Written by Jillian Netherland | Photography by Jose Leiva
Knowledge is power in recovery and long-term health – and Jason Burtchell of Resilience Physical Therapy is here to empower you.
Taking the plunge
For more than 20 years, Jason Burtchell has been a practicing physical therapist, assisting LA residents through recovery from injuries and helping them feel their best. It wasn’t until 2020 that he took the plunge to open his own practice, Resilience Physical Therapy and Wellness.
“I had been thinking about it for a while. What I wanted it to look like, the models that would work best,” recalls Burtchell, who had spent a decade working for a hospital system, becoming increasingly more frustrated by the corporate approach to therapy. “Eventually, I moved to a private practice and saw how different models worked; I wanted to see if I could create a practice based on clinical research that is best for the patient.”
For Burtchell, the journey in owning his practices began in Norway. And by building a solid base, he knew the model would transition elsewhere, leading to a mobile service throughout the LA area where Burtchell would visit patients in their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn’t long before patients began asking Burtchell where they could go to him for their appointments instead.
“People wanted to get out because they needed to get out – and having a physical office location would allow them to do that,” explains Burtchell. Hence, the Auburn practice was born. Going into private practice has allowed Burtchell to focus on the heart of physical therapy: patient care and keeping patients central to the decision-making process.
“I don’t work for myself; I truly work for my patients,” says Burtchell, who prides himself in offering a service unlike any other in the area and making it work. Having his own practice, Burtchell states, “I can practice the way I know is best, providing the best physical therapy. This model is needed in the communities I serve.”
Out of network, in your best interest
Part of this patient-centric model for Burtchell is being an out of- network service provider. While many in-network insurance rates are based on the number of visits, therapies provided, and anything else needed, Resilience Physical Therapy can operate on a flat rate per visit, all-inclusive of anything required during the appointment without any stipulations or restrictions. While this results in much more predictable pricing than one would receive when going through an in-network service provider, it also provides patients with more individualized care and, ultimately, faster healing time.
“Being out of network means I can focus on one client’s needs at a time,” Burtchell explains. “This results in a much more personal care plan because I have the time to spend with the client, versus working with three or four patients at a time at a big clinic.”
Because of this model, Burtchell has found that the majority of patients, don’t need to be seen as often, so while the typical average for physical therapy visits is two or three times per week, Burtchell books all of his patients for 60-minute appointments as needed. These range from once a week, every other week, or once a month – leading to savings for the patient in both time and money.
DRY NEEDLING
Dry needling treats muscle tissue, and its goal is to reduce pain, inactivate trigger points, and restore function. It rarely is a standalone procedure. Rather, it often is part of a broader physical therapy approach incorporating other traditional physical therapy interventions into treatment.
“What this also leads to is clients being bought into the process,” says Burtchell, whose mantra is that the most important therapy happens outside the clinic for a patient to be set up for true success and long-term management. “Education is the most important thing I provide, and I need that one-on-one time to understand how much the patient understands to be effective outside the clinic.”
Certified from cause to effect to solution
For any healthcare professional, learning is an ongoing journey, and Burtchell is no exception. Recently passing his boards as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS), Burtchell is ranked in the top 6% of all physical therapy providers in the United States. Although every physical therapist must pass a board examination to practice, Burtchell’s Orthopedic Specialty Certification demonstrates clinical expertise above and beyond the norm in providing the best, evidence-based care.
Additionally, Burtchell is certified in the McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT), an internationally acclaimed method of assessment and treatment for spinal and extremity pain that helps standardize examinations and interventions.
“If you say you have back pain, I know exactly how my exam should be structured to find out what is going on, what is needed, and then teach the patient what they need to begin taking care of themselves,” Burtchell states, adding, “having the OCS and MDT, that continued burden of staying up to date in research and literature, has helped shape my practice to make sure I have the best opportunity to help anyone who is walking through my door to see me.”
Helping you to help yourself
Throughout his decades of experience ranging from hospitals to clinics to patients’ homes and his own practices, one personalized factor remains key to patient recovery success for Burtchell: communication between visits. Through a specialized patient portal, patients can get in touch with Burtchell to problem solve between visits, boosting patients’ confidence by understanding what to expect and the exercises that may help.
“It’s all about empowering people to help themselves, coming to the realization that they don’t need someone to ‘fix’ them because they already have the tools and knowledge,” says Burtchell. “It’s active participation – not passive medical care – with a coach in their corner they can always call when needed.”
Resilience Physical Therapy
34 Center Street, Auburn • www.resilienceptw.com
