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Pelvic Floor Level 2A

Instructors - Rader - Cathcart

Heather S. Rader, PT, DPT, PRPC, BCB-PMD

Heather Rader

Dr. Heather S. Rader, PT, DPT, PRPC, BCB-PMD (she/her) the owner of The OB PT Clinic, a practice devoted to the treatment of pregnancy-related pain and dysfunction, incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and complex pelvic pain located in Eustis, FL. A physical therapist since 1994, she graduated from the University of Miami with a Master’s degree in Physical Therapy and she completed her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of St. Augustine in 2011. She was board certified in the use of Biofeedback for Pelvic Muscle Disorders in 2006. She was awarded the Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification in 2014 and served as a subject matter expert and question writer for the PRPC examination. She is on faculty with the Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute, teaching Pelvic Rehabilitation around the country several times a year, teaching courses in the Pelvic Floor Series and Pregnancy Series.

Her mission as an educator is to assist in the national expansion of qualified pelvic floor therapists and promote awareness of pelvic floor dysfunction to medical professionals and the community at large. She runs a social media site on Facebook called “Team Pelvic Floor”, which posts articles and facts about pelvic floor rehab while promoting a team approach to treating pelvic dysfunction. She is a practice consultant and mentors therapists wishing to incorporate pelvic rehabilitation into their practice.

Office: 352-585-9135 

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.     

Web: www.theobptclinic.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeamPelvicFloor

Darla Cathcart, PT, DPT, PhD, WCS, CLT

Darla Cathcart, PT, DPT, PhD, WCS, CLT

Darla Cathcart, PT, DPT, PhD, WCS, CLT (she/her) graduated from Louisiana State University (Shreveport, LA) with her physical therapy degree, performed residency training in Women’s Health PT at Duke University, and completed a Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences. Her dissertation research focused on using non-invasive brain stimulation to augment behavioral interventions for women with lifelong vaginismus, and her ongoing line of research focuses on painful intercourse and post-Cesarean rehabilitation.

Darla’s certifications and training include Women’s Health Certified Specialist (WCS, board certification through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties). Certificate of Achievement in Pelvic Physical Therapy (CAPP-Pelvic). Certificate of Achievement in Pregnancy & Postpartum Physical Therapy (CAPP-OB). Certified Lymphedema Therapist (CLT).

Darla began her women’s health physical therapy career in her first job while working with pregnant women with musculoskeletal problems in a private outpatient therapy clinic in Shreveport, LA (with a focus on spine rehab). While there, she developed and hosted an exercise class for pregnant women. She would go on to develop a mom and baby postpartum exercise class while in her Duke residency in Durham, NC. She went on to develop the pelvic, pregnancy, and post-breast cancer/lymphedema PT program at Christus-Schumpert Health System in Shreveport, LA. During this time, she participated in educating women in the labor and birth preparatory classes hosted by the hospital; she also taught the women’s health course for physical therapy students at LSU-Shreveport. Darla went on to serve as a full-time faculty member in the physical therapy program at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, AR, where she taught women’s health topics, documentation, therapeutic exercise, professional development, and human physiology. She recently owned a private PT practice that is dedicated to pelvic (bowel, bladder, and pelvic pain) and pregnancy/postpartum conditions in Conway, AR. Darla now is a full-time faculty member in the entry-level Physical Therapy program at Graceland University.

Darla currently serves as the President for the Academy of Pelvic Health of the American Physical Therapy Association. She has several peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed scientific publications. Amongst some of these, she co-authored “Clinical Summary: Urinary Incontinence” for PTNow.org in April 2015. She authored the chapter titled “The Female Hip and Pelvis” in Orthopedic Management of the Hip and Pelvis (S Cheatham, M Kolber, Elsevier, 2015). She chaired the committee for and participated heavily in the development of the Certificate of Achievement in Pregnancy/Postpartum (CAPP-OB) course series for the Section on Women’s Health of the American Physical Therapy Association. Darla has spoken and instructed many courses in local, national, and international settings on a variety of pelvic, pregnancy/postpartum, and other women’s health physical therapy topics. Darla has served as the Director of Education (2011-2014) and as Vice President (2015-2016) for the Section on Women’s Health, American Physical Therapy Association. She also served a technical expert panel member on Treatments for Fecal Incontinence, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in 2014-2015. She also volunteered as a Women’s Health Certified Specialist Exam Standardization Task Force member in May 2013. Darla received several awards from the Section on Women’s Health: CAPP-OB Instructor of the Year (2017); Course Site Hostess of the Year (2018); and Volunteer of the Year (2015). She also received Clinical Instructor of the Year while serving as a clinical instructor a pelvic health physical therapy student from Elon University in 2011.

On a personal note, Darla has teenaged twin boys. She is a lifelong runner and exerciser who loves dark chocolate, craft beer, and her four dogs.