Healing with Dr. Kayla Borchers
AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. KAYLA BORCHERS,
DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY
[focused on orthopedic, prenatal & postpartum care]
INSPIRING MOTHER, AND NEW FRIEND OF MINE
I’ve recently had the honor of getting treated for my jaw, neck and shoulder pain by Dr. Kayla Borchers, a physical therapist and holistic wellness expert. We found each other through Instagram, duh, and hit it off immediately. Her approach to wellness is so similar to my own, and her calm + caring demeanor is so comforting. Not to mention, Dr. Kayla really knows her stuff. She describes her business as:
“Determining the root cause of your symptoms via a comprehensive, holistic approach to physical therapy and wellness. Empowering you to both prevent and treat orthopedic, pregnancy and/or postpartum pain while maximizing lifestyle wellness.”
Oof, that sounds good. Of course I can relate to her practices around pregnancy and postpartum health, but most importantly, I love her focus on pain prevention. What can we do in our daily lives to prevent future pain? What tools and knowledge can we learn for overall longevity?
My initial and follow-up sessions with Dr. Kayla were wonderful. Each visit, I gained insight to how I can alleviate my jaw, neck and shoulder pain. This includes specific daily and weekly practices of various kinds.
Gua sha and cupping
Cat/cow stretches
Intentional jaw relaxation
Breathing techniques
Cervical retraction and extension (chin tuck and release)
Side bending neck stretch
Median nerve glide (elbow and wrist extension with neck side bend)
Table top reaches with chin tuck
Yes, we did all this and more in just two sessions! And, I can confidently say, these practices are helping! I can’t recommend a visit to Dr. Kayla at Seven Studios enough. Find her website for info, booking, pricing and more here!
Side note — Kayla is also such an inspiring mother. On Instagram, she shares tips and tricks to making motherhood more fun, more sustainable, healthier, more approachable, and just a little bit easier. This post about movement with your little one is one of my favorites, as well as this one about stroller running!
Side note pt. 2 — Check out this reel and this reel on my experiences with Dr. Kayla!
Ok, now to the good stuff.
Let’s hear from Dr. Kayla on how she got started, results she sees in her patients, and so much more.
1. INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND WHAT SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN THIS FIELD OF WORK
Hey there, I’m Dr. Kayla Borchers! A Doctor of Physical Therapy who is passionate about all things wellness, holistic living, motherhood, nourishment, sustainability and quality movement.
I’m a small town girl who came to The Ohio State University to pursue my undergraduate and doctoral degrees, then stayed on to work as a physical therapist for Ohio State Sports Medicine.
During my first pregnancy in 2019, I felt unsupported and unprepared for optimally nourishing my overall health and wellness during the preconception, prenatal and postpartum phases. Even with all of the education I had up until that point! So, I did a deep dive into the intersection of Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation and Orthopedics / Sports Medicine. I immediately applied everything I learned to my own pregnancy and postpartum journey, and am so passionate about helping other women thrive during their pregnancies and beyond! For this reason, I took the leap to open my own physical therapy and holistic wellness private practice in August of 2022, 9 months after having my second child! Helping others heal through movement has always been a passion of mine, and having a platform to do so in a more holistic way is a dream come true.
2. WHAT DO YOU FOCUS ON IN YOUR PRACTICE?
While movement is the foundation of my work, I believe that optimal healing happens when we take a holistic approach to care. Thus, we discuss lifestyle wellness goals, toxic load, stress management, sleep quality and nutrition as integral components of the healing process when working together. These components also come into play from a preventative standpoint as well, such as during the preconception time or prior to a surgery.
Every evaluation, treatment or coaching session is completely individualized to that patient. While there are loads of free advice circulating the internet, nothing takes the place of one on one care. What works from your best friend or the influencer you follow may not work for you. That’s why I love working with clients individually to address their personal goals and work towards optimizing their quality of life.
That being said, I also provide free or lower cost resources via my blog and Instagram to help women get started on their healing journey. I understand working together one on one is not attainable for every person. Thus, providing educational and encouraging content is an important component of my practice in order to reach individuals no matter where they are on their health and wellness journey.
3. WHAT RESULTS HAVE YOU SEEN IN THE PEOPLE YOU GUIDE IN YOUR PRACTICE?
Pain relief of the hip, back, SIJ, neck, buttocks, tailbone, knees, ankles, pelvic girdle, ribcage and shoulders. Reduced urinary urgency. Headache alleviation. Reduction of teeth grinding and jaw pain. Closure of Diastasis Recti. Return to running pain-free. Improved stress management. Less fear surrounding pain. Increased understanding of how to support one’s joints. How to lift one’s baby without back pain. Improved sleep. Increased running speed. Improved walking distance. Ability to return to sports. Injury prevention.
The list truly could go on! This is what it’s all about. Reducing pain, stress and fear in regards to movement and empowering women to return to activities they enjoy!
4. HOW DOES YOUR PRACTICE RELATE TO THE PRECONCEPTION AND POSTPARTUM EXPERIENCE?
As women, we grow a baby for 9 months and then are expected to be 100% cleared at 6 weeks. We bring our new baby into their Pediatrician two days after leaving the hospital to ensure they are gaining weight well, but how is mom doing? Mom is told not to lift over 10lbs, but has to carry the baby in their car seat to this appointment. I’ve been there, and gratefully I had the understanding of proper lifting mechanics, breath work and pelvic floor / core engagement to prevent the onset of such conditions as prolapse or back pain.
The above story sets the stage for understanding just how far our medical model has to go in order to help women feel supported during the postpartum period. In most European countries, women receive an automatic referral to Physical Therapy. Even if they aren’t having specific pain at that time! There is so much we can do preventatively to help women heal after childbirth during the fourth trimester. I highly recommend each woman work with a physical therapist with prenatal/postpartum training following childbirth. Even if it’s just for an evaluation with loads of education!
That’s where I come into play – I work with many women during the preconception, prenatal and postpartum phases to educate on strength, body mechanics, breathing patterns, postural positioning, functional movement patterns and mobility. We address pressure management of the core and pelvic floor to reduce risk of pain or dysfunction (i.e. prolapse, urine leakage, diastasis recti, etc.).
Furthermore, it’s my goal to help empower women to stay active during pregnancy!!! From reducing risk of gestational diabetes to lowering risk of pre-eclampsia, movement during and following pregnancy is extremely beneficial for both mother and baby. In my practice, I help women learn how to continue the activities they enjoy in a safe, supportive way.
5. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PIECE OF ADVICE FOR WOMEN LOOKING TO BETTER THEMSELVES THROUGH HOLISTIC WELLNESS, SPECIFICALLY MOVEMENT?
To simply begin. Movement does not have to mean going to a 60 minute group fitness class away from home that ends up taking 100 minutes with commute time and requires child care. Integrating movement into one’s life can look like holding your toddler while doing squats and tickling their belly. It can be placing your baby on your pelvis and doing bridges while working on your deep core and pelvic floor engagement. Or perhaps sidelying leg lifts and plank circuits while your children play with their train set next to you. These are each real-life examples from my own routine with two littles at home (ages 1 and 3 years), as some days setting aside 30-45 minutes to complete an exercise video just isn’t in the cards.
Movement can and should be a regular part of our lifestyle wellness, however it does not have to be this regimented, stressful addition to our schedule. Rather, I encourage women to find joy in adding movement into whatever season of life they are in. In small bouts that become longer and more consistent as one develops new habits.
6. HOW CAN PEOPLE GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU TO LEARN MORE?
Absolutely! Scheduling and additional information can be found on my website, you can also contact me directly via the email below with any questions. I love helping women feel their best, no matter what season of life you are in. Give my instagram a follow and peruse the blog for some helpful resources on the above topics!
Website: drkaylaborchers.com
Email: drkaylaborchers@gmail.com
Instagram: @DrKaylaBorchers
