From Gems to Gyms

My journey with pelvic floor PT has been a slow realization of how much it means to me. In college, I was a part of a sorority that instilled confidence in young girls to tackle their dreams and goals. At the same time, I worked at a running shoe store and helped people with their injuries get back to walking, running, and living their lives to the fullest. I kept these values close to my heart. 

When I started college, I was a geoscience major but after a year and a half, I couldn't imagine a future in that field. One day at work, a customer called, and when I picked up, they thanked the store for helping them with their shoes and that it improved their back pain. I then switched to exercise and sports science and found that helping people was something I wanted to base my life around.

After applying and getting into the DPT program at The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, I knew I wanted to improve others’ quality of life, but wasn’t sure how. As I got further into the curriculum, I felt more drawn to pelvic floor PT. I felt like this was an often overlooked and underestimated area of physical therapy and could be extremely beneficial for someone. Pelvic floor PT slowly developed into my outlet for instilling confidence in people to live their lives to the fullest. I’m so grateful to be in a unique position that this profession provides to pursue this.

Author: Tala Thorne-Bateman, SPT

Author Bio: Tala Thorne-Bateman is a third-year physical therapy student at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. When she isn't studying, she enjoys running, walking her dog, and playing sand volleyball. 

Connect With Tala: @tala_thornebateman