Promo Video
With the help of Mattias Evangelista (North Cascades Productions- catch him on FB) and crew we filmed this short video to highlight the diverse offerings provided at Back In Action. I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to helping you attain optimum health at our Bellingham, WA clinic. Best,...
read moreStretching, Stiffness, and Pain
Why stretching may actually be contributing to your pain. As a Physical Therapist, I have “prescribed” stretching for years. As fundamentally simple as stretching is, there is still very little agreement on it among “experts.” We can’t seem to agree whether it should be down before, during, or after working out. Should we hold it 3 sec, 30 sec, 60 sec or 90 sec? Should we use a belt or rope and apply over-pressure? Should we actively contract the opposing muscle group to accentuate the stretch? While so many of the details are still being ironed out, I’d like to share a few points no matter which side of the stretching paradigm you find yourself. 1. The more muscle mass you have the stiffer the muscle becomes. Think “quads of steel.” 2. If you “stretch” 3 muscles with varying stiffnesses the least stiff muscle will stretch first and more readily than the others. 3. Muscles control joint motion 4. Unless you’re focused on proper form, you will likely just be stretching out your overstretched areas. Think path of least resistance. 5. Most pains in the body are a result of hyper-mobilities. Not from being too stiff. Hmmmmm…….. 6. You get what you train. For example- if you use your quads more than your hammies while biking, your quads will be stiffer, potentially creating an imbalance at the knee, hip, and/or back. I have a few examples (easy ones to pick on)- The “runners” stretch. We’ve all seen somebody throw their leg up on a park bench and bend forward to touch their toes going for the ‘ol hammy stretch (which are always stiff). What’s their back doing? Probably pretty rounded. If you keep your back straight how far do you stretch now? A lot less I’m assuming…… That’s because when you forward bend your hamstrings arrest the motion, then you back takes up the slack- and voila- you stretch…….your back. No wonder that hammy never loosens up……and your back hurts. The “quad” stretch. Similar scenario- you grab a foot with your knee bent and pull it behind you to get that quad stretched out. Feels so good……wait a second……what are you stretching? Probably some quad, but did your back arch? Well then, maybe you’re stretching your abs a bit too. And is your knee pointing straight at the ground or off to the side? Probably off to the side- because that pesky TFL (tensor fascia latae) that tightens your IT band is soooo tight that the simple thought of your knee pointing to the ground is a foreign concept. If you tighten your abs, and keep your knee pointing at the ground, you will likely have less appreciable motion. Now you’re onto something…… Herein lies the real problem- we often times blow through the appropriate level of stretching (if we were to properly stabilize the hypermobile segments) and instead overstretch our overstretched areas some more. This is a problem!! Or THE problem. By evaluating the body as an interconnected series of muscles and identifying where your hypermobilities occur, we can limit the amount of stress that are transferred through these areas. This is in a nutshell is the basis for how I evaluate the body during the initial evaluation and subsequent follow-ups. By breaking larger, more complex movements...
read moreHow Direct Pay Service Benefits YOU
“How Direct Pay Service Benefits You” Back in Action Physical Therapy insists that quality care should not be rushed or dictated by insurance companies. A direct payment system offers you the highest level of care for a flat rate of $60 an hour. Let me explain how this benefits your health and saves you money. Under the “standard” medical model, you are treated in blocks of roughly 15 minutes, deemed a “unit.” Each unit is priced separately. That means exercise is a unit, hands-on-treatment is a unit, and so on. Typically, each unit is billed in the $50 to $60 range, adding up to $200 to $240 an hour. That’s right, if you warm-up on the bike for 10 minutes, you just paid nearly $50 for those ten minutes. This happens everyday in every clinic. Now this is where it gets really interesting… Insurance adjustors (i.e. people who are not medically educated) limit the number of times you can be seen by your physical therapist, regardless of how you are progressing. They also decide how much your insurance company will actually pay (typically in the 50% range) on each claim. They use many tactics to pay as little as possible on claims, such as denying charges, insisting charges be re-coded, an so on. Eventually the insurance company sends a check to your physical therapy provider. This can take up to six months. So your provider needs to hire extra employees to deal with billing, collections, and insurance company run-around. The result is that you don’t get the care you need, plus you’ll end up with excessive bills due to co-pays and deductibles. This is where I politely stepped out of the game. I had the worst professional experience of my career in a “turn and burn” clinic that placed zero emphasis on quality of care. It sickened me to have the office manager (a person with no medical training) claim that I was “losing the business money” because I didn’t prescribe unnecessary, profit-based procedures. Back in Action Physical Therapy was founded on the belief that top-notch care cannot be rushed, or rely on decisions made by insurance company adjustors. Each visit is 60 minutes, as opposed to the typical 30-minute, push-you-out-the-door care. I have the time to truly work with and educate you about your body. Knowledge really is power. By having extended time with each patient, I am able to provide faster results and better outcomes. My time is much better spent treating patients effectively than chasing around insurance companies to get paid. This is why I have decided to take only cash or credit card at the time of care. IF you have insurance and want to use it- no problem. You pay directly and I will issue you a receipt you can submit to your insurance company. They will in turn reimburse you. Each plan varies, so you should review your policy specifics, but typically an “out of network provider” is compensated at a 70/30 split. This means that you end up paying a paltry $18/hr for the highest quality of care possible. I know you will feel and see the difference. Don’t delay. Visit biapt.schedulista.com to set up an appointment today. Also please feel free to contact me at drsethburke@gmail.com if you have any...
read moreYou Deserve It!
I’m offering a full hour of treatment for only $60. If you’ve been dealing with an injury or just need to unwind, make an appointment with us. Go ahead- you deserve it!!
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