Nice to meet you

Dr. Danica Belisle PT, DPT, MBS (aka 'angel hands')

Hi everyone and thank you for visiting my website! I'm a wife, mom of 2 toddlers, and dog mom to 2 talkative huskies in Shorewood. (So if you're ever on a consult call with me, no I'm not in the monkey house at the zoo. It's my 5 children). Catch that?

But all kidding aside, I have been passionate about women's health ever since I was first exposed to it in the military, and even more so after having children. I am passionate about women's health because not only did I go through my own issues (just like a lot of moms out there), but it is a greatly underserved area. I knew when I struggled that I cannot be the only woman going through this. But why don't people talk about it? No woman should suffer in silence. I want women to know that pelvic floor therapists are out there and they can help. I can help.

It is powerful and impactful to share the knowledge I have as a pelvic floor therapist. Wisdom and knowledge about women's health from instructors, mentors, and courses I have attended have both shocked and excited me. What shocked me the most was thinking, 'every woman should know this. But we don't.' As a clinician, I am beyond blessed to have the opportunity to spend more one-on-one time with my patients than a lot of other providers. This allows me to treat and educate patients for a longer period of time and hear your story.

It is never taboo to talk about pelvic health issues with me, nor is it too late to seek for help. My hope is to end the stigma of women seeking help for sexual dysfunction and other pelvic health needs. I mean...men can get help for erectile issues, so women should get the help they need too. There is no reason to ever feel ashamed to reach out to me. You are not alone. One thing I have to say is that the human body is remarkable in how it can heal itself and I am here to assist and speed the process. I am here to advocate and guide you through the rehab process in restoring your health and wellness with evidence-based care. You will be assessed holistically, looking to find what is driving your symptoms. When you become my patient, you will have direct access to text/call me whenever an issue comes up. Whether it is improving your body's strength before, during and after pregnancy, managing low back and hip pain, surgery rehab, minimizing menopausal symptoms, sexual dysfunction or just to better your well-being, if you have any concerns about BABIES, SEX, POO, OR PEE.....TALK TO ME!

Individualized care for every woman

TREATMENT APPROACHES

Individualized care

All appointments are one-on-one whether it is virtually or in-person. With an evidence-based approach, you will be assessed holistically, examining you head to toe. Your plan of care is tailored to guide and support you through exercises, postural support, and reach your goals.

Dry Needling

A thin, sterile needle is used to 'reset' muscles and other connective tissues in order for them to function properly, decrease pain, and improve range of motion. Dry needling has been shown to be most beneficial in conjunction with therapeutic exercise and manual therapy techniques.

Biofeedback

A small internal probe is inserted intravaginally, which provides visual and/or auditory stimuli. This info will give us a better idea about your muscle tone, your ability to contract/relax, and help improve your coordination between your breath and pelvic floor.

Manual therapy

Internal and/or external pelvic floor manual therapy is beneficial to improve scar tissue mobility, decrease muscle tension/pain, and improve muscle function for your pelvic floor and body. While majority of the manual therapy techniques I use are with my hands alone, instrument-assisted soft tissue massage (IASTM) and myofascial cupping may be used.

Therapeutic Exercises

Exercises will range from improving strength, endurance, mobility, posture, positioning while breastfeeding to minimize neck pain or preparing for birth, squatting mechanics, and the list goes on. All exercises are tailored for YOU and only you to reach your functional goals. Nothing should hurt while performing these exercises and if something does, it is adjusted accordingly.

Neuromuscular Re-education

It's a mouthful. In summary, if faulty movement patterns become a habit, it can cause pain, dysfunction and imbalances in muscle function, postural deficits, and did I say pain? The brain is a powerful organ, but also very adaptive to change. This is where we can retrain the bowel and bladder to function in a new way that will improve your well-being.

Home Exercise Program (HEP)

Each session, you will be given therapeutic exercises to incorporate into your time outside of our sessions. They will build upon each other week after week. They are used to complement and reinforce your program so you can reach your goals quicker. In addition, HEPs helps prevent regression, found to be very beneficial long-term even after PT is over, improves muscle memory (important for further progress), and often HEPs jump start a new chapter of an active lifestyle.

Bonus benefit of pelvic floor PT

Best side effect you'll ever hear

With pelvic floor physical therapy exercises, you are improving blood flow to your pelvis. Think of getting a good bicep pump going....blood is rushing over, biceps are looking plump, muscles are functioning better with that blood flow. So what I'm getting at......Exercise and manual therapy to pelvic floor = more blood flow = muscles functioning properly = increased libido and sexual function. You're welcome ladies....and to your partners too! #BigVulvaEnergy #ClamSlam

Here's a few exciting research articles out there:

Always learning

EDUCATION

Governors State University

Doctor of Physical Therapy

Midwestern University

Masters of Science in Biomedical Science

University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign

Bachelors of Science in Integrative Biology

Education

Experience

United States Navy

Hospital Corpsman

Ascension St. Joseph Medical Center -Sports Injury Center

Outpatient Physical Therapy

Areas of continuing education

Herman & Wallace: Pelvic Floor & Dry Needling

Herman & Wallace: Pelvic Floor Series

Myofascial Cupping

Mulligan Concept

Kinesiology Taping, Manual Therapy, & Neuromuscular Re-education

Research experience

Biomedical Sciences Masters, Department of Pharmacology, Midwestern University

Research abstract published April 2013 in The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)

ONLINE

Get help wherever you are

On top of in-person visits, we also offer online therapy for women anywhere. All packages include both in-person and online therapy.

Happy patients

TESTIMONIALS

I came to Dr. Danica not knowing what to expect in therapy for a condition of fecal incontinence. She is very knowledgeable and provides many resources for my use. She makes one feel very comfortable and is so very personable. If you are having any pelvic issues, Dr. Danica is the one to see.

-J.J. Joliet, IL

I had therapy with Danica. She is a wonderful woman. I enjoyed therapy with her and I got so much better. She is a very good PT. I recommend her to every woman. She is very gentle and helped me so much. Thank you for everything you do. I feel great!

-I.O. Plainfield, IL