Hey, CORE Family. What's up? It's Stephen Dunn and today is a special day for me and it always will be today is 8.8. And to me, 8.8.98 is my graduation day from physical therapy school, back in New Orleans way back in the day.  

At that time I graduated and went had a fun night out in the French Quarter, we rented out a bar overlooking Bourbon Street and had quite a night and boy, it was fine. But anyway, that's not the moral of the story today.

The story is today is my why. And many, many people asked me about like, why I became a therapist, why open core? Why did these things and so I want to just kind of go over that today. Try to keep it brief, because I might go on a tangent too. But my why start started in 98.

When I graduated, eight, I spent the next month grad, travelling the country, visiting some friends and family and different parts of the country. And then I started working, and I started working. I had a 13 week contract where every 13 weeks, I was going to move to a new city and work at a new facility, all within the same company.  

So I was going to be working in new facility, facilities and cities, but it was all like the same light shirt, the same gear systems and all those things. And after 10 weeks of working in that situation, I got laid off, and I got laid off.

Basically that was the end of PT and the medicine that I went to school for. And the end of it was the shift and the change that really changed everything in medicine. And I was a part of the Balanced Budget Act. That's where Medicare made a big cut on what they would pay for physical therapy for the course of the year for patients.  

For me, it took me eight months, I got laid off that that day that the day after the bill signed.  It took me eight months to find a job and I had to move to California to find this job. When I moved to California for this job, it was the first time of managed care in my career.  

All of a sudden I'm seeing three patients an hour. It's an HMO facility, what is an HMO? I have no idea. It was a brand new phrase and idea. But anyway, I worked at this place for two years and really burned myself out immediately.

I took another job in downtown LA and Korea Town, Normandy in Wiltshire on the corner and worked there for about five or six months but took it took that job for five extra dollars an hour but actually ended up seeing about 45 to 50 patients a day. And it was a workers comp clinic.

So those two things led to me, led me to have my own business and try to figure out a different way of doing things. So I have my own business in 2001 moved to Texas and 2004 after having a business in California for several years.

Basically set up CORE Therapy & Pilates in Austin the way I envisioned wanting to run my business, my clinic, my studio, and with Cheryl running the Pilate side, and we run the physical therapy side. And that's what we've been doing since 2005.

So 8/98 special day for me basically led me to this career in physical therapy, which I am so grateful for and appreciate all the time and love what I do. But at the same time, it wasn't long before the industry started changing. And with that I had to change with it.  

Those changes led me to open to my business. And those changes have led to me where I am 23 years later, after owning my business in Austin now for 16 years, which is hard to believe. So that's my why of becoming a business owner.

Why I became a PT was basically just to serve people and help people. I wanted to do something in the medical field, but I didn't want to be tied to a pager that time that leads me but I didn't want to be tied to a page I wanted to work and go home and have time that once I left the work that I wasn't tied to it.

And that's what all… Those are the things that led me to physical therapy. And once I started doing some work in physical therapy field and actually spent the time I spent with people and got to really see them go from, you know, limping to back to running or you know, unable to sit without pain to back to working out again. It was fascinating and love at first sight.

So that those are my Whys of why I became a therapist and why I'm on business and I wanted to share that today on my 23rd anniversary of graduating from physical therapy school back in New Orleans back in the day.

Thanks for any of you who've been a part of my journey along the ride, whether it's been an instructor or professor back in the day. Some of the people that were a part of my becoming a therapist Susan Blanchard, Greg Zeldin, rest in peace Greg.

People that just really influenced me I want to thank you. I know you probably won't see this but I want to thank you anyway and all my patients over the last 23 years that have trusted their health in me.

Thank you, and for all the people that have shared their stories and allowed me to be a part of you getting the outcome you wanted. Thank you very much. All right. Well, that's it for the day. And we'll see y'all on the flip side real soon. Take care. Bye, guys.

Call 512-215-4227 to learn more about CORE Therapy & Pilates in Austin, Texas.

I personally am being treated by Dr. Andy at Core Therapy. He is wonderful and very thorough when it come to my complete body recovery from injuries sustained from a car accident in July 2020. Not only that he also is helping my entire body become stronger so I can live life pain free.

The gyrotonic techniques, the reformed machine, and all of the muscle manipulation and stretching Dr. Andy does each visit leaves me feeling vastly improved more and more each week. I experience dysfunction and pain in my sacrum area, as well as my serrates, scapular, rhomboid, and pectoral muscles.

As well as my pelvic area and hip flexor muscles but the pain now, compared to what I was going through during my first visit has subsided some and I feel better more and more after ever visit.

Not only is Dr. Andy a fantastic physical therapist, but the entire practice is filled with friendly, encouraging, people who truly want to do their very best to help each and every one of their patients to live a pain free life, with strong, mobile bodies. 

I’m so grateful to have stumbled upon Core Therapy and Pilates and highly recommend them to anyone who has suffered Soft tissue or joint injury or who experiences muscle pain.

CORE Therapy & Pilates (owner)

Thank you so much for the kind words Kaitlyn... We agree that Dr Andy is a fantastic physical therapist. Those dang hip flexors are such a problem with back pain. The tight scapula muscles you mentioned, the pectoral minor, the serratus anterior and rhomboids cause problems with proper scapula positioning. 

That is where the Pilates Reformer and Gyrotonic Tower can really help strengthen your body in new positions and postures... We are so happy you stumbled upon CORE Therapy and Pilates and are so happy to hear about your success.

Love these people!! Many times they got me out of pain through sessions with Stephen and then a private PT session. Only for me to stubbornly go back to not seeing them and get back into chronic back pain. Both upper spine and lower spine. They are consistently great and personally I find a long term solution that medical drugs and injections will not fix.

They get to the “core” of the problem. I have been enjoying their new addition Andy! Straight out of NYC and since I’m a NYC hairdresser I embrace the fact, That if you could be the best in NYC, you have to really know what you are doing. I have had amazing sessions for pain relief with Stephen and then follow up with Andy.

I love the classes too! Right now especially the are small and feel safer than a large class. Stephen and Cheryl have a great business and one the few in town that does gyro, Pilates and PT. You need not go anywhere else. Nicole Descoteaux

CORE Therapy & Pilates (owner)

Thank you for your kind words, Nicole! Chronic back pain is no fun, no matter if it is your having upper back pain or lower back pain! Our natural remedies for back pain and inflammation work so much better than pain pills, injections and surgery. 

It has been a pleasure working with you! We are so happy our Pilates Physical Therapy and Gyrotonic personal training is helping you so much... Dr Andy Tseng, Stephen Dunn and Cheryl Dunn say Hi!

If you have pain or want to build strength, CORE Therapy and Pilates will get you on the track to wellness. The team is solid and the owners really know their stuff, with years of experience. The vibe is always good too. It is the only place I've been publicly during covid where my temp is taken. Highly recommended!

CORE Therapy & Pilates (owner)

Thank you so much for the kind review Mr Stanley. I am so glad that we have been able to provide back pain relief and core strengthening for you. I have heard that from several of my clients that we are on top of our temp checks and cleaning protocols... thanks for noticing. Thank you for the opportunity to help you…

After struggling with nerve pain for nearly 5 years I have found the right people. I was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) which, for me, causes severe nerve pain in my hand. I’d been to dozens of doctors, PTs and OTs. 

I had been told by many doctors that they don’t know how to help me and I have been to many PT’s who made my condition worse. Andy and Stephen have been so helpful with all my crazy nerve issues.

Andy explains why my body hurts and corrects all my pain in each session. The best part is that he is knowledgeable. My previous course of treatments were the “it gets worse before it gets better” types and it never got better.

Andy has explained I was being treated incorrectly for what I am diagnosed with, and it’s very obvious bc once he treats my hand correctly, my pain goes away. So in a nutshell, after years and years of going to the wrong people, I found help at Core Therapy! I kept telling Andy, “Where were you 5 years ago?!”

I can’t stress enough how helpful everyone has been. Anywhere from cranial work with Stephen to Gryotonics, I have received so much help. CRPS is a complex syndrome so I highly recommend if you have unexplainable nerve pain to take a visit to Core Therapy.

CORE Therapy & Pilates (owner)

Thank you Mia for your review! And we are happy that you found us as your solution to your Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) after 5 years of trials and errors.

We know that there are many people with the exact same condition as yours still seeking solutions, and we'd love to help them to not only alleviate pain but also return to things they enjoy doing and be healthy and active.