Therapists And Staff

Risa has practiced physical therapy almost 40 years, with a specialization in women’s health and pelvic floor dysfunction for more than of 30 years. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in health science from California State University Northridge and a postgraduate certificate in Physical Therapy through a combined program at California State University Northridge and the University of California at Los Angeles. She also completed a doctorate degree in Physical Therapy at Boston University in which her academic practicum focused on pelvic floor dysfunction in men, women and children.

Risa's long time interest in women's health led to the founding of ESPT's Physical Therapy for Women in 1992.  With advanced training in biofeedback, incontinence and elimination disorders, pelvic floor dysfunction and pelvic pain, she soon added pelvic floor therapy for men and children to her practice, now ESPT's Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Physical Therapy. Risa is passionate about breaking the silence around incontinence, pelvic and sexual pain. Her goal is to enhance the physical health and quality of life for men and women suffering from pain, elimination disorders and incontinence.

Risa has two grandchild and is the mother of four daughters, one dogs and a cat.  When she is not enjoying time with them, she is playing golf with her husband, Jim.

Community Outreach

Memberships

• Pelvic Floor Dysfunction - Men, Women & Children
• Incontinence & Elimination Disorders
• Pelvic & Sexual Pain
• EMG Biofeedback
• Men's and Women's Health

Jim has been active in the physical therapy profession since 1980, specializing in golf performance and golf injury treatment and prevention with East Sacramento Physical Therapy in Sacramento since 1990.

Jim received a Bachelor’s of Science in Zoology emphasis in Physiology from the University of California at Davis in 1983. He received a Master of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of the Pacific in 1988 and his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Boston University in 2006. In April of 2007, Jim completed the Titleist Performance Institute’s Certified Golf Fitness Instructor program, and he is currently TPI Certified Golf Fitness Instructor and Medical Practitioner CGFI-MP3.

In 1998, ESPT became part of the Fit Golf network and the Northern California point of service for Fit Golf. As a member of the Fit Golf network, he has been trained as a golf medical fitness expert. He subsequently completed his doctoral degree (DPT) during which his academic practicum emphasized; golf performance, injury prevention and liability exposure for PGA and LPGA teaching professionals. He is involved with the Northern California Section of the PGA most notably the Player-Teacher Development Forum and a supporter of the Executive Women’s Golf Association (EWGA). In addition Jim is a member of the Titleist Performance Institute network and one of the few level 3 medical practitioners in Northern California. Jim has also had extensive training in Australian Manual Therapy (Maitland), Sahrmann and Functional Movement Systems (FMS) certification (Gray Cook MSPT, OCS, CSCS and Lee Burton, Ph.D., ATC, CSCS) and he is an active member with the American Physical Therapy Association.In addition to orthopedic and golf performance therapy; Jim began working with male pelvic floor dysfunction patients in 2010 under the auspice of his wife Risa MacDonald PT, DPT. He has completed Pelvic Floor curricula with Herman and Wallace and Sher Pelvic Health and is a member of the International Pelvic Pain Society (IPPS). He has expanded his practice to include men’s pelvic health issues as this patient population is sorely underserved. Due to his extensive experience he is one of the most experienced male practitioners in men’s pelvic floor dysfunction in California. He works extensively with post prostatectomy stress incontinence and urge-frequency. In addition he educates Urology residents as East Sac PT which is a training center for the University of California at Davis School of Medicine Department of Urology and involved with local prostate support groups. He works with pelvic pain both chronic and acute and pudendal neuralgia. He works with chronic non-bacterial prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain patients. He also works with additional bowel and bladder pathologies such as dyssynergia, chronic constipation hesitancy and retention. He also treats erectile dysfunction both post-prostatectomy and idiopathic. He employs many of the FMS OMT skills along with other modalities and mobilization techniques to address the myriad of conditions seen in pelvic floor dysfunction. Interestingly over 50% of his PFM dysfunction patients are golfers.  

Jim has also served s an expert witness in the medical-legal arena in the areas of physical therapy and biomechanics.

Cath is a British born and trained physical therapist who had many years' experience both working and clinically teaching orthopedic physical therapy oversees before moving to California in 2001.

In 2002 she undertook a year-long orthopedic residency at the University of Southern California (USC) where she obtained a postgraduate certificate in orthopedic PT. Since this time, Cath has been passionate both about teaching and continuing her own education, attending many postgraduate courses and serving in various teaching roles at USC, California State University Sacramento, and in clinical settings.

Cath joined East Sacramento Physical Therapy in 2016 and is excited to be a part of this dynamic team. She helps patients with orthopedic conditions to attain their functional goals combining manual skills with therapeutic exercise, emphasizing education and self-management.

In addition, she is specializing in the area of pelvic floor dysfunction and has attended all four Herman and Wallace Pelvic Floor series courses, which enable help her to provide an exceptional standard of patient care.

When she is not at work, Cath enjoys being an unpaid taxi driver for her two daughters who keep her continually busy!

Specialty areas include:

• Pelvic Floor Dysfunction 
• EMG Biofeedback
• Incontinence & Elimination Disorders
• Muscular, Skeletal, Orthopedic, Sports Injury

 Maria is a Mississippi native who enjoys practicing yoga, training her bulldog puppy, and attending Sacramento Kings basketball games with her husband. She earned her bachelor's degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Science from Mississippi State University, assisting in research for fall prevention in adults with intellectual disabilities. She then went on to get her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Azusa Pacific University in Los Angeles County, where she completed her doctoral research on how cultural & societal influences can impact pelvic floor dysfunction. While earning her doctorate, she began specializing in Women’s Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy, taking courses through the American Physical Therapy Association. Maria has continued to further her skill set by taking continued education courses through Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute for more specialized pelvic floor training. Her passion is destigmatizing pelvic floor dysfunction & creating more open conversations around pelvic health! 

 Elaine grew up in Sacramento where she developed a love of the outdoors. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz she went on to travel extensively leading bicycle tours in Europe and Southeast Asia and trained in yoga and Pilates. She returned to her hometown to pursue a Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Sacramento State where she developed her interest in orthopedic and pelvic floor physical therapy. In her free time, Elaine enjoys yoga, hiking, biking on the American River, skiing, and trying new food.