Ella Health Appoints Dawn-Marie Ickes as Director of Physical Therapy and Integrative Wellness

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Women's wellness provider Ella Health has appointed industry leader Dawn-Marie Ickes as director of physical therapy and integrative wellness. Ickes, a licensed physical therapist, will oversee programs designed specifically for women including individual treatment and small group classes.

Ickes promotes a holistic Pilates-based approach to physical therapy that enables women to live stronger as well as healing more quickly and effectively.

"Health care shouldn't be just about taking care of people when something goes wrong, it should be about doing what we can to prevent problems in the first place," she said. "At Ella Health, we want to help women be more proactive about their health and to give them the tools they need to grow stronger and more balanced."

Ickes is focused on educating women and helping them improve their health with specialized exercises and life style changes to avoid problems and minimize the need for surgery or medication.

"We are pleased to welcome someone of Dawn-Marie's high caliber to the Ella Health team," said Chief Executive Melissa Dyrdahl. "Her tremendous depth and breadth of experience combined with her passion for women's health will truly benefit our patients as we expand our business, launch additional services and introduce new products."

Ella Health's physical therapy programs have been developed around the life events women face and include Healthy Pregnancy and Beyond; Mobility and Stability to prepare for surgery or manage chronic illness; Pelvic Power to reduce incontinence; Breast Health to manage breast cancer treatments; and Building Bones to prevent and reduce the effects of osteoporosis.

Ickes is the founder and clinical director of Evolve Integrative Wellness and an adjunct professor in the DPT programs at Mount Saint Mary's University, Los Angeles, and California State University, Northridge. She is a member of the faculty for Balanced Body Pilates and Redcord US and lectures internationally on the importance of integrating movement education, rehabilitation and wellness. She is Vice Chair of the California Private Practice Group, dedicated to promoting, educating, networking and growing private physical therapy practices.  She earned a Master's degree in Physical Therapy from Mount Saint Mary's College (now Mount St. Mary's University), has a post-graduate certification in Pilates, and is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Youth Exercise Specialist.

Ella Health, based in San Francisco, provides physical therapy for women and 3D mammography at centers across the country.

SOURCE Ella Health