We were lucky to catch up with Smith Christenbury recently and have shared our conversation below.

Smith, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

There were several years early on in my career as a Doctor of Physical Therapy during which I worked for a few different companies, beginning as a “new grad” and eventually working my way up into a management position. Although each clinic was vastly different they all had one underlying expectation: maximize patient visits.

Seeing 2 to 3 patients per hour was not unusual unless the patient was new and required an initial evaluation, in which case there would be a one-on-one appointment. It was during these first encounters with patients that I was expected to establish a frequency and duration of visits. If we were speaking to ethics and professional responsibility then I would have been recommending a prescription of physical therapy appropriate for each individual patient’s specific needs for healing. I quickly realized this was not the basis of establishing plans of care for many companies.

My defining moment was with a company requiring a frequency of 3 visits per week for several weeks before tapering down to 2 per week and so on for every single patient. I did not adhere to these rigid parameters and was repeatedly chastised for not complying. I was REPRIMANDED for SUCCESSFUL patient outcomes because the patients were healed within a few visits rather than having to return for weeks on end, thus bringing in less money for the company.

I thought I would never survive as a business owner because I was more interested in helping my patients heal rather than selling visits and I have never been so happy to be wrong. Time is valuable and our health is even more valuable so offering patient care without asking my patients to sacrifice hours over the course of weeks or months has built quite a reputation and a much more enjoyable business model.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Smith Christenbury, I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of Core Purpose Physical Therapy. I began my career in orthopedics and over time established my skills and knowledge for treating patients suffering from symptoms related to pelvic floor dysfunction.

Pelvic floor physical therapy has been around for decades and yet only recently has it become a hot topic of discussion. Many hear the phrase “pelvic floor” and think treatment only relates to women, specifically pregnant or postpartum women, but this field is about much more than helping prevent urinary incontinence with every sneeze.

Everyone has a pelvic floor, therefore ANYONE can experience symptoms as a result of pelvic floor dysfunction! But why would a physical therapist be the profession to treat these concerns? With extensive education and training in diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal and neurologic conditions the skills of a physical therapist are then extended through further post-graduate education for treating the pelvic floor.

I received my BS from the University of South Carolina and attended the University of St. Augustine for my Doctor of Physical Therapy. Ever since becoming a DPT I have devoted hours and hours to pursuing an education and skill set in treatment of the pelvic floor. I was born and raised in Charlotte, NC, which is where I have established my business, Core Purpose Physical Therapy, specializing in orthopedics and pelvic floor dysfunction.

Common diagnoses that I personally treat include painful vaginal penetration, chronic constipation, pelvic or tailbone pain, pain during or after orgasm, urinary or fecal incontinence, various types of neuralgia, diastasis recti, pelvic organ prolapse, scar tissue complications after perineal tears or C-sections, secondary symptoms as a result of endometriosis, and many more!

I am most proud of my ability to meet complete strangers and offer a sense of comfort and trust as these can be incredibly personal and vulnerable diagnoses for many people. There is no such thing as TMI, I am an open book when it comes to treating my patients!

One thing I wish everyone knew about pelvic floor dysfunction is that you are not alone! There is help out there and if you have been on a journey through medical tests and prescriptions with no relief then please seek the help of a local pelvic floor physical therapist. Blood tests and MRIs do not show muscular or neural pain so negative results do not mean that nothing is wrong with you. You know your body best and if you feel as if something is not right then do not stop advocating for your health and quality of life.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

In my clinical experience I have found incredible success through building an arsenal of other healthcare professionals with whom I can trust to treat my patients in a more complex and wholesome approach. As a physical therapist I am able to approach treatment on a musculoskeletal and neurologic level but there are often several compounding factors that come into play aside from those aspects of healing.

As an example, when treating chronic constipation it is often necessary to seek simultaneous plan of care with a dietitian. If that same patient is experiencing severe spasticity of the pelvic floor muscles thus interfering with the efficacy of our treatment sessions then botox injections from a colorectal specialist can be incredibly beneficial for progression.

The ultimate goal is improvement of patient outcomes and sometimes you have to be okay with asking for help from outside sources or even saying “I don’t think I can help you but I know who can”, which seems to be difficult for some healthcare professionals to admit.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Core Purpose Physical Therapy is actually the result of a huge personal and professional pivot! I was working for a local physical therapy clinic here in Charlotte and at the time I had been building my caseload as the only pelvic floor specialist in the company before I left to have my first child in January 2020. I decided not to return to that same company and was skeptical to work anywhere for safety reasons due to COVID come March 2020.

I kept receiving calls from my previous employer informing me that people were calling looking for me to treat pelvic floor symptoms so I gave them permission to share my contact information. I established an LLC, put a portable table in my car and traveled to treat patients in the safety of their own homes. Once the word spread and business picked up I was able to transition into a brick and mortar where my patients primarily come to me but I still offer concierge services at a higher fee.

It has been a wild journey transitioning into the role of business owner and Mother of 2 all at the same time but what an incredible experience it has been! I would never have thought that I would own my own practice but the universe had different plans.

Contact Info:

• Website:  www.corepurposept.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corepurposept/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CorePurposePT
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smith-christenbury-6b522913a/
• Other: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Core+Purpose+Physical+Therapy/@35.2156984,-80.8475309,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xf2e64dd93922822!8m2!3d35.2156984!4d-80.8475309

Image Credits
Phylicia Willis Media Chrissy Winchester Photography