Let's chat about a topic that is often overlooked and has potential of affecting someone's life and could be resulting in life changing injuries.
Over my 17 years career, I have treated patients in hospitals, outpatient clinics, private homes, skilled nursing facilities and rehab centers and hundreds of them for injuries resulting after a fall. Fractures of the hip and pelvis are the most common but hands, wrist, forearm, ankle and feet fractures are not too far behind.
And today, I 'd like to offer some insight and topics regarding balance and falls with....

Hip joint pain, stiffness and/or discomfort is a common complaint from my patients.  Many people suffer from hip pain for years before they start considering having that area looked at and treated. Unless you suffer from direct trauma, such as a fall, It generally starts as mild stiffness or tightness and progress to mobility restriction that can be painful or not.

I consider the hip joint a key joint as it is the link between our legs and the rest of our body.  Keeping healthy hips is key not only in preventing hip pain, but also very often in preventing, addressing and fixing ankle, knee, pelvic and lower back pain. I consider  hip mobility, or lack thereof, to be the main culprit in many ailments dealing with these areas...

You've probably read or been taught about various ways to stay or become healthier before... 

Some valid...like annual medical check -ups, colonoscopy after age 50, mammogram, routine dental cleaning and exams...

Some much less valid, confusing, and/or clearly misleading... Like TV news mentioning latest studies such as " drinking three cups of coffee a day could decrease your blood pressure and help you live longer"... Internet and social media advertisements on the latest gadget, vitamin or supplements that will prevent you to gain weight, make your back feel better, or prevent bunions....

But enough of that... Today, I am here to discuss an efficient and proven way that, if widely adopted, would save billions of dollars, countless hours of time wasted being treated in the healthcare system, and much less suffering...in Burien & Seattle, WA and throughout the world. And that is called a Movement Screen or Movement Screening.

Many people, after seeing my website or being treated, ask me what is the Mulligan Concept about and what a
​Certified Mulligan Practitioner. Here is a quick overview from the official website

Yes, posture that prevent overstressing your back, injured or not, is important. 
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I might take a lot of heat from many people, including other physical therapists, for saying this but as humans, we are bound to slouch and have poor posture numerous times a day and it is not possible to maintain ideal posture 24 hours a day. I am saying that as a human.

Now, as a physiotherapist...

Greeting readers! For the next couple weeks, I will post one daily tip that might help you treat your acute or chronic  back pain. My goal is to keep it short and to the point, with simple explanations.

Transcript:

Hi, this is Pierre-Yves Butheau, owner and physical therapist at ButheauPhysiotherapy here in Seattle. 
I would like to officially welcome you to my practice. 
We specialize in helping people return to their full physical potential, the activities and the sports that they love. We help people b come more mobile and active, all without requiring pain medications, joint injections and often, unnecessary surgery. 
We specialize in one-on-one, detailed, concierge style  treatments. So who are our treatments for?
If you identify with following, you are the perfect candidate for care with Butheau Physiotherapy: Do you have aches and pains associated with low back pain, sciatica, arthritis, neck pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, ankle or foot pain, hip pain, or headaches?
Have you been told? 
•    "You have the worst <spine, neck, posture, knee,...> I've ever seen!"
    •    "Your pain is just from getting old, arthritis.  You will just have to live with it?
    •    "Your pain is all in your head?"
    •    "Your only option left is surgery?

Are you tired of not being able to perform basic movements without pain? Of living in pain and discomfort, unable to do the activities you love and enjoy, as a sport activity or with family and loved ones?

Are you frustrated by having to take pain medications that do not seem to really help? Are you tired of all these doctors visits that don’t seem to be resolving your problem?

Have you already tried PT and feeling discouraged as it did not seem to help as much as you’d wish? Have you been told you need to get an MRI or surgery for your pain and want a second opinion?

Have you noticed that aches and pains tend to stay around longer?

Do you have an old injury that keeps creeping up every now and then ans are serious of resolving?

Are you active and worry a new injury might put you on the sideline for months? Not being able to play with your team?

Are you not able to play golf or tennis, hike or ski or participate in your favorite sports due to pain or an old injury?

Do you have  difficulty getting up in the morning because you are tired or hurting?

Do you suffer from regular fatigue or headaches on a frequent basis?

Are you worried about your child  or teenage athlete returning to play after they tore their ACL?

Are you a male with pelvic issue that is looking for an empathic and available practitioner that places patient first?
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I know this is a long list but know that at Butheau Physiotherapy, we are able to help with many conditions you might not have known was treatable with a thorough and patient focused movement and therapeutic approach. We do believe that movement is medicine.
We can help you or your family, friends, co-workers when you feel that your movement or activity performance is limited, and when you experience pain, tightness, numbness or tingling. 
We strive to help you reach your goal and potential so you can enjoy life to its fullest. 
Make sure you take advantage of our free online material that you can download below this video. Check our blog, Facebook and Instagram pages for even more free tips that could make a big difference in the way you feel. 
I would like to conclude with the fact that we are not your typical PT clinic. We have developed a model that help us provide the best level of care for our patients.
We work for our patients. NOT Health Insurances!
Don’t hesitate to contact us by phone, email, text with any questions you might have and sign up  below for a free phone consultation or any enquiring about our services. 

Have an awesome day!


Visit our website: http://www.butheauphysio.com

Butheau Physio on social media:

Ah.....Headache. Probably the most common type of ache a human knows from early on in life. There are many reasons for having a headache and sources are so varied that regrouping the different type of headaches under one umbrella would be counterproductive.
Today, I want to discuss Cervicogenic Headaches, a common type of headaches and how to address them on your own...and maybe also with a little help from a specialist.

Check this video on my thoughts of what is a better sleeping  position and what kind of pillow to use for improve comfort and avoiding a stiff or painful neck in the morning. The first video is the unabridged version and the second one( follow the link)  is shorter but with some helpful diagrams.

Burien, Seattle and Greater Seattle residents,
Before typing “physical therapy near me,” and choosing a provider , make sure you're making the right decision...and consider all your options.
Butheau Physical therapy offers quality, private, one-on-one physical therapy treatments.
With us, you can pick a convenient time of treatment to your convenience. We drive to you: at home, your work, or location of your choice, with all the equipment needed. Done are the days of rushing out of work, taking time from your hardly earned banked time off,  and/or fighting traffic to get to your PT treatment on time.

A little addition to my last post showing the old way to practice healthcare...the one that gets both patients and practitioners frustrated, that is full of red tapes from insurance companies. A physical therapist will refer you to the appropriate healthcare practitioner as they are trained to recognize medical emergencies or anything that is outside of their scope of practice.  For so many other things (let's say back pain for example, and really any musculoskeletal pain...) though, seeing a PT first is your best bet to learn what to do and start actively working on the problem...which is key if you're interested in a faster recovery.

In my 15 years career as a physical therapist, I have worked in various inpatient and outpatient settings with different reimbursement / payment models. The one consistent reality I have had to face in regards to patient care is dealing with, advocating, explaining and justifying  for the care of my patients to insurance companies.
I have always have a hard time understanding how a non medically trained person sitting at a cubicle could solely decide on authorizing, allowing, finding medically necessary and/ or extending the care of a patient that has been deemed appropriate and/or necessary after assessment by a medical professional.

Let's face it, health insurances are big businesses and are in it for one thing: saving themselves money while increasing premiums, co-insurances, co-pays all while covering less and less medical and paramedical treatments, making their "beneficiaries" responsible with an ever increasing part of the bill.
I have spent countless hours on the phone, by fax, mail or emails justifying the benefits of my physical therapy treatments and allowing patients to receive the proper care anyone deserve. As a provider, this of course takes away from patient care time and stands against my values that healthcare is a necessity, not a luxury.

Insurance companies have made receiving and being reimbursed for medical care an increasingly difficult task, requiring more and more paperworks from both the patients and the providers, adding to the likelihood that mistakes will be made...all in order to simply deny services...And while delaying payments to both patients and providers.

This pattern has become clearer and clearer over the course of my career and has reached pathetic level of bureaucracy. Insurance companies simply don't have patients best interests in mind...Increasing premiums and decreasing reimbursement stating cost are rising, all the while giving their corporate high ranked employees a 7+ figures salary increase. I am no math wiz, but...???

This is why I decided to be an out-of-network provider (except for Medicare and Work Comp) when I started and set my business up. I want to work in a business model where my efforts, services and time go to my patients, not a multimillion dollar company that will make your work more difficult.  

Modern physical therapists and health care practitioners should focus on patients. This is why I offer a 20 minutes free phone consultation, allowing myself to determine if that potential patient is a good candidate for physical therapy, how I can help them or if he/she should be referred to another practitioner, and also if I will be a good fit to help them achieve whatever goal they might have. 

Nowadays, most clinics still spend these first phone calls or contacts only discussing insurance details such as benefits, co-pays, deductibles, booking the initial treatment depending on, guess what, insurance. Instead of finding out more about the patient problem, how long it has been, how it affects them in their life, what are they not able to do, what would they like to achieve, this first conversation is driven by the insurance and the patient's history and condition is barely addressed. Patients often make their decisions on receiving PT treatments only on this: "Is it covered by my insurance and what is my co-pay"...all the while forgetting about their high out-of-pocket deductibles.

Stating the above could be seen as futile because money and the cost of things are a concern for everyone... and I get that. 
This is where really understanding the cost associated with using your health insurance or not for physical therapy treatment becomes that much more important. The following might surprise you because most people are used to providers being in network and accepting their insurance and they never had to weigh the benefits an out-of-network provider might offer.

Gone are the days when patients had no co-pays (or under $10) for each treatment, low deductibles and infinite amount of covered visits. Instead, it is not unusual for patient to have co-pays ranging from $25 to $75 per treatment, out-of-pockets deductibles that are $1500 and above...and all this for care provided by an in network provider.  Physical therapy treatment reimbursements have been on a steady decline, with insurance companies switching to an increased patient/beneficiary financial responsibilities model.
In order for many clinics to keep their doors opened, therapists have to see 2 to 4 patients an hour(per therapist). As you may already know or can picture, this quickly leads to subpar care, with very limited (10-15mn) one-on-one care and least than adequate time to communicate. This lack of time spent with the patient can lead to unnecessary lengthy plan of care...even when patients are seen 2-3 times a week....leading to consequent bills if you multiply copays by # of visits and factor the cost of the treatments that the insurance will not cover until the deductible is met.

To put it simply, if you are far from meeting your yearly deductibles and are receiving physical therapy at an in-network provider, you will likely pay for the entirety of your physical therapy treatments out of pockets...
Which may surprise you since you spend so much money already on your insurance premiums and copays.

People are more and more savvy in looking up and get informed about their conditions on their internet. Sometimes , that also helps them cut cost by seeing the provider they know they will most likely benefits from, helping them save time and money at the same time.
Even though most people have insurance, they do realize now more than ever than they have power over the decision that will impact their health.

When I talk with prospective patients, it often becomes obvious that 99% of people value time, expertise, empowerment over their condition/ injury, personal attention and overall experience they receive. 
They realize that what I have to offer, the time spent with them one-on-one can lead to better care and better understanding of their condition and how to manage it. And for people with high deductibles and copays, the value that Butheau Physiotherapy provides becomes even more logical and pertinent since they are paying for physical therapy services even from an in-network provider.

Benefits of Butheau Physiotherapy treatments:
-One-on-one hands-on care 45, 60 and 90 minutes sessions
-Treatment packages and payment plans available, with no hidden cost.
-Holistic, comprehensive treatment approach, a look at the big pictures and all your complaints ( not only what the insurance dictates)
-Evidence based treatments with modern, proven and effective techniques
-A blend of manual therapy techniques, including The Mulligan Concept, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation, exercises, neuroplasticity through Rekinetics™, pain science and pain reducing techniques, neuromuscular reeducation, taping.
-Treatment location convenience: your home or work space
-Appointments available within a few days at convenient times, often with short notice.

Call or text us at 4252814171 to learn more about our services.

Butheau Physiotherapy
15034 5th Ln S
Burien, WA 98148

Click here for a FREE Phone Consultation with a physical therapist

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Ah, Pain...It's the cause of so many frustrations and discomfort and can seem life ending in some situation... Even when being explained the source of your pain by a medical professional, you still can't always explain it. And many patients don't understand how the site of their injury still hurts even though the tissue has healed.
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Over the past 20 years, the medical community has made great progress in understanding the multi facets and layers of pain, and with the help from researchers in pain science, the now more accepted model of describing pain is the biopsychosocial model.  In short, pain is seen as an interaction among and within the biological, psychological and social factors, unique to each individual.

SCIATICA: The Other S Word Everybody Dread

If you have experienced sciatica, know someone who has experienced it first hand or heard that term before, you must know it is a very debilitating condition that can arise... generally suddenly, without warning signs.

Sciatica is not a diagnosis. It is a symptoms that can originate from various medical condition.
It refers to the pain one feels down their buttocks, thighs and/ or below their knee and possibly into foot and toes. It occurs with certain motions and originates in the lower back( your lumbar spine and tailbone/ the last 5 spinal vertebrae and sacrum) when your sciatic nerve ( the largest nerve in your body) or one of its nerve roots( the nerve origin coming out between each vertebrae of your spine) gets irritated by another structure.
This creates serious and acute pain down your lower back, buttocks, thighs and sometimes all the way down  to your toes. Sharp, searing, and shooting pain, "zingers", numbness, tingling, " cold water running down my leg" are common description of sciatica.