Meet Dr. Stephanie Daniel: Why I Started Fortis Physical Therapy & Pelvic Health

You all get to hear from me quite often on these blogs, but let’s change things up a bit!

Hi! I'm Dr. Stephanie Daniel, PT, DPT, physical therapist, pelvic health provider, and founder of Fortis Physical Therapy & Pelvic Health.

I could give you the resume version, degrees, certifications, clinical experience, all of that, but the real reason Fortis exists has a lot more to do with what I watched happening to real people inside our healthcare system.

I Didn't Start Out Planning to Open a Pelvic Health Practice

I actually never wanted to own a business. So how’d I get here?

I earned my Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from the University of South Carolina, then my Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Armstrong State University, which later merged into Georgia Southern University.

From there I worked a little bit of everywhere: skilled nursing, home health, outpatient orthopedics, worker's comp, acute care, inpatient pediatrics. I'm genuinely grateful for every bit of it and loved each setting in its own special way. Working across that many settings taught me how to treat across the lifespan and to see the body on a holistic basis rather than getting tunnel vision on one specific body part or diagnosis. I learned to see the whole person in front of me. I also got a front row seat to everything good and bad with how healthcare traditionally works.

I Kept Seeing People Struggle With Problems Nobody Was Addressing

Watching my sister go through pregnancy and postpartum opened my eyes to how much women go through in that season without anybody telling them what actually happens to their bodies afterward.

Meanwhile I was treating patient after patient with pelvic floor dysfunction who either had no idea help existed, or had already gone looking for answers and come up empty. When I began my pelvic health career, so many people I was working with were dealing with symptoms that had been going on for decades.

One thing you need to know is I can’t stand when things just get ignored simply because we don’t know what to do with them. For instance, pain is a normal part of life, but it is NOT a normal part of aging. So, why were we accepting that incontinence, bowel issues, or pelvic pain were normal? Over time, I realized that I had become a huge advocate for pelvic floor physical therapy. I was recommending it to patients, friends, family members. I started wondering, wait, if I’m such a huge advocate, why am I not in this speciality. Why am I not being the one to actually help them?

That's What Led Me to Pelvic Health

I went and got post-doctorate training in pelvic health through Herman & Wallace and started weaving it into my work.

I began my pelvic health career in home health, because access to this kind of care shouldn't hinge on whether you can physically get yourself to an outpatient clinic and many of these patients were being left with no answers.

However, I realized quickly the limitations that existed in that setting and how little I’d be able to help people in that model of care.

I’ve experienced my own women’s health concerns, so I know all too well what it’s like to sit in a chair and be met with a blank, unknowing stare, a shrug, and a “well let us know if things worsen and we’ll see you next year.” So, with this desire to shift my approach to care and my own experiences under my belt, I knew I was ready to change directions.

Eventually, I Realized I Wanted to Build Something Different

I began Fortis in 2023 because I saw a real need in the Upstate for physical therapy that felt individualized and accessible. I knew I could find a way to ensure that the person in front of me was the most important part, not the bottom line and not their insurance company. I wanted to provide care that cared about the human, their hobbies, their exercise routines, their lives. I designed Fortis so that appointments could feel unhurried, calming, and supportive. I also wanted to be able to treat the whole body, not each body part separately.

I wanted Fortis to be the kind of place where we ask more questions, where your appointment is actually built around you, where you can bring up something that feels awkward without it actually feeling awkward, and where your care fits into your real life instead of asking your life to rearrange itself around it.

Because Access Matters, Too

Great physical therapy doesn't do much good if you can't actually get to it. That's why Fortis offers in-office, virtual, and remote options, because y'all's lives look different from each other, and PT should bend to fit that, not the other way around.

Maybe you just had a baby and driving across Greenville with a car seat sounds like a hard pass. Maybe you want a dedicated space and time to actually focus. Maybe virtual or remote support fits your week better. There's no one right way to get care here. There's just the way that works for you.

So, What Is My Approach to Physical Therapy?

I want to know the why behind what's actually going on with you. Yes, we'll talk symptoms. But we're also going to talk about your history, your movement, your habits, your goals, your life, because half the time, where you feel the problem isn't where it actually started.

That's how I keep from missing what's actually going on: treat the person, not just the symptom they walked in with. That's the kind of PT I wanted to be, and that's the practice I wanted Fortis to become.

When I'm Not Talking About Pelvic Floors...

I promise I have other interests, in fact, my friends may tell you I have a few too many hobbies. You'll usually find me with Tucker (my dog), friends, or family. I am working on doing 30 new things in my 30’s and so I am often also golfing, doing a smorgasbord of crafts, playing piano, or trying something new. I love gardening, weight training, painting, cooking, and a good book. When football season rolls around, I'm cheering for the Gamecocks every Saturday and enjoying every aspect of fall that I possibly can. My favorite seasons are pretty much any time that it’s not above 80 degrees, aka please give me fall, Christmas, or early spring any day.

Why "Fortis"?

Fortis is latin for strength and it points to the virtue of Fortitude, which means to have courage or strength in the face of pain or adversity. 

Strength isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of thing, though. It can be getting back to the thing you stopped doing because it hurt, or making it through pregnancy actually feeling ready for what's coming, or finally feeling like yourself again postpartum. It’s being strong enough to ask for help. Strong enough to accept help. Sometimes it is strength in recovering from illness, cancer, or a life-changing event. 

That's what I want Fortis to help people find: a real place to heal, actually understand your body, and build strength for whatever's next.

Looking for Physical Therapy or Pelvic Floor Therapy in Greenville, SC?

If something doesn't feel right, you don't have to wait until it's "bad enough" to ask about it. Whether it's pelvic floor symptoms, pregnancy or postpartum changes, orthopedic pain, or something you can't quite put a finger on, start the conversation with Fortis. We'll help you figure out what makes sense from there.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Dr. Stephanie Daniel specialize in? 

Dr. Stephanie Daniel is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with post-doctorate training in pelvic health through Herman & Wallace. Her clinical background also includes home health, outpatient orthopedics, skilled nursing, worker's compensation, acute care, and inpatient pediatrics. She specializes in incontinence, bowel dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, diastasis, pregnancy/postpartum, menopause, and pelvic pain.

Does Fortis only treat pelvic floor conditions? 

No. Fortis provides pelvic health and orthopedic physical therapy, so treatment can consider how different areas of the body may be contributing to a patient's symptoms and goals.

Do I need a pelvic floor problem to see a pelvic health physical therapist? 

Not necessarily. Pelvic health physical therapy can address concerns related to pelvic floor function, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, pain, bowel and bladder function, and movement. If you're unsure whether your symptoms are something physical therapy can help with, reach out and ask. More importantly, being proactive is always a good idea! So if you just want to get assessed and get ahead of anything, we welcome that with open arms!

Does Fortis offer physical therapy outside of the office? 

Yes. Fortis offers in-office, virtual, and remote options to make physical therapy more accessible for different circumstances and needs.