Welcome to BeWhole Pelvic Physical Therapy, where Dr. Kavitha Paranjothi explores effective and compassionate approaches to pelvic health. In this conversation, Dr. Kavitha is joined by Dr. Jessica Ray, DNP, FNP-C, a pelvic pain specialist, to discuss the role of physiatry in treating chronic pelvic pain. Dr. Ray shares her expertise and treatment philosophy from her practice at 106 Grand Avenue, Englewood, NJ, helping patients find lasting solutions to complex pelvic health challenges.
- Guest: Dr. Jessica Ray, DNP, FNP-C
- Credentials: Doctor of Nursing Practice, board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner
- Topic: Pelvic floor health and physiatry
- Practice location: 106 Grand Avenue, Englewood, NJ
The Conversation
Dr. Jessica Ray is a doctorally educated, board-certified family nurse practitioner with over 12 years of experience in patient care, clinical leadership, and operations. Her career began as an ER trauma nurse, where she developed skills managing high-acuity patients. She later transitioned into functional medicine, providing concierge care focused on addressing the root cause of her patients' conditions. Today, she practices at Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine, a practice dedicated to treating chronic pelvic pain, where she provides personalized care to patients of all genders.
Asked how she found her way into the field, Dr. Ray pointed to her time as a functional nurse practitioner. "I started seeing patients on a more holistic basis, from a root-cause perspective, and I noticed a recurring pattern: patients suffering from chronic pelvic pain who had seen multiple providers and undergone countless tests without a clear diagnosis or an effective treatment plan. Their frustration and their sense of isolation resonated with me, because I realized pelvic health was an area where I could make a difference." She was drawn to how interconnected the pelvic system is, involving musculoskeletal, neurological, and emotional factors together rather than just the organs or muscles, and that combination led her to focus her career on pelvic rehabilitation.
Asked what sets her practice apart, Dr. Ray described Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine's approach. Founded in 2017, the practice offers a non-operative treatment for chronic abdominal and pelvic pain called the PRM Protocol, a patented, office-based procedure aimed at reducing inflammation in the muscles and nerves that generate pain. The treatment runs over a series of six to seven weeks and uses ultrasound-guided nerve blocks and trigger point injections to target the inflammation driving nerve pain and pelvic floor muscle spasms. "It's not a band-aid approach," Dr. Ray said. "We're trying to truly reverse the inflammation that's happening due to different disease processes, such as endometriosis and interstitial cystitis, and we're retraining those muscles and nerves on how to properly function." The practice also considers each patient's broader health, including emotional wellbeing and sleep, rather than treating the pelvic floor in isolation.
Dr. Ray noted that endometriosis, which affects roughly one in nine women, is surgically diagnosed and often goes undiagnosed for too long because patients don't receive a timely workup. At Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine, patients can complete a series of injections before surgery to help reduce inflammation and prepare the area, and a second series afterward to address any post-surgical symptoms and continue reducing inflammation. In other words, the practice offers both a non-operative and an operative approach to endometriosis care.
When asked about her ideal patient, Dr. Ray said she doesn't have a single favorite diagnosis. She finds it especially rewarding to help patients who arrive with debilitating symptoms go on to live pain-free, and she noted that younger patients are often particularly motivated to get back to their lives without interruption. Dyspareunia and endometriosis are two conditions she finds especially rewarding to treat, in part because endometriosis has such a clear beginning-to-end treatment model.
Patients can reach Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine through its 14 offices across the United States, a call center that helps schedule appointments, or by having their gynecologist or pelvic floor physical therapist refer them directly. The practice also offers a free 15-minute phone consultation, regardless of insurance, so patients can get a sense of whether their symptoms are a good fit before committing to a full new-patient visit.
Asked for a piece of information she wishes more people knew, Dr. Ray pointed to the mind-body connection in chronic pain. Over time, chronic pain, pelvic or otherwise, can rewire the brain through a process called central sensitization, making the nervous system hypersensitive and amplifying pain signals so that something as minor as a paper cut can feel far more intense. This process can also leave patients more anxious or prone to rumination. Alongside physical treatment, she recommends supporting the nervous system with techniques like deep breathing, yoga, journaling, and mindful meditation, and she reminds patients that the nervous system can be retrained, so they don't have to live with these symptoms forever.
Dr. Ray's closing message was not to ignore pelvic pain or dysfunction, whether that shows up as pain during intercourse or urination, urinary frequency or urgency, incomplete bladder emptying, or rectal pain, pressure, or constipation. None of these symptoms are normal, and treatment is available. She noted that many patients live with embarrassment for years before addressing their symptoms, when a comprehensive, whole-body approach could help far sooner.
Chronic pelvic pain is often best managed with a team approach. Learn more about our pelvic pain treatment and pelvic health services, or request an appointment to talk with Dr. Kavitha directly.