Kory Zimney

PT, DPT, PhD, CSMT, TPS, CAFS, ACCIP

Pain Science

I teach because I have had the opportunity to study and research pain, and I want to share that with others. I want to help them better understand pain so they can better care for patients.

Bio

Kory received a Masters in Physical Therapy from the University of North Dakota in 1994. He completed his transitional DPT from Des Moines University in 2010 and a Ph.D. in Physical Therapy from Nova Southeastern University in 2020. His dissertation focused on the construct of trust as part of the therapeutic alliance and its relation to outcomes in persistent low back pain.

Currently, he works as an Associate Professor with the University of South Dakota in the Department of Physical Therapy. He teaches evidence-based practice for musculoskeletal care focusing on the spine, rehabilitation neuroscience, and leadership/management. His primary research focuses on therapeutic alliance, pain neuroscience education, and measurement with tactile acuity and laterality. In addition, he also serves as the Director of the Ph.D. in Health Sciences program at USD. His past work experiences have been with various community-based hospitals working in multiple patient care areas of inpatient, skilled rehab, home health, acute rehab, work conditioning/hardening, and outpatient. Most of his practice was directed toward occupational medicine with musculoskeletal management of work-related injuries and cost prevention services with ergonomics and wellness programs for businesses. He also served as department manager of rehabilitation services at St. Luke’s Health System in Sioux City, Iowa, for eight years.

He is an Advanced Credentialed Clinical Instructor through the APTA, Certified Spinal Manual Therapist (CSMT), Therapeutic Pain Specialist (TPS) through International Spine and Pain Institute, and has completed Certification in Applied Functional Science (CAFS) through the Gray Institute.

Current Roles:

• Associate Professor, University of South Dakota
• Faculty, EIM

Research:

• The efficacy of pain neuroscience education on musculoskeletal pain: A systematic review of the literature
• The clinical application of teaching people about pain