September 16, 2019

Meet Trailblazer Mimi Ton

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mimi Ton.

So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a physical therapist currently located in West Los Angeles. I received my undergraduate degree in psychology at UCI and my doctorate degree in physical therapy at Mount St. Mary’s University in 2012. After graduation, I immediately delved into clinical practice. Initially, my clinical experience and training have all been in outpatient orthopedic, where I have treated a variety of orthopedic and sports-related injuries. As my career evolves, I quickly discovered that I have a strong interest in helping other women and addressing their needs.

Currently, my main areas of focus at my physical therapy practice include various pelvic floor dysfunctions, as well as pre and postpartum care. My inspiration to continue pursuing pelvic floor health stems from witnessing my own sister struggles for many years with a pelvic floor condition called dyspareunia – which means difficult or painful sexual intercourse – with unsuccessful intervention from her OB/GYN. I decided to carve out a niche within the physical therapy world to help other women with similar obstacles as my lovely sister. Furthermore, as a certified lymphedema therapist, I have had many years of experience working with breast cancer survivors addressing various post surgical needs: limited shoulder range of motion, lymphedema, scar tissues, pain etc. Having been a patient myself and fully recovered from complex medical conditions including: an autoimmune disease of the skin (psoriasis), a short bout of pelvic pain (interstitial cystitis), and a few years of intermittent persistent tension headache, anxiety/depression, I know what it is like to be on the other end. These experiences gave me greater awareness to what my patients go through in their journey towards health and recovery.

Has it been a smooth road?
Prior to starting my own private practice, I have always worked for other physical therapists. The majority of my experiences working for other physical therapists have all been very positive; however, I always felt there was a moderate amount of pressure in my day to day performance. In a traditional physical therapy private practice, I used to see on average 11-15 patients a day, and on top of that, the paperwork would always seems endless, especially when there are three to four new evaluations that day.

I have never enjoyed seeing patients back to back; however, when you work for somebody else, there is a high level of productivity that is always expected of you. There are a lot of healthcare practitioners out there who are burnt out, and I definitely did not want to go down that dark path. The journey towards private practice has been fun and sometimes challenging as it requires me to wear different hats that I may not always be comfortable with. As an introvert, sometimes I find it hard to always have to put myself out there. My only advice for other women in the same field who are starting their career would be to find at least one mentor in your respective field to help you hone your craft. We are all unique individuals and our practice will reflect that as well.

We’d love to hear more about Beyond Physical Therapy.
Some of the patients who seek pelvic floor treatment are mainly women with various pelvic pain conditions including difficulty with sexual intercourse (vaginismus, vulvodynia, etc), endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, coccyx (tailbone) pain. About 25-30% of my pelvic floor patients have had some form of sexual trauma or assault. Most patients with this type of trauma have already initiated work with a “talk therapist” prior to seeing me, if not referral to a clinical therapist is a must. While my degree and training is not in psychotherapy, at times a session can be both emotionally and physically charged for a patient. Internal/external exams and pelvic floor treatment can trigger past experiences, and without full integration of previous trauma, it is more challenging to move forward with pelvic floor physical therapy treatment.

I am very pleased to offer a safe and nurturing environment for pelvic floor patients in the community to receive help and share their stories. My other population also include assisting women with prenatal and postpartum care. In the prenatal population, patients come to the clinic often complaining of low back, sciatica, sacroiliac joint pain, and/or to inquire about safe CORE exercises to perform while pregnant, how to perform perineal massaging to prevent tearing during the birthing process, birth and labor positions, etc.

In the postpartum population, patients usually come to the clinic because they experience increased pelvic pressure after giving birth, usually this is due to some form of pelvic organ prolapse, which means the supporting structures of the uterus, bladder, or rectum become weak or loose, which cause at least one of the pelvic organs to drop or press into and out of the vagina. In the postpartum phase, patients are often concerned about diastasis rectus abdominis (DrA – it means an impairment with midline separation of the 2 rectus abdominis muscles along the linea alba) and often want to learn safe and effective exercises to increase midline tension. Other pelvic floor conditions following birth can also include urinary and/or fecal incontinence, coccyx pain, which can all be effectively treated with pelvic floor physical therapy.

As one of the few Asian-American pelvic floor physical therapists whose private practice is built on a platform that tackles a variety of women’s health issues, sex and intimacy concerns is a revolving theme. I am glad to offer the space and service for my Asian-American patients. All of us at some point have chosen providers — implicitly or explicitly — based on cultural or ethnic similarities. Perhaps not the first visit but as each session evolves, sexuality and its entanglement with culture/religion as well as gender can be explored in depth. As a whole, Asian culture and general attitudes about human sexuality are considered conservative — sexual restraint and modesty are often encouraged— as such any open discussion about sexuality, particularly coming from a woman is viewed as morally reprehensible. I am glad that Asian-American women are finding me and seeking my work.

We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
I think the biggest barriers today to female leadership in all industries, in general, is overcoming the stigma of women become leaders in the professional world. In the past, it can be hard for a woman to have self-confidence and the mental fortitude to take a risk on herself in the professional world as these qualities have been widely discouraged. I feel motivated when I meet different women who are changing the landscape of our culture with their passion and entrepreneurship.

Contact Info:

Address: 2990 S Sepulveda Suite #205
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Website: www.beyondphysicaltherapyinc.com
Phone: 323-207-6809
Email: askphysicaltherapy@gmail.com
Instagram: mimiton_dpt

Image Credit:
Some photos are taken by Kris Matsuoka
https://www.krismatsuoka.com

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