LWPT Rehab & Performance
@ The Natural Ball Player

We are excited to partner with the Natural Ball Player in Totem Lake and create the first return to sport program in Seattle guided by physical therapists. This endeavor is guided by the former Seattle Sounders FC Head Physical Therapist Heidi Biehl and former Driveline Baseball PT Jordan Bork. They will be offering physical therapy that will truly simulate the in-practice and in-game demands of all field sports. This will help drive outcomes, reduce injury, and give athletes confidence as they make their way back to their high school, select, college, or professional teams.

A Message from Totem Lake’s Founder Heidi

I hope the start of the new year is treating you well. I'm excited to be back with Lake Washington Physical Therapy after spending 2 years with the Seattle Sounders FC as their head physical therapist. I had the pleasure of keeping the healthy players playing and returning injured players back to the pitch. My role included co-directing and running all rehabs, injury prevention screenings and programs while updating and implementing our ACL and Return to Sport testing protocols. I have learned so much working with so many high level performance and medical personnel. The need to be available for family on a regular basis led to me stepping away from the team at the end of 2022. 

My experience with the Sounders FC has reinforced my passion to offer comprehensive rehab to not only professional athletes but also collegiate, club and recreational athletes. The new LWPT Totem Lake Rehab & Performance program allows us to take the patient-athlete from the clinic to the field filling the gap in care when patients are typically discharged or have to complete sports specific exercises/drills independently due to lack of clinic space or ability to travel to a field or court with their therapist.

Where is LWPT Totem Lake located?

The Return to Sport Programs will be individualized based on the patient's injury, sport demands, goals, age, level of play, etc. Patients with low back pain, muscle strains, ligament sprains, tendinopathy, achilles, hip/knee/ankle post op return to sport are all great candidates for the program. 

 Here is a brief overview:

• Rehabs will be designed based on the current evidence based literature including: strength, neurocognitive training, plyometrics, proprioception/balance and stability exercises

• A room will be available at Arena sports to evaluate, provide manual therapy or neuromuscular re-education table techniques.  

• Evaluation of current ability via objective testing (strength with a dynamometer, hop tests-when appropriate, landing mechanics, Functional movements, ACL-RSI)

• Progression of field rehab will be based on objective measures (strength, motor control, hop landing) to help direct what they are able to safely perform. And of course clearance from the Physician.

• Initiation and progression of sprint mechanics, plyometrics, linear movements, curved line/figure eight running, cutting (large to small angle; slow to fast), acceleration/deceleration, COD, striders and sports specific drills with/without ball. 

• Field and the clinic care can occur simultaneously or a full transition to the field if they are no longer needing clinic sessions.

• Hybrid sessions: strength training (traditional and/or BFR), stability, proprioception drills and sports specific functional movements with/without ball. 

• Comprehensive return to sport testing using a battery of tests. This includes ACL-RSI, strength, SL hops (horizontal and vertical), agility and COD test. The testing can be performed entirely or in sections as appropriate for the patient's stage of rehab 

LWPT’s Long History of SPorts Coverage

We are very confident in our ability to rehabilitate sports injuries and prevent them. Many our staff competed at the high school and collegiate athletics. Since we opened our doors in 2010 we have worked with athletes from every major league sport, covered cross-fire tournaments, worked all the local high school sidelines, Little League World Series, PAC-12 tournaments, select lacrosse, ultimate frisbee, and the US Ski Team.

We institute the latest in physical therapy research into our practice and routinely attend surgeries with our favorite physicians. The past 5 years we have also been involved with the Seattle Pediatric Sports Medicine Groups efforts in soccer injury prevention. Our team has been working to help promote injury free soccer and helping to work with coaches to have a safe return to sport after injuries.

Soccer, Football, & LAcrosse Prep Videos