Meet Pam Gatewood

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Pam Gatewood. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Pam, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I first found physical therapy after my dad had his first knee surgery. I was in high school trying to figure out which medical field I wanted to go into. I joined my dad on one of his physical therapy visits and that’s when I knew physical therapy was for me. I love the hands on and direct patient contact. It was so integrating to see physical therapist help people get better and return to their activity by using their hands to work on the body and create exercises that improve function. This is still my favorite job in the world. I get to help people return to movement and activity. I love finding areas that are stuck and get them moving without pain again. I love finding those back doors to the body and getting the body to release and let go of these patterns that are inhibiting the person from better movement. I also love finding new ways that help people function better.

After working for many years in worker’s compensation and outpatient orthopedics. I was looking for a new change in my career. It came with having two daughters and the challenges of working with a family and physically recovering from postpartum pelvic floor issues. I had pelvic floor issues postpartum and realized this is an area of physical therapy that I couldn’t heal myself and that other women were struggling in as well. That is when I started to focus on pelvic floor training and decided to create my own business around helping women return to sport after pregnancy.

I also have a whole-body approach to physical therapy for males and females. I find that when we see and the body as whole not just pieces, we can make a big impact on the entire body’s function.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

A big focus in my practice is a whole-body approach not just the area that is having the pain. There are many factors things that influence a person’s pain, and I love finding those dysfunctions. Nothing in the body works in isolation. Everything is connected. I do a lot of fascial release and deep tissue release. It is so amazing to find these fascial restrictions and be able to release the tissue to allow better mobility of the joints around the area.

Dry needling is another amazing tool I use to help retrain the muscles to release the tension in the body. Sometimes my fingers just can’t get to these hard-to-reach spots, but the needles are a perfect tool to getting the tension to release.

I also enjoy working on the abdominal muscles this area affects the low back, hip and ribcage. Abdominal massage is something that is not worked by many practitioners and it is a big key to stabilization in the low back. The abdominal muscle and organs can get stuck or stiff. It is so amazing to get the bladder and uterus to move better and function better in the body.

I love focusing on postpartum women and their recovery to returning to their sports or activity and just helping them feel better in their bodies. This is huge passion for me because I understand what it is like to recover from a c-section and a v-bac both are hard and having someone there to help them in the process is something I didn’t have and I want to help change the way we think about physical therapy for post-partum process.

Breathwork is another big part of my practice not just teaching patient how to breath better but physical getting the ribcage and diaphragm to move better.

I also do full body lymphatic drainage cupping to help detoxify the body and help the tissues to move better.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1) Listening to the patient’s unique story or trauma and just holding space for them to be able to tell their story and heal from that experience. You can create a trusting environment just by being able to listen to them hear the struggle they have endured.

2) Understanding the body mechanics and how things move. I love teaching patients how to use the correct muscles to do their exercises. This is something that really is helpful in the healing process. To be able to make sure, the patient is breathing and using the correct muscles for each exercise. Also, looking at the whole body not just the area that has the pain. When we look at the whole body you can start to see that they are many causes to the pain not just one thing.

3) The skill of hands-on work on the body and adjusting your pressure and tension to the tolerance of the patient this is something that takes time and compassion for the patient on your table. Meeting the patient where they are at in that moment of time. The training for the dry needling is something that helped me look at anatomy in a totally different view.

My advice is finding someone that is willing to help you train. I had several amazing mentors in my career that created a learning environment. Surrounding yourself with folks that are supportive.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

There are so many books that have shaped how I work. One that shaped the way I think is The Wild Feminine By Tami Lynn Kent. This book helped me understand that the environment that I create or the energy that I bring to the table during my sessions with my patients influences some of my outcomes. In other words, clearing my energy or my energetic presence help create a better healing environment if I am willing to do the work to clear my negative energy and bring in healing energy for my patients. This book also helps you to clear past energies that no longer serve you.

There are two nervous systems in my treatment room, mine and my patient’s. By learning to ground myself and not take on other person’s energy, I can create a calming and healing environment.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.changingthegamephysicaltherapy.com
• Instagram: changingthegamept
• Facebook: changing the game physical therapy, LLC