Meet Dr.Julie

About Julie

Dr. Julie Sarton is among the nation’s foremost experts on the pelvic floor. She founded Sarton Physical Therapy in 2011 with the vision to provide hope and healing to her patients, with the best possible staff and evidence-based treatment. The clinic has grown rapidly, treating patients from across the country and even internationally, and is the only clinic in California – and perhaps the country – with four board-certified physical therapists.

Prior to opening her practice, Julie founded and served as Director of the Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy program at the University of California, Irvine. She was also an Assistant Clinical professor at UCI. While there, she created the Women’s Health Physical Therapy Fellowship, a post-graduate fellowship training program for pelvic floor physical therapists, which has trained some of the best PTs in the country. Dr. Sarton was in the very first class of physical therapists to be board-certified, and has more than 20 years of experience in the field, successfully treating thousands of complex patients.

Through the years, Julie has had the opportunity to work closely with many of the nation’s prominent physicians and physical therapists in pelvic floor dysfunction. She has lectured professionally at UC Irvine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente, Loma Linda University, The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Society for Urondynamics and Urology and the American Urogynecologic Society.

Dr. Sarton earned her bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University and was awarded her doctorate from Creighton University in 1996 as part of the nation’s first doctorate program in physical therapy.

A published author, Julie’s work has appeared in prestigious peer-reviewed journals such as The Journal of Sexual Medicine, The Female Patient, and Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology. In 2006, she was honored with the “Rising Star in Medicine” Award from Women Sage. Considered an expert in pelvic pain, she has been featured on The Discovery Health Channel’s Berman and Berman show and in the Orange County Register.

Dr. Sarton co-founded the Pelvic Floor Sexual Medicine conference, bringing together practitioners from Southern California who treat pelvic floor disorders. Julie is a member of the International Pelvic Pain Society, the Interstitial Cystitis Association, The American Physical Therapy Association, The American Urogynecologic Society and the National Vulvodynia Association.

Her most recent venture is the formation of the Pelvic Education Alliance. A continuing education resource for physical therapists nationally with a unique approach that blends classic pelvic floor assessment and treatment with an orthopedic manual therapy model.

Julie lives in Orange County with her husband Kyle (also a physical therapist) and their two children, Noah and Kylie.

Education

• Doctor of Physical Therapy, Creighton University 1996

• Bachelor of Science, Northern Arizona University 1991

Awards & Certifications

• APTA board certification in Women’s Health

• Rising Star in Medicine Award 2006

Organizations

• The American Physical Therapy Association, Women’s Health section and Orthopedic section member

• The International Pelvic Pain Society

• The American Urogynecologic Society

• The Interstitial Cystitis Association

• The National Vulvodynia Association

Press & Media

• Featured on The Discovery Health Channel: Julie Sarton talks about therapy techniques used for pain management of Vaginismus.

• Featured in Orange County Register article: Forgotten Muscles.

Publications

Hartmann, Dee, and Julie Sarton. "Chronic Pelvic Floor Dysfunction." Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology (2014).

Assessment of the Pelvic Floor Muscles in Women with Sexual Pain. The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Volume 7, Issue 1, pages 3526-3529, November 2010.

Physical Therapy for Pelvic Pain: Understanding the Musculoskeletal Connection. The Female Patient VOL 32 September 2007, 57. The Female Patient.

Painful Intercourse. OC Family Magazine. November 2006

Testimonials