Welcome to the series, Scoop Spotlights. Here I’ll be spotlighting all of my favorite instructors, businesses, studios, etc. Feel free to nominate a place or individual to spotlight!

So excited to share my love for Dr. Kayla Borchers with you today!! She is my physical therapist, my friend, and my go to girl for all things holistic. Her energy is contagious! I think you will fall in love with her just from this interview. But if you need some more convincing… Go book yourself an initial appointment ASAP.

What’s your name and tell me a little bit about yourself?

Hey there, I’m Dr. Kayla Borchers! A Doctor of Physical Therapy and Certified Yoga Teacher who is passionate about all things wellness, holistic living, motherhood, nourishment, sustainability and quality movement.

I’m a small town girl who came to The Ohio State University to pursue my undergraduate and doctoral degrees, then stayed on to work as a physical therapist for Ohio State Sports Medicine. 

Since then, I left corporate healthcare to launch my own Physical Therapy & Holistic Wellness private practice where I help clients get to the root-cause of their symptoms with a more comprehensive, full-body approach to care.

What is your business and where are you located? How did you get started?

I own a Physical Therapy + Holistic Wellness private practice under my own name, where I help clients move out of pain when present while also working to prevent the onset of pain in the first place. I’m located inside of The Be Well Collective on Henderson Ave. in Columbus, Ohio.

During my first pregnancy in 2019, I felt unsupported and unprepared for optimally nourishing my overall health and wellness during preconception and beyond. Even with all of the education I had up until that point! I wanted to stay active, feel strong, and truly thrive through this season of life! So, I did a deep dive into the intersection of Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation and Orthopedics / Sports Medicine. I immediately applied everything I learned to my own pregnancy and postpartum journey, and am so passionate about helping other women thrive preconception, during pregnancy and beyond!

For this reason, I took the leap of faith to open my private practice in August of 2022, 9 months after having my second child! 

What do you specialize in?

I specialize in the intersection of Sports Medicine and Women’s Health / Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy.

A Board-Certified Orthopedic clinical specialist, I treat joint and muscle related pain or overuse injuries. This includes back pain, hip pain, knee pain, neck pain, headaches, ankle pain or SIJ pain. I also help clients return to running and sport activities while optimizing their overall well-being through a holistic approach to care.

As a Prenatal and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist, I specialize in the treatment of women preconception, during pregnancy and throughout postpartum. This includes the management of any symptoms such as sciatica, pelvic girdle pain, prolapse, diastasi recti, urinary leakage, pain with sex or pubic symphysis pain. All common ailments during pregnancy that can absolutely be treated via physical therapy. (Ie. these are common but not normal! If someone tells you otherwise, here’s your cue to advocate for yourself and seek out a provider who will listen.)

Who is your ideal client?

My ideal client is an active female in her mid-20’s through 30’s who wants to first optimize her foundation prior to conception. Taking care of complaints like knee or hip pain prior to kiddos helps us support one’s body before a huge lifestyle change such as pregnancy! 

I then love supporting this client throughout her pregnancy where we match movement to each trimester in order to help mom and baby thrive while continuing the activities she loves! We also prep for birth with specific movement recommendations to assist pelvic opening and pelvic floor lengthening to reduce risk of tearing during delivery.

Then, we move into this client’s postpartum journey! I provide in-home visits to local clients at 2 weeks postpartum. Virtual sessions are also available. We work together to help the body recover and heal in order to optimize strength needed to care for one’s new baby while also working towards the client’s goals of returning to activities she loves / enjoyed prior to giving birth.

What sets you apart in Columbus?

I’m a boutique physical therapy private practice who spends quality time with my clients in a calm, nurturing space. There are not other patients sweating and grunting on a table 3 feet away from you. Rather, we have a candle lit, are in an open and bright space, play calming music and truly dive into your needs in this season of life. Everything is individualized for you with 1:1 care. No overlapping with other patients. No being passed from provider to provider. 

I also utilize a very holistic approach to care which is rare to find in the physical therapy profession. Talking about topics such as nutrition, sleep, supplement use, stress management techniques and environmental toxin load are topics that we weave into sessions to take a big picture look at your health.

Tell us about the biggest hurdles you have faced

Leaving a large medical facility with built-in referral systems to stepping out on my own as an independent private practice owner, the biggest hurdle has been getting the word out about my services! There is so much I can do to help from a pain management and ultimately prevention standpoint that is just not available in main-stream healthcare. I just don’t have a large PR team behind me to help spread the word – it’s just me!

Thanks to StudiOH Scoop for helping me spread the good word 😉  

How about some of your biggest successes?

My biggest success in launching this private practice has been creating a schedule that works more optimally for my family and I. I have a 3 year old daughter and 1 year old son, and my husband works full time with intermittent travel out of state. Having a schedule that allows me to be at home for dinner each night (for which I am the family chef) has been a huge win for us as a family, as opposed to my 7 p.m. closing shifts when working in a medical facility Sports Medicine clinic.

Another huge success has been the positive remarks from clients. How they truly notice the benefits of working with me in a private practice setting versus the larger medical system. How they feel their needs are actually listened to. How they look forward to appointments. How they notice improvement quicker than they ever did in a setting where they were passed back and forth between providers or never had 1:1 care.

 How can this community support you?

Peruse drkaylaborchers.com to see all the ways we can work together, join my community via our email list, book an appointment or browse the blog for helpful wellness tips. You can also join me on instagram @drkaylaborchers. 

 What’s next for you? Any fun events or promotions coming up?

Growing my online offerings to help meet women wherever and whenever is most convenient for their current season of life. At the start of 2023, I launched a Live Prenatal + Postnatal Yoga Series that is also available on-demand. My goal is to make this series available to women when they are in need of prenatal and postnatal movement support from the comfort of their own home. My aim is to expand upon these group and virtual offerings this year!

Any exclusive ~scoop~ you can share with us??

If you have been debating starting physical therapy — put aside the “nahh my pain isn’t too bad” mindset and do yourself a favor — schedule an evaluation! I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard clients say “I wish I would have done this sooner”. The longer we put something off, the longer it takes to heal. I’m here to support you whenever you’re ready to make that step for your health and well-being.