Eve Baron - Featured Certified Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner

In our weekly feature section, Pelvic Rehab Report is proud to present this interview with newly certified practitioner Eve Baron, PT, PRPC

What advice would you give to physical therapists interested in earning PRPC?

At the time I took the PRPC exam, I was working in a private practice, which specialized in pelvic floor physical therapy. My coworkers and another pelvic floor PT had a study group which met 4-5 times, and we went through all the H & W manuals for PF1-3. We shared anecdotes about patients that enabled me to remember certain diagnoses and clinical findings. In addition, reviewing anatomy in a group setting is always beneficial because often someone has an acronym that you weren’t aware of that can be very helpful.

What/who inspired you to become involved in pelvic rehabilitation?

Many years ago while working in an acute care setting, I was working with an older woman, who had given birth to many children. I cannot remember the exact number, but I remember thinking, “Wow, that’s a lot of kids.” I was assisting her in using a bedpan and was horrified to see what I know in retrospect was a rectovaginal fistula. She said “That’s been happening for ages. I tore real bad when I had my last baby.” I remember thinking how pitiful it was that a woman had to go through the rest of her life with that condition and how underserved women were that had traumatic births. At that time pelvic floor physical therapy was in its infancy, but I knew I wanted to be a part of it. It took me 10 years to take my first course, but it was, and is, the path for me.

Describe your clinical practice

I am currently working in a university based hospital outpatient clinic and treating female and male patients with pelvic pain, urinary/fecal incontinence, and pre and postpartum patients.

What role do you see pelvic health playing in general well-being?

Pelvic health as standard procedure in the postpartem setting would enable a pelvic floor physical therapist to screen for PFM issues and presence of a diastasis recti, which can have such profound effects on women’s health as they age.

If you could get a message out to physical therapists about pelvic rehabilitation what would it be?

Pelvic rehabilitation has provided the missing link for my orthopedic practice. Those lumbar and hip patients that never quite reached their potential or would start to regress without a reasonable explanation make a great deal more sense to me clinically. Pelvic rehabilitation enables you to treat more holistically. I never really considered the viscera when treating prior to my pelvic floor courses, and it’s amazing how back pain can improve with attention to the patient’s history of constipation. Considering multiple systems in the body and not just the musculoskeletal system most definitely enables the therapist to understand a patient’s dysfunction on a deeper level.

What is in store for you in the future?

The goal is to travel to Africa in the next 2-3 years to volunteer in a fistula hospital. In the short term, I am very excited with my new job opportunity to work with such talented pelvic floor physical therapists in a university setting that provides opportunities for teaching as well as treating a diverse patient population.

Learn more about Eve Baron, PT, PRPC at her Certified Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner bio page. You can also learn more about the Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification at www.hermanwallace.com/certification.