Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney Sippl.
Whitney, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started working at a pelvic floor and women’s health PT clinic in NYC and a large percentage of my patients were pregnant or postpartum. When we moved to Orange County, I started working for the only women’s health PT clinic in Orange County at the time and found out that the majority of their patients had chronic pelvic pain conditions or conditions that tend to affect more of the elderly, and I wondered where all of my pregnant women and new moms were. I found out that pregnant and postpartum moms just weren’t receiving any of the care that they needed so that was when I started the first Pregnancy and Postpartum PT program in Orange county.
After I had my daughter in 2014, I returned to the clinic part-time, but was also teaching a free class every month, (which I continue to teach now) and many moms would ask me after class if I’d be able to see them at their homes, since if you have kids we all know how tough it can be for moms to get to doctor’s appointments (or anywhere on time for that matter!). That was when I started looking into providing home visits for moms, and by the beginning of 2015 I created my in-home concierge service, Restored Physique Physical Therapy & Wellness.
Since 2015 I have been providing specialized physical therapy services at women’s homes to address the common, but NOT normal symptoms that some women experience during pregnancy & postpartum (including: diastasis recti/Mom pooch, painful intercourse, urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, back pain, pelvic pain, tailbone pain, scar pain or restrictions, and any other urinary, bowel, or pelvic issues). I also speak for many mom’s groups and fitness groups and provide trainings for fitness professionals and medical professionals who work with women during pregnancy or postpartum. While I was pregnant with my son, I decided I wanted to be able to reach women outside of Orange County as well, so I recorded my two online courses “Prenatal Physical Health & Labor Prep” and “Postpartum Physical Recovery”.
Most recently, in January 2020, I have expanded my in-home concierge team to be able to provide many of the services that women desire during pregnancy and postpartum including pelvic and abdominal PT, labor prep sessions with biofeedback, ultrasound and laser for clogged ducts and mastitis, real-time ultrasound for lumbopelvic rehab, telehealth, acupuncture, hand/wrist therapy, breath core & yoga therapy, and massage therapy.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Overall it has been a pretty smooth road. I had to do a lot of research on all of the logistics and legal/business side of things but once I was up and running it has been pretty smooth. I was able to slowly build my business until it was something that I could do full-time.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Restored Physique Physical Therapy & Wellness – what should we know?
We are a team of therapists that provide in-home concierge services specializing in treating women during the prenatal and postnatal periods. Many women are told that symptoms such as incontinence, painful intercourse, scar pain, pelvic girdle/back pain, or abdominal separation are normal during pregnancy or after having a baby; however, although these conditions may be common, they are NOT “normal” and there are many techniques available to address these concerns. I help new, expecting, and even experienced or “veteran” moms address any of their physical concerns and I use a variety of manual skills and tools to help them meet their goals and teach them how they can treat themselves too. With my expanded team in 2020, we are able to address even more things that moms desire, including acupuncture, hand & wrist therapy, massage therapy, and breath, core & yoga therapy sessions.
I was the first one in OC to really specialize and address the concerns of the prenatal and postpartum periods and I have extensive training and experience with this population, achieving my WCS (women’s clinical specialist) in 2013, which is the highest board specialization for this field in PT. My business is different than anyone else in this field, as I go to my patient’s homes, instead of them having to go to a clinic, the sessions are one-on-one for an hour+, and I’m used to babies and kiddos being with us during our appointments too!
I also provide some very unique portable technology in our PT sessions too. I provide “Labor prep” sessions with my expecting mamas around week 34-36 of their pregnancy, which includes the use of a biofeedback device for their pelvic floor to see which birthing positions their pelvic floor is most relaxed, which in turn can lead to less tearing. I also teach the mom and/or their partner how to do “perineal massage” in prep for labor. Another very cool cutting edge technology that has been more recently introduced into the physical therapy realm is real-time ultrasound for lumbopelvic rehab. This has been an awesome tool to use, especially for my new moms, since we can actually see all of the core muscles and how they are activating to get the correct activation of the muscles, which can help to strengthen the core, address any back or pelvic pain, prolapse, and diastasis and the “mom pooch”.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My husband has been a huge cheerleader and supporter of my dream to create Restored Physique and I couldn’t have done it without him. The other person who deserves some credit for my growth and reputation as the Orange County Pregnancy and Postpartum PT is Robin Christenson, who was the owner of the first women’s health PT clinic in OC (which was eventually bought by Hoag). When I joined her team in 2012 and asked her about creating a Pregnancy and Postpartum program, she gave me full reigns and provided me with everything I needed to grow the program into a huge success.
Contact Info:
- Website: restoredphysique.com
- Phone: 262-391-7943
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/restoredphysique
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/restored-physique-physical-therapy-and-wellness-newport-beach
Image Credit:
Isaac Lee
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