Community Highlights: Meet Dr. Jaime Loeffel of Brentwood Pelvic Health

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Jaime Loeffel.

Hi Dr. Jaime, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I attended physical therapy school in the late 90’s. There was no lecture on pelvic health or on the pelvic floor at that time. My interest in pelvic health started in 2005 after my first pregnancy. Over the next few years and after another pregnancy, I became more and more aware that there was a lack of complete knowledge of the hips and pelvis by most physical therapists including myself.

The biggest nudge towards pelvic health was an obstetrical patient case I encountered in 2014 in a hospital in Atlanta, GA. We were consulted to evaluate a mom who complained of pain and the inability to get to a bedside commode without assistance after a vaginal delivery. She was sadly unable to even stand with her baby safely.

After an assessment, it was clear she had a rare, significant pelvic separation during childbirth. We asked for an orthopedic consult and an X-ray. A pelvic separation of over 1 cm is deemed abnormal and is known as a pubic symphysis diastasis.
She had separated over 6 cm. She was ultimately discharged from the hospital without surgery. She was ambulatory for short distances with a walker, wearing a compressive pelvic belt. She was significantly limited in her ability to care for her baby at that point, and she would need significant rehabilitation and possibly a surgical intervention if conservative therapy failed.

It was clear to me at that point that more providers are needed who understand the pelvis well and who can help this patient population.

I knew I wanted to specialize in pelvic health, so in 2017 I opted for a full pelvic health certification where I spent over a year in study with online discussion, assignments, tests, and six onsite labs where we tested our knowledge with hands-on techniques and skill checks.

I worked at a local physical therapy clinic for five years seeing only pelvic health clients before starting Brentwood Pelvic Health.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The decision to start a business is an involved process with stress, uncertainty, and plenty of risk. Every initial decision is big–your logo, the business card, the website. Then comes all the necessary evils of insurance credentialing and setting up templates in your electronic medical record. There is so much business advice that it becomes difficult to know who to listen to, what you should spend your time and money on, and how to navigate being found.

Owning a business will change you. When starting a business, regarding Instagram I heard,” All you need is your nine tiles”. I thought how hard that would be…. surely, I could do that. Those nine tiles were a strong push way out of my comfort zone as I went from not using social media to filming reels.

I say with full sincerity that having the opportunity and honor to walk beside someone through a health journey and to help those who thought help was out of reach makes the struggles worthwhile.

As you know, we’re big fans of Brentwood Pelvic Health. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Brentwood Pelvic Health was established to provide expert care to anyone struggling with any orthopedic issue or pelvic dysfunction and to provide specialty care during pregnancy and postpartum to prevent pain and prepare the body for these changes.

I am most well known for being a specialist in the rehabilitation of complex hip and pelvic dysfunction.

I strive to be set apart from other providers. To treat these dysfunctions well and to provide lasting relief, it is important to be able to see all the contributing factors to the dysfunction and know how to prioritize each factor.

The pelvic floor responds to the whole system, so every joint and muscle above and below the pelvis can influence the hip and pelvis. I evaluate clients to determine their individual needs including an in-depth look at movement patterns, the ability to load equally on the right and the left when walking, and more.

I am most proud that Brentwood Pelvic Health strives to provide expert care during pregnancy and postpartum and across the lifespan. Quite a few pelvic physical therapists in this area serve primarily women in pregnancy and the postnatal period only. Pelvic health needs will change across a lifespan. I desire to be a provider women trust for any help rehabilitating this system in youth, during pregnancy, in their 30s-50s, into menopause, and on into the postmenopausal years.

In terms of offerings and services, it is important to note that I treat kids, adolescents, women, and men. I offer concierge, in-your-home care for pregnant and postpartum clients and kids. My services include onsite and online physical therapy and mentoring for other physical therapists.

I provide a more economical option for care which is on-site or online coaching or for those who do not need skilled, hands-on physical therapy. This might be someone who wants to move better and excel at their sport but is not experiencing any pain, or someone who simply wants to prevent pain or dysfunction.

I can utilize intramuscular dry needling when applicable as a helpful adjunct for physical therapy, but this option is not offered by all providers.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Play the long game. Short-term relief is not the best way to serve these clients. Hip and pelvic dysfunction can be life-disrupting and for some, it may highly influence quality of life. I desire to eliminate symptoms as soon as possible and set the client up for increased longevity. I want to choose interventions and exercises that will change the way someone moves to allow them to function at a high level, excel at the sport of choice, and ensure they can play kickball with the grandkids.

Pricing
Many insurance companies do not understand the specific needs of pelvic health clients. As a result, presently I accept Medicare and BCBS, and I am Tricare certified as an out-of-network provider. For those with other plans, I am a fee-for-service provider.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brentwoodpelvichealth.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brentwoodpelvichealth/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61562029755690
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaime-loeffel-87a91561/