Therapists And Staff

Risa has practiced physical therapy for more than 25 years, with a specialization in women’s health and pelvic floor dysfunction for almost 20 of those 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 one grandchild and is the mother of four daughters, three 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

Elizabeth is from Southern California but lives most of her life in Germany, where she was trained as a ballet dancer. Her dance career spanned 25 years during which she performed on stages around the world. After ending her career in 2002, Elizabeth graduated from Physical Therapy school in 2005 and soon after returned to her native California. In addition to her experience as a Physical Therapist Assistant in various clinical settings, Elizabeth is a certified Pilates instructor. She has developed a keen interest in integrating her knowledge of Pilates with pelvic floor re-education and treatment. 

Her passion is teaching her patients to find the amazing power of their core; how greater body awareness, coordination and postural control can lead to improved body mechanics for functional movement, manage pain and most importantly, improve quality of life. 

Elizabeth has attended countless workshops and continuing education courses and strives to think "outside the box" for the benefit of each individual patient and in collaboration with the team at East Sacramento Physical Therapy.  

Specialty areas include:

• Pelvic Floor Dysfunction 
• Pilates Instructor

Kelley has been teaching breath and movement with a background as a swim,  dance, and yoga instructor for 20 years. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in  Liberal Studies with a Natural Sciences concentration as well as a Multiple  Subjects Teaching Credential from California State University, Sacramento  (CSUS), where she graduated summa cum laude. She was an elementary  teacher for 5 years, where she was introduced to the field of physical therapy  through working with school therapists to better serve her students with  special needs. She went on to earn her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree  from CSUS, where her doctoral research was in patients with multiple  sclerosis. In 2016 she began working with both adult and pediatric patients  with pelvic floor dysfunction at East Sacramento Physical Therapy.

Kelley spends her free time traveling between Portland and Los Angeles to  visit her 6 adorable nieces and nephews. While in Sacramento, she dabbles in  aerial arts, does yoga in the park, and brushes up on her random knowledge  with her trivia team.

Specialty areas include:
Pediatric and Adult Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Transgender Care
Incontinence and Elimination Disorders

EMG Biofeedback
Yoga and Breathwork
LGBTQ Community