling her two cats, Meeper and Sarabi.
Theresa Monaco Spitznagle, PT, DPT, Board-Certified Women's Health Clinical Specialist
Theresa Monaco Spitznagle PT, DPT, WCS is currently a Professor in the Program in Physical Therapy at Washington University in St Louis. Over the past 25 years, Tracy has focused her clinical practice on the treatment of patients with fecal and urinary incontinence, painful bladder syndrome, pelvic pain, dyspareunia, and pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain. Professional contributions that Tracy has made include the development of a post-doctoral fellowship training program for Pelvic health Physical therapy, Chair of the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists, Board member of the Worldwide Fistula Fund, and a founding board member of the Global Women’s Health Initiative.
Through her involvement in international organizations, Tracy has developed an expertise in treating patients with obstetric fistula as well as providing capacity building for Physical Therapy Education in Ethiopia. Publications include topics associated with; clinical practice guidelines for post-partum pelvic girdle pain, capacity building in Ethiopia, chronic pelvic pain, diagnosis for pelvic floor conditions; diastasis recti abdominis; movement-related urinary urgency; and physical examination of the pelvic floor muscles. Dr. Spitznagle’s research activities have resulted in presentations at multiple professional meetings including; the American Urogynecological Society Conference and the American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Sections Meeting, World Congress of Physical Therapy, World Congress on Low Back and Pelvic Pain, and the International Pelvic Pain Society.
