Biography

Kelly M. Scott, M.D., is a Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at UT  Southwestern Medical Center.

She’s one of a very small number of U.S. physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) physicians who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of pelvic floor disorders.

Dr. Scott serves as the Medical Director of the PM&R Department’s Comprehensive Pelvic Rehabilitation Program, a component of UT  Southwestern’s multidisciplinary Pelvic Floor Disorders Program.

In addition to her clinical responsibilities and administrative roles, Dr. Scott leads two PM&R residency rotations in electromyography.

Certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Dr. Scott is a three-time Super Doctors Texas Rising Star. Among her many other honors, PM&R residents named her the 2012 Faculty Member of the Year.

Her research interests include pelvic pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, magnetic resonance neurography of the lumbosacral plexus, back and pelvic pain during and after pregnancy, nerve-conduction studies, and electromyography.

She joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2008.

Dr. Scott earned her medical degree at Harvard Medical School. She completed internships in internal medicine, neurology, and physical medicine and rehabilitation at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

She then completed a three-year physical medicine and rehabilitation residency at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University.

Dr. Scott has delivered a number of invited lectures, published articles and case studies, authored and coauthored book chapters, and served as a reviewer for journals including Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery and Pain Medicine.

She is a member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Texas Medical Society, among other professional organizations.

Meet Dr. Scott

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physician in Dallas

UT  Southwestern Medical Center physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) physician Dr. Kelly Scott specializes in the diagnosis, nonsurgical management, and physical rehabilitation of pelvic floor disorders – and she’s one of only about a dozen PM&R physicians in the U.S. who does so.

Twenty to 25 percent of people – both men and women – suffer from some type of pelvic floor dysfunction during their lives.

Because pelvic floor disorders include issues as wide ranging as pelvic and tailbone pain, chronic incontinence and constipation, and sexual dysfunction, they can greatly impact people’s quality of life.

“Physical medicine and rehabilitation is about treating disorders of muscles, joints, and nerves, and our program specializes in applying that to the pelvis,” Dr. Scott says.

“This conservative approach to symptom management is very different than the approaches used by the other types of specialists who routinely see men and women with pelvic floor disorders,” she adds.

Certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Dr. Scott has been named a Super Doctors Texas Rising Star three times. She serves as the Medical Director of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation’s Comprehensive Pelvic Rehabilitation Program, a component of the multidisciplinary Pelvic Floor Disorders Program.

Dr. Scott performs an array of diagnostic tests (including nerve-conduction and electromyography studies at Parkland Hospital), oversees pelvic floor physical therapy, prescribes medications, and occasionally performs therapeutic injections.

Men constitute more than 25 percent of the Pelvic Rehabilitation Program’s patients. Dr. Scott and her team also treat a number of pregnant and postpartum women for musculoskeletal issues. With treatment, she says, the majority of patients see significant improvement.

“If you suffer from chronic pelvic pain or incontinence, your quality of life isn’t going to be very good,” Dr. Scott says. “These types of intimate issues can make a difference in terms of people’s happiness and ability to function, and it’s very rewarding to be able to help people with these problems and see them get better.”

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Education & Training
  • Residency - McGaw Medical Center, Northwestern University (2004-2008), Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
  • Medical School - Harvard Medical School (2000-2004)
Professional Associations & Affiliations
  • American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Honors & Awards
  • D Magazine Best Doctor 2020-2022
  • SuperDoctors Rising Stars - Texas 2012-2014
  • Allen Macy Dulles ’51 Award 1999, Graduating Senior who exemplifies Princeton University motto
Books & Publications
Research
  • Pelvic pain
  • Nerve conduction studies and electromyography
  • Back and pelvic pain in pregnancy/postpartum

Clinical Focus

  • Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

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Q&A by Dr. Scott