SHEFit Physical Therapy: Sheri DeSchaaf, DPT

SHEFit Physical Therapy: Sheri DeSchaaf, DPT Physical Therapy, Fitness training, Orthopedic and Pelvic Physical Therapy, Pregnancy related Physic

We are a group of licensed Doctors of Physical Therapy, specializing in prenatal, postpartum, and pelvic floor concerns. We are passionate about helping clients achieve health, fitness and functional goals through exercise and other natural techniques including massage and joint mobilization. Most people are familiar with orthopedic physical therapy - this is the treatment of dysfunction of bone, muscle, joint, tendon, ligament, and nerve tissues which can all generate pain and disability. Pelvic PT is less well known, even by the medical community. As pelvic PTs we are qualified to treat pelvic floor dysfunction, including urinary and fecal incontinence, postpartum issues like diastasis recti and prolapse, and pelvic pain. If you are pregnant or planning pregnancy and need guidance for safe exercise, if you want help returning to exercise after pregnancy, or if you have pregnancy related pain we can help!! Please contact us today for more information or to set up an evaluation - we look forward to helping you reach your goals!

03/14/2026

Moms need strength, and so do their Providers!
I've always felt strongly about "practicing what I preach" when it comes to exercise, and I am so proud to have this team of passionate PTs and support staff who LOVE to be STRONG so we can show up for our clients.
(I also love that they're all fun gals who don't mind joining me on a Saturday morning! ☺️)
Thank you to Jamie at for a great workout, and for helping mamas by providing space where you can work out with specialized instruction and your baby or toddler in tow. We need more studios like this!

Why? Your baby has to exit THROUGH your pelvis! Yep, that bony ring with an inlet the size of a large melon, and an outl...
03/11/2026

Why? Your baby has to exit THROUGH your pelvis! Yep, that bony ring with an inlet the size of a large melon, and an outlet about the size of a....large orange 🍊 😳
Everyone's pelvis is different. There is no way to know prior to birth how large your pelvic outlet is, how mobile the bones and muscles of your pelvis are, or how your pelvis will respond to labor until you're in it.
Your OB might take a guess at size, but unless they have taken XRays at multiple angles, tested the mobility of your pelvic joints and tested the mobility of your pelvic floor with you relaxing and pushing, they can't really predict your ability to push a baby through. It's best not to assume it will be impossible, but also don't be overconfident that birthing will be easy!
Preparing for Stage 1:
Stage 1 of labor is that long period BEFORE you start to push. Especially the first time, you cannot know how long it will last or what it will feel like. Your uterus is contracting to gradually dilate your cervix and move baby DOWN. It is recommended to stay at home until contractions are close together and quite intense.
Even if you plan to get an epidural, you may be laboring at home for many hours (my first was over 24 hrs at home!)
You don't want to go to the hospital too soon as your chances for unnecessary interventions go way up.
The early phase can be long and uncomfortable, but it is much easier if you're prepared.
You need a plan and tools for laboring at home, and those few hours of hospital classes simply are not enough.
I often recommend a doula or birth prep class for this reason, but...
👉 pelvic PT can also help!
We can teach you relief strategies including breathing, mobility, positions, and massage techniques. We help you identify any pre-existing areas of tightness that may inhibit your baby's progress. We empower you to be in control and confident in your body as it opens for your baby.

Preparing the pelvis means balanced and well-trained muscles, learning to relax and move in a way that helps your body and doesn't hinder your baby.
Let us help you prepare! Book by calling 858-247-2660.❤️

03/05/2026

Love sharing with groups of new moms how to truly recover well and care for your pelvic health, long term.
Thanks for having me !
Great seeing you, Julia !
❤️❤️

02/26/2026

Emotions running a bit wild lately? Anger, frustration, and intensity you can't quite control?
On March 4th we will host Ashley Hanna-Morgan, LCSW for her workshop:
Mom Rage: Reclaiming your Calm
Join us in person for an empowering session with a Perinatal Certified Mental Health Therapist who gets it. This event is all about tackling that intense mom rage and helping you find your calm again. Come hang out, share your story, and pick up some real tools to navigate those tough moments with your little one. Let’s reclaim your peace together!

March 4th 2026, 5:30-7pm
at SHEFitPT Mission Valley
No cost, but please Register via Eventbrite or

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mom-rage-reclaiming-your-calm-with-a-perinatal-certified-mental-health-the-tickets-1982397787146

02/26/2026

Felt your emotions running a bit wild lately?
Anger? Frustration? Intensity you can't seem to control?
On March 4th we will host Ashley Hanna-Morgan, LCSW for her workshop:
Mom Rage: Reclaiming your Calm
Join us in person for an empowering session with a Perinatal Certified Mental Health Therapist who understands. This event is all about tackling the intense anger, frustration that many moms feel, and helping you find your calm again.
Come hang out, share your story, and pick up some real tools to navigate those tough moments with your little one. Let’s reclaim your calm together!

Wednesday March 4, 5:30-7pm
at SHEFit Physical Therapy
1545 Hotel Circle S. Ste 145
San Diego CA, 92108
Register
Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mom-rage-reclaiming-your-calm-with-a-perinatal-certified-mental-health-the-tickets-1982397787146

Kegels are controversial.There are a lot of folks out there saying "DON'T KEGEL 😱" - it will make your pelvic floor tigh...
02/25/2026

Kegels are controversial.
There are a lot of folks out there saying "DON'T KEGEL 😱" - it will make your pelvic floor tight, It will cause pain, it will make it harder to labor, etc.
So let's talk truth. "Kegel" is just a common term for a pelvic floor contraction, coined by an MD back in the '40s who first discovered that contracting the pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) helped with bladder leaks.
So, SHOULD you?
There are lots of studies showing a benefit to PFM strengthening for incontinence, prolapse, pain, and other concerns. Logically it makes sense that if muscle weakness is causing dysfunction you need to activate the muscle to strengthen it. It also makes sense that you would need to activate and strengthen the PFMs to prepare for pregnancy and vaginal delivery to facilitate optimal recovery. This is how we treat every other muscle in the body!
BUT, there is also a significant population of people with an OVERACTIVE, or "tight", pelvic floor. This means their PFMs are predisposed to being on all the time.
If someone is tight due to gripping their PFMs all the time, then certainly squeezing those muscles a 30, 80 or 200 times a day will make things worse!
It's not so simple as just do kegels or don't do kegels. The quality and type of contraction matters! (The "HOW" matters!) And, Spoiler Alert, you can have a pelvic floor that is BOTH tight and weak.🫠

👉First, CAN you? You need to be contracting the right muscles. (Lots of people contract other muscles instead.)

👉Second, HOW do you? You need to both lengthen and shorten as part of your contraction!
If a muscle is never released or lengthened, it will fall into that overactive gripping category and certainly cause you problems. (Bladder, bowel, pain, and sexual problems!)

👉Third, WHEN should you? You need to learn to use the muscles they both shorten AND lengthen in coordination with other muscles, and at times when you need them!

If you're frustrated with kegels, feel like you have no idea how to do them, or tried them and they didn't work, book a visit with one of our experienced pelvic floor experts for effective guidance tailored to your body and your needs.

Book by calling/texting 858-247-2660!

MASTITIS sucks. The majority of breast pain with lactation is related to inflammation, not infection, but there is NO kn...
02/25/2026

MASTITIS sucks. The majority of breast pain with lactation is related to inflammation, not infection, but there is NO known test for infection! This is why the AMA recommends conservative treatment for 24 hrs before prescribing antibiotics.
Most of us would like to avoid antibiotics, but WHAT is "conservative management"? Historically the standard advice was feeding/pumping like a maniac, hot showers, aggressively massaging the breast to expel the painful block, even cold cabbage leaves and crazy feeding positions.
REALITY: The most evidence-based way to resolve a "block" is Therapeutic Breast Massage, cold therapy, and other anti-inflammatory modalities.
Research indicates aggressive massage, while sometimes useful for expressing milk, is NOT the best way to reduce inflammation, and can even make it worse.

Therapeutic breast massage is a gentle modification of lymphatic massage that flushes inflammatory swelling out of the breast toward the lymph nodes, relieving pressure and resolving blockage.
At SHEFitPT we use therapeutic breast massage in combination with therapeutic ultrasound, hand expression, and other modalities to flush out inflammation, relieve pressure on the duct, and remove the stagnant milk.

Most clients see immediate results from their first PT session, and complete resolution in 3-5 sessions.
If you still have signs of infection (fever, chills, redness, heat, swelling, etc.) after conservative care for 48 hours, you can be more confident that those antibiotics are truly necessary and pursue them without doubt.

Suffering from pain due to blocked ducts or mastitis?
Let us help! Book now, 858-247-2660!

**Save this post for a "rainy day", and share with a new mama who might someday need it!!**

breastfeedingpain lactationconsultant sandiegobreastfeeding sandiegobreastfeeds breastfeedingmama sandiegomama sandiegonewmom sandiegoworkingmoms

My baby is 10! If you didn't know, I quit my job to start a women's pelvic floor PT practice just months before this bea...
02/22/2026

My baby is 10! If you didn't know, I quit my job to start a women's pelvic floor PT practice just months before this beautiful young lady came into existence.
It has been a wild and beautiful ride, nurturing a growing child (then 2, then 3) and a growing business through highs and lows, growth spurts and lovely plateaus.
I am so thankful for my business, my supportive husband, and all the amazing colleagues and clients who have made it possible to always be a mother first, and a business woman second.
God has been so good to our family and to the practice. I look forward to the next 10 years of watching this young lady grow into adulthood, seeing how the business develops to serve even more women, guiding them through their own journeys into motherhood, and providing more amazing pelvic floor PTs with meaningful and supportive careers. 🥰
Thanks for being here with me, y'all.

& sophie wood

Feeling overwhelmed as a new mama?Unsettled by moments of intense anger or frustration?Wondering if your feelings are no...
02/17/2026

Feeling overwhelmed as a new mama?
Unsettled by moments of intense anger or frustration?
Wondering if your feelings are normal, and how to find calm again?
You're not alone!
Join us for a workshop with Ashley Hanna Morgan, LCSW , all about "Mom Rage: Reclaiming Your Calm"!
🌼March 4th 5:30-7pm at SHEFitPT, Mission Valley.
🌸Registration required, register via Ashley's profile or the Eventbrite page! (In the comments)

02/08/2026

An afternoon of education for here in San Diego!
Thanks to Alyssa .to.rise for organizing an amazing speaker panel, sharing her story and wisdom on functional nutrition for endometriosis, and bringing together people and providers to answer some tough questions. ❤️
Honored to contribute as a resource alongside , and .
If you are struggling with endometriosis in San Diego and don't know where to start, it takes a village - we'd love to help you construct your dream team!

Address

4747 Mission Boulevard, Ste 4
San Diego, CA
92109

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 7am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 3pm

Telephone

+18582472660

Website

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