We were lucky to catch up with April Douglas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi April, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear stories from your time in school/training/etc.

To become a Physical Therapist, you must obtain your Bachelor’s Degree and then get a Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy. Getting a Doctorate Degree is pretty grueling, requiring you to be at school all day and night. Many of us were stressed out and neglecting all of our social circle. We joked that PT school made you lose all your friends.
The awesome part about all of it is that you get to study something you’re really passionate about and knew you were going to use in your future.

April, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m April Douglas, an Orthopedic and Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist, that owns My PT 2 Go, a concierge Physical Therapy practice. We specialize in what most people imagine Physical Therapy to be–knees, backs, post-operative cases, sprains, strains, etc. We also specialize in an area that most people don’t know about, which is Pelvic Floor. We treat all genders and ages, including kids, that struggle with pelvic pain, incontinence (leaking), erectile dysfunction, pain with intercourse, prolapse, and return to sport postpartum. Basically, if you have an issue, we’ve got you!

With a concierge practice, we are able to treat you in the clinic or in the comfort of your home. Leaving work or getting the kids cared for can be really difficult, so we can come to you! In the clinic, kids are always welcome too!
We also have equipment that is rare in San Diego, such as a Real-Time Ultrasound to actually see your pelvic floor or separation of the abs.

We strive to create a Physical Therapy experience that is backed by research, interesting to do, and realistic for your lifestyle.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I started in Physical Therapy, I worked in the traditional clinic that most people experience at some point. I treated patients for 20-30min and then passed them off to a college student to complete their exercises. When using your insurance, this is the nicest version. The treatment, though I hate to admit this, was largely guided upon what the patient’s insurance covered. Insurance coverage was all over the place, so it was constantly being told what you could and could not do for treatment, even if it wasn’t based in science or research.

With a concierge practice, I don’t have a relationship with insurance companies. Now I treat what is best practice and backed by research. I also don’t employ aides, therefore, the patients only spend time with their Physical Therapist for 60-90 minutes. I take pride in giving quality care to my patients and no longer are told by insurance companies what I need to do to save the company money. It’s about quality medicine, not cutting costs for insurance companies.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

If you would have told high school April that I would be treating Orthopedics, I would have agreed 100%. I love sports and being active. I enjoy puzzles and figuring out how things work. Anatomy has always been a favorite topic of mine as well, so this profession is not a surprise to me. Now if you would have told high school April that I would be treating Pelvic Floors, I would have giggled and made some joke about poop. I never thought I would be mature enough to handle the world of Pelvic Floor. What I didn’t know is that you need a sense of humor, in my opinion, to operate in this field. The Pelvic Floor arena has many facets that require you to be a little more dynamic. Many of my patients have had trauma as well as it being an area that is more private, sensitive, and can be embarrassing for the patient. I’ve had a lot of passion for this field, as it’s an area that tends to be under-treated and underserved.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mypt2go.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mypt2go
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mypt2go
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/april-douglas-mypt2go/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/my-pt-2-go-san-diego?osq=my+pt+2+go

Image Credits
Morgan McCanne Photo