Women in Business: Nikki Woods - Pelvic Rehabilitation & Wellness Center, Therapy South - Homewood
Nikki Woods saw the benefits of physical therapy first hand, and the experience led her to a new career path and the eventual founding of the Pelvic Rehabilitation Center in Homewood.
“I taught aerobics at the University of Alabama and I saw faculty members getting better from doing water aerobics,” she said. Her curiosity led her to volunteer at the hospital and she instantly fell in love with therapy.
Woods graduated in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and received her Master of Science in physical therapy from the University of Alabama in Birmingham in 2000. She originally wanted to pursue sports medicine, like many physical therapy students. However, as she began to learn more about pelvic rehabilitation, her interest was sparked.
“It was the reward of taking care of my first patient that had me sold,” she said. “It’s become my ministry more than my work.”
Woods had the opportunity to study under the late C. Paul Perry, M.D., who was a pioneer in the field of pelvic pain and a founder of the International Pelvic Pain Society.
“He really opened up the world of pelvic pain to me,” she said.
Woods excelled in this field. Of her many accomplishments within the area, the most notable is becoming one of the first Certified Pelvic Practitioners in the country after sitting for the inaugural Herman and Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Certification Exam in April 2014. This certification sets her apart from other physical therapists as an expert in her specific field.
Her expertise of pelvic rehabilitation led her to open the Pelvic Rehabilitation Center with TherapySouth. This center is the first of its kind for the company, as well as the state of Alabama. Designed to meet the unique pelvic health needs of both men and women, Woods has teamed with other experienced therapists to care for the often-challenging needs of the patients they meet. Pelvic rehabilitation can be defined as a non-surgical approach to the rehabilitation of dysfunctions that can contribute to bowel, bladder, sexual health and pain complaints.
“My patients needed a safe place. The rooms are private, and the environment is spa-like,” Woods said. “Its purpose is to be a comfortable place to go to for a not-so-comfortable reason.
Another facet of the center is the Stability Wellness Program, which offers group exercise classes. These classes are designed to provide therapeutic exercise, to strengthen cores, to restore postures and to improve mobility, balance and flexibility.
“The biggest desire for opening the center was to not just focus on chronic pain, but to serve as a safe place to exercise,” she said. “We needed a bridge between community exercise and clinic.”
Woods looks to the future with optimism, and has a few goals in mind for her clinic. “I’d love to be able to train more therapists and improve awareness in the community,” she said. “I’d also love to see the Stability Wellness Program take off so people know they have a clinically supervised place to exercise where they’re not worried about injuring themselves and causing more pain.”
► WHERE: 3401 Independence Drive, Suite 211
► CALL: 968-1283
► WEBSITE: therapysouth.net/location/homewood