Therapeutic Associates Downtown Portland Physical Therapy

Reviews 5

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Eric Passes

The best measure of care that my podiatrist took after seeing me twice was to write a prescription for physical therapy--and I was fortunate to receive care at Theraputic Associates under the attention of Sanatan Golden. I had been suffering from heel pain for over 15 years, remedying the issue with arch supports somewhat successfully, until the pain began moving into my calf and all the way up my leg. I tried deep tissue massage and acupuncture which felt great but was short-lived. And, after seeing a podiatrist who administered two rounds of cortisone shots, something that did give me relief several years ago but did not work this time, and who suggested another pair of custom insoles, we decided that physical therapy would be the best course of action. Sanatan is a great listener and showed great insight as a therapist--taking into consideration my overall health, lifestyle and physical history. He worked with me to strengthen my arch and bring me out of my immediate pain. Sanatan met me where I was mentally and physically, and challenged me to expand my comfort level so that I would learn to challenge myself. He taught me how to be conscious of the way I walk(barefoot and with shoes) and the way that I think about my body. After helping me to relieve my heel pain, Sanatan, along with the support of my primary care physician, found his way to the source of the problem--my lower back. Sanatan worked with me to strengthen my back and my core, focusing on muscles both large and small--connecting me with my bodys own strength as a source for recovery and feeling good. Sanatan, along with the support staff, remains a consistent support for me in my recovery. I never doubted him once and always looked forward to our appointments, even though I knew the session meant performing challenging exercises--done with proper form! Today, I walk pain-free without arch supports--relying on the strength of my own feet--and can even walk distances barefoot. I have moved on from physical therapy and still have the repertoire of exercises I learned from Sanatan. I have begun taking martial arts classes and feel strong enough to move ahead on my own. Thank you, Sanatan, for all that youve done with me and that I know you will continue to do with others.

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Shane Mileham

KEYWORDS: Competitive Runner, Barefoot, Technique, Recovery I am a competitive and dedicated runner and got injured last year during my training to walk on to USCs Track team for long distance. After spending close to 9 months in physical therapy (improving muscle recruitment and strength), I returned home for the summer and was referred to Sanatan Golden by so many people (friends, co-workers, etc.) that I thought I should check out what all the hype was about. When I started working with Sanatan, I still couldnt really run, but I knew I didnt want to run with orthopedics and had been doing all of my training barefoot once I had gotten injured. Sanatan, with his background in barefoot running as well as mechanical engineering, helped improve my running technique drastically so that now I can even run barefoot on concrete with no pain whatsoever. Sanatan was very attentive and helped me not only recover so that I can enjoy the thrill of running again, but also taught me the principles behind each exercise so that I can continue to improve while Im back at school. I am now Co-Captain of the USC Cross Country team (club is the highest for xc) and am training our runners with some of the same methods Sanatan showed me. I am still improving my technique and slowly building mileage, but I am confident I will be back in better shape than ever soon enough. I can run quickly and efficiently on all surfaces (barefoot on concrete included) without pain, and I would highly recommend Sanatan to any runner, injured or not.

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Michael Farrell

I am a very active 48-year old who has played basketball and skied most of my life. In November, 2012, I tore my meniscus playing basketball and had to have surgery for the first time. I was worried about whether my future activity would be limited or somehow be lessened because of surgery, but also because of my age. I was fortunate enough to have Sanatan Golden as my physcial therapist. Sanatan understood where I was physically before the surgery and that my goal was to get back there or to even improve my fitness level, rather than to simply be resigned to do whatever the future might allow me to do. Sanatan listened to my concerns and we worked together to address them - there were miscellaneous pains after the surgery that we worked to eliminate, and we worked to regain or improve strength and mobility. One of the things that most impressed me was his ability to explain why particular exercised had to be perfomed in particulars ways in order to meet the goals we were setting. It was those little things that really made the difference in continuing to improve over the time we worked together. I feel very fortunate to have worked with Sanatan for my recovery. I also thought the rest of the staff and the facility were terrific. I highly recommend Therapeutic Associates and Sanatan in particular. Thanks Sanatan - I really appreciate all your help. Michael

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AlexAnn Westlake

I am a strong believer in the benefits of physical therapy for anyone with any kind of injury. It takes some work and dedication on the part of the patient, but when it means avoiding surgery, pain medication, expensive orthopedic shoes, or stopping your favorite exercise activities, then it is ALWAYS worth it! I saw Sanatan Golden at Therapeutic Associates for an injury I had from running (Posterior Tibialis Tendonitis was the diagnosis from Sanatan). Sanatan examined my muscle strength, my running stride, and my shoes and created a plan of muscle strengthening, stretching, running stride work and shoe changes. And...it worked! The best part, Sanatan never told me to stop running, he realized that running itself was not the problem, rather the problem arose within more of the fine details of running. Ive had running friends say, "I dont want to go see a physical therapist for X, because theyll just tell me to stop running." But, thats not always true. In my case the physical therapist did not tell me to stop running and in the end Ive become a stronger runner.

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Steve Ross

Sanatan Golden is been a life saver. As a runner Im very careful on ANY medical advise when it comes to running and working out. When I came to see Sanatan Golden my fears where taken away knowing that he fully gets it from my point of view as a runner. My injury started after the Portland marathon and had plans of the ultra in a few months. Looking back now this injury was such a blessing to me as it meant a major change in my form which will prevent a lot of injuries down the road. He walks the talk. Most doctors would say STOP, but Sanatan Golden said keep going, but with a totally new running form and care. When I first started I though the dreams of running a ultra marathon were gone, but now 6 months later I have more hope than ever with the ability to run 20 miles every weekend and feel totally fine the next day, just as if I ran a 5k. I never had that before. The most important thing is come with a open mind to be retrained, in the beginning it may seem slow, but his treatment will pay off BIG time.

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