Integrative Physical Therapy with Dr. Leslyn Spaulding
Myofascial release, craniosacral therapy, and pelvic health in Lexington, KY. Thirty-three years of hands-on physical therapy in one integrated practice.
Hi! My name is Leslyn Spaulding. I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy. For 33 years my hands have been learning the human body, first through traditional physical therapy, and over time through myofascial release, in which I am Expert-level trained in the John F. Barnes' Myofascial Release Approach®. I also have extensive training in pelvic health and craniosacral therapy.
I earned my BHS in Physical Therapy from the University of Kentucky in 1993 and my Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Utica College in 2011. Many of the people I see arrive after other approaches have not held. That is not because they failed. It is usually because something in the body was still holding, and no one had listened for it yet.
Philosophy
I believe our bodies are wonderfully made and designed to serve us well. When an illness, injury, or trauma results in weakness and pain, the body begins to heal so that we can keep moving and functioning. Sometimes that healing gets interrupted, or stays incomplete, and the body goes on holding what it could not finish. That is where my work begins.
I evaluate the whole body and look for the restrictive barriers to normal movement. Treatment begins with the nervous system, because a body on guard does not let go. Once it quiets, the tissue softens and the barriers can open and release. The work is gentle, unhurried, and grounded in anatomy. The body does the reorganizing. My hands listen first, and then follow.
Approach
Every session begins with listening. On a first visit, that means your history, the story of what brought you in, what has helped and what hasn't, and the way your body is moving now. The body has been telling its story in posture and breath since long before the appointment began.
What I learn there helps to shape the treatment. What it involves depends on what your body needs that day.
Myofascial release. Slow, sustained contact with restricted fascia, allowing the tissue to soften and reorganize over minutes rather than seconds. This is the foundation of much of what I do, drawn from the John F. Barnes' Myofascial Release Approach®. The same principles guide direct work on surgical scars and adhesions when they are part of the story.
Craniosacral therapy. A very light, listening kind of contact, usually at the head, sacrum, or along the spine, that tracks the subtle rhythms of the body and supports the nervous system in shifting toward rest. Craniosacral work grew out of the osteopathic tradition.
Pelvic health. Specialized assessment and treatment of the pelvic floor, held within the context of the whole body. When pelvic health is what brings you in, assessment includes internal evaluation and treatment when appropriate, always with your informed consent, because pelvic floor dysfunction cannot be fully evaluated from the outside. And because the pelvis is influenced by everything above and below it, the work includes the whole body, in both directions. Often essential for chronic pelvic pain, postpartum recovery, post-surgical concerns, and the many ways the pelvis holds tension.
These are not separate services. They are different doors into the same conversation, and not every session uses every door. Over the years they have braided into one way of working: the way I have come to do this work, through years of study and practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don't find your answer here, reach out at leslyn@drleslynspauldingdpt.com
Traditional physical therapy often focuses on the symptoms of an individual musculoskeletal problem through exercises and manual therapy. Integrative physical therapy is a whole-body approach. It looks for the root causes of pain, considers the whole person, and incorporates breathwork, mindful movement, and myofascial release alongside standard physical therapy practices.
A safe, gentle, and effective form of manual therapy provided by a therapist trained in the method. It focuses on the source of the problem rather than the symptoms alone. A therapist trained in this approach does not force the body into prescribed positions. The work treats the whole person and gives the body room to reorganize on its own timeline.
The list is not all-inclusive. Most of these conditions share a common thread: tissue and a nervous system that have been holding something for a long time.
Pain and injury
Back pain · Neck pain · Cervical and lumbar injuries · Whiplash · Herniated and bulging discs · Degenerative disc disease · Scoliosis · Frozen shoulder · Shin splints · Plantar fasciitis · Recovery after injury
Head, jaw, and nerve
Headaches · Migraines · TMJ syndrome · Trigeminal neuralgia · Tinnitus · Sciatica · Nerve entrapment · Carpal tunnel syndrome
Pelvic health and recovery
Pelvic pain · Endometriosis-related pain · Bladder problems · Postpartum recovery · Scars, including mastectomy and surgical scars
Whole body and nervous system
Fibromyalgia · Chronic fatigue syndrome · Myofascial pain syndrome · Emotional trauma · Long-standing tension without a diagnosis
If you don't see your condition listed, please reach out anyway. The work does not depend on a label, and I am glad to talk through whether it is a good fit for what you are carrying.
I do not take insurance. Payment is expected at time of service. On request I can provide a superbill you can submit to your own insurance for possible reimbursement, excluding Medicare and Medicaid.
Contact Us
Get in touch
Appointments are available in Lexington and, one day a week, in Mt Sterling
Dr Leslyn Spaulding,PT,DPT
1025 Dove Run Road, Suite 110, Lexington, Kentucky 40502, United States
107 Brandon Way Mount Sterling, Kentucky, United States 859-229-5101 leslyn@drleslynspauldingdpt.com
Hours
Mon | By Appointment | |
Tue | By Appointment | |
Wed | By Appointment | |
Thu | By Appointment | |
Fri | By Appointment | |
Sat | Closed | |
Sun | Closed |
Writing and Elsewhere
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