Kim Krueger - Featured Certified Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner

In our weekly feature section, Pelvic Rehab Report is proud to present this interview with newly certified practitioner Kim Krueger, MPT, BCB-PMD, PRPC

Describe your clinical practice:

I work at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Stillwater, MN. It is an out-patient clinic specializing in treating clients with neurological and general orthopedic conditions. My pelvic rehabilitation practice includes both women and men with referrals from several Ob-Gyn groups, Urologists and general practice physicians. Our facility also has a large, warm water pool in which I spend the other half my day treating clients primarily with chronic pain and orthopedic conditions. I have a very interesting mix of clientele and am never bored!

How did you get involved in the pelvic rehabilitation field?

Shortly after I graduated and took my first job, I was encouraged by my supervisor to attend a pelvic floor course to learn how to treat urinary incontinence. As a new therapist, I was initially not thrilled that this was my first Continuing Education course! After completing the course and some simple marketing, I began receiving PT referrals and the word spread. I quickly found myself treating more complex pelvic rehabilitation clients and found the need for more continuing education. Another colleague recommended the Herman and Wallace courses which include internal palpation and differential diagnoses as well as internal soft tissue treatment. These courses have helped to mold my practice and I look forward to taking more in the future.

What patient population do you find most rewarding in treating and why?

I love treating new moms with pelvic pain and prolapse. They are usually referred to me fairly early post-partum and, despite being crazy busy with their newborns and older children, they’re usually very motivated and see results quite quickly. I have had great success using visceral mobilization techniques with these women that I learned in Ramona Horton’s Visceral Mobilization Level 2 class. I have seen some amazing results including improved prolapse and diminished pelvic pain using visceral mobilization and internal soft tissue techniques.

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

Educate your clients. So often my clients comment that they have never been educated about their bladders, bowels and sexual organs until they walked into my office. I truly believe that the first step in healing and recovery is educating the client about their condition and including them in their plan of care. Empowering our clients can provide better outcomes and improved client satisfaction. Provide your patients with the resources they need and get to know some pelvic practitioners in or near your practice to refer to if a client needs more specialized therapy.

What makes you the most proud to have earned PRPC?

I am very proud to say that I was part of the first group of therapists to sit for the inaugural PRPC exam. The other practitioners in my study group, from all over the country, are all such terrific therapists. We researched and discussed the assigned topics, reviewed journal articles and research, and shared experiences about our practices. On our weekly phone conferences, I learned so much from these ladies and feel much gratitude towards all of their hard work in helping us all preparing for the exam. I am confident that being part of a study group helped us all better prepare for the exam and ultimately helped to establish the standards for a passing grade on the PRPC exam.

Learn more about Kim Krueger, MPT, BCB-PMD, 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.