We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelly Ruther and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Before starting my practice I worked at an insurance-based physical therapy clinic. I was seeing a patient every forty minutes for a total of 13 patients per day. High demand and mental overload of my schedule made it where I couldn’t give each patient the attention they needed. I was burnt out and tired of playing by the insurance companies’ rules. You see, at any time they can refuse to pay for patients’ visits based on formulas that may or may not be logical. And none of the insurance companies follow the same standard. Furthermore, you’re only allowed to treat one part of the body at a time. Imagine how disheartening it was that, I, a medical professional with a Doctorate, had to listen to large corporations far away who couldn’t grasp that a holistic approach was needed for most cases. Plus, we had to bill clients outlandish prices in order to recoup pennies on the dollar. It just didn’t sit right by me.

After six years of this broken system, I decided my patients deserved more! I set out to design a practice where I could give my all to each and every patient, where I could treat what their body needed and get to the root cause – NOT treat what the insurance company decided was the “right” thing to treat. I also wanted each patient to understand the costs of their visit vs. being surprised by a bill months down the road. We simply cut out the middle man! In December of 2021, that dream became a reality.

Now I see 6 patients per day, provide individual care where I treat the body as a whole, the way it’s meant to function!

In addition to starting my in-person practice, I began creating free content on social media as well as providing paid online courses to educate and empower others to learn how to get to the root cause of their pain and dysfunction.

Since starting my practice 2.5 years ago, it has grown significantly to over 350 in-person patients and over 190,000 followers online. I am unbelievably grateful for those who have trusted me along the way and to have the platform to help people from all over the world from our small town of Holland, Michigan!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The goal of my practice is to make every person who walks into my office feel welcomed, heard, and empowered. I believe each person should be treated with respect and be seen as an entire person, not just another patient or a number in a large system. By only seeing 6 patients per day, I make sure I can give them my absolute best while allowing myself time to research the latest techniques/studies to provide my patients the best care possible. I understand not every person can afford to pay out-of-pocket for care which is why we do our best to provide free resources online and free education seminars within our community, doing our best to help as many people as possible.

A few of my specializations include: pelvic floor physical therapy, postural restoration, dry needling, manual therapy, and orthopedic care. I found the medical community often under-treats and misdiagnoses pelvic floor dysfunction so I made it my mission to help educate the public while giving women answers and proper treatment to resolve their dysfunctions for good.

Creating my practice was not easy but it was worth every hour and stressful day. Now that I have experienced what it feels like to provide true quality care, I could never go back to the old ways of seeing too many patients in a day and letting an insurance company determine my patients’ health.

A lesson I have learned along the way is to trust God because his plan is much better than anything I could imagine. He has guided me through this journey every step of the way and I continue to be grateful and in awe of the amazing ways He works.

The biggest thing I want the world to know is there is help. You don’t have to live in pain and there is an answer to your pain, you just have to find the right provider who will take the time to care, listen, and challenge conventional thought.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
One of my professors in graduate school, Dr. Erin Appelt, played a huge roll in helping me think outside the box as well as planted a seed for my dream of owning a practice.

To understand her impact, I need to give context. You see, a few months before starting physical therapy school, I was struggling with health issues. I was losing significant amounts of weight very rapidly, having sporadic sensory changes in my hands and arms, and would become dizzy for no reason. Unfortunately, the doctors I saw for my symptoms came to the conclusion that my symptoms were “all in my head” because they were unable to determine the root cause. I felt alone and discouraged.

Fast forward six months, I was in class at physical therapy school and we were practicing palpation skills on the neck. My partner was unable to feel one of my vertebrae. Immediately my professor became concerned. After further examination, she concluded that I was suffering from Vertebral Artery Stenosis due to a fall I experienced during cheerleading one year prior. What this means is the artery supplying blood to my brain was getting pinched and was occluded, resulting in all of my symptoms. The same symptoms the previous doctors told me were “in my head”.

Erin owned her own cash-based practice. She didn’t have to answer to anyone and was able to treat me how she thought best. She stressed all parts of the body are connected and responded thoughtfully to any questions I had. It was a revelation! After her treatment concluded, all of my symptoms were fully resolved. I was able to enjoy life again!

She truly saved my life and gave me the inspiration to help others by thinking outside the box and look at the body as a whole. She believed me, listened to me, and ended up changing my life for the better. I am eternally grateful for her guidance and care.

Website: https://rutherhealth.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyrutherpt

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rutherhealth

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kellyrutherpt

Image Credits
Photographer: Hannah Ziegeler

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