Ironhorse Physical Therapy & Pilates — Local services in San Ramon

Victoria and all of her staff are absolutely incredible. My journey to being pain free is not a short one. I have 2 degenerative discs in my lower back that are very thin. The doctor was not helpful with viable options besides surgery so I started managing the ongoing pain with chiropractic care. I did this for years but I HAD to go to the chiropractor every 1.5-2 weeks in order to remain pain free. Every time I flew, had a long car ride, or every time I tried to stretch the timing out between adjustments, I would end up back in pain. My doctor then recommended that I try physical therapy. I stayed in-network and I went to who I was recommended to (not Ironhorse PT). I remained clueless as to what was actually going on with my body and why I was still in pain. The 10 weeks of physical therapy that I had gone to left me thinking the only next step was surgery. I went back to the doctor and that was the option that was presented to me. I didn't accept surgery as an option. I was fortunate enough to have some amazing friends that recommended me to Victoria and her team so I took another shot at Physical Therapy, after all, it couldn't hurt in comparison to surgery right?! I first saw Victoria and she was AMAZING. She took the time to fully assess, explain, and create a game plan that was presented to me in a manner that made logical sense. Addressing the whole body, not just the part that hurts. Throughout my journey at Ironhose PT, at some point in time I think I worked with everyone that Victoria had on staff at her office. (I'll digress in saying that Victoria has high standards and drives to work with people that meets her passion for knowledge and helping people. You will be in amazing hands with anyone that Victoria puts her trust in.) Now back to my journey :) I started with PT sessions, diligently doing my homework. Given the tools for the most bang for my buck... my homework exercises only took about 5 minutes a day. I asked many questions along the way to understand why I was doing exercises and I was always met with patience because Victoria and her team know that if I care and can understand the why, that i'll have better success! I like lifting heavy weights and running. I added in the semi-private pilates sessions once a week. Talk about game changer. I learned so much more about why I was doing exercises in Physical Therapy and I learned about better form form for weight lifting from pilates. True story. Pilates made me realize how to deactivate muscle groups that shouldn't be involved in exercises. It taught me to slow down and know body position in exercises. After pilates I worked with a physical therapist at Ironhorse to build up strength in deficit muscle groups that were important to remain pain free. I continued physical therapy because I FELT AMAZING. I kept going to physical therapy every 2-3 weeks to learn how to self assess and self treat. The team was amazing. This entire process for me took about a year but I knew it was an investment in me, my health, and avoiding surgery. After that first year, I joined the small group kettlebell class with Victoria. Victoria knew me, she knew what to watch for, she knew how to motivate, correct and keep pushing me forward. It's probably been 4-5 years ago now, from when I first walked into Ironhorse Physical Therapy and I'm happy to say that I am pain free! I've had some tune ups with Victoria along the way and I've also done self assessments to get myself back on track. But I know how! Here I am, pain free 5 years after being told surgery was my only option. This is a long way of saying that all of the staff at Ironhorse is amazing. Trust them. Trust the process and you won't be...

For context I am your typical over achieving 35 yo amateur endurance junky. So it was no surprise that while training for an upcoming marathon I began to develop a dull pain on the outside of my ankle. The cause? As most runners know- too much too soon, but who doesn't dabble in glutinous running from time to time. A quick visit to my google physician and the symptoms were spot on- peroneal tendinitis. My game plan was simple- cut back the mileage and pray for a lucky race in four weeks. Things improved enough (rest, running in new shoes on a cambered road) to allow me to run pain free during the race. I'm cured! But in the weeks following the pain returned. In the ensuing months, the pain progressed to the point I could no longer run or bike without aching pain in the hours after a workout. I double my efforts with improvised PT only to realize in hindsight that I was simply overloading an already injured tendon. I finally got an MRI and I wont forget reading the words "partial tear of the peroneus brevis with underlying tendinopathy" Not good. In fact it was worse than not good, it was down right terrifying. The depression swiftly sank in as I ruminated on the word "tear" over and over again. I voluntarily put myself into a walking boot and started looking for a physical therapist.

I saw a physical therapist through my HMO insurance and was disappointed when they barely performed an exam, ordered some clamshells and was out the door. I had heard of Iron Horse PT through a family member, and I soon walked into my first appointment with Victoria. The difference was stark. Victoria was this crazy fit endurance athlete with ironman medals strewn across the walls. I knew immediately that she understood what it means to someone to be able to run, and to do it healthy. My first appointment was really impressive- she just listened carefully for almost an hour while taking notes and examining my leg. You could tell she has treated countless endurance athletes and was extremely knowledgeable regarding tendinoapthy's. One of the most important lessons she taught me was that MRI findings DO NOT equate to symptoms! People can walk around with all sorts of maladies like partial tears and have no idea. So it was vital to keep an open mind as to other factors that could be playing a role in the injury, not get lost in the one specific area of pain. Respect the kinetic chain!

Victoria was quick to point out that the entire leg should be understood and evaluated. I soon was finding that the more I stretched and rolled out my IT band and hips, the better the pain became. After two months of biweekly hour long visits, slowly increasing my at home PT with lots of isometrics, I was cycling again and starting to run with confidence. All those months previously attempting to self treat were simply delaying my progress.

I cannot recommend Victoria and Iron Horse PT enough. Her patience and expertise are invaluable. She is one on one, hands on and takes times to invest in your health. I acknowledge that she is not cheap, but worth every penny. If you find yourself saying "I would do anything to get over this injury" then here is your answer- go see Victoria, you...

I have had a phenomenal experience at Ironhorse Physical Therapy & Pilates! I originally called their office for evaluation of my diastasis recti and pelvic floor problems post baby #3. From the get go, I was very impressed with IHPT. The owner, Dr. Victoria, set up a call to share information about the practice & answer questions. Scheduling appointments is simple via an online program or via text/call with the administration assistant. Dr. Kate's initial evaluation was extremely thorough. She is so knowledgeable and an expert in her field. I planned to only discuss my diastasis recti and pelvic floor problems, but Kate was keenly observant of my limited range of motion & asked many questions about my previous level of function and how my presenting issues were impacting quality of life. From Dr. Kate's thorough questions, we discussed long term headaches, upper back, and lower back pain - symptoms I had just accepted as status quo and did not realize could improve with physical therapy. I am an active person - love hiking, running, yoga, etc, but experienced pain for years & ignored symptoms. Each week, Dr. Kate has taught me exercises to slowly improve my strength and stamina. She helped me to understand how my symptoms are related to one another, what muscles are involved, how my body has overcompensated, & how to self correct. My body finally feels strong enough to start back on a walk-to-run program. Dr. Kate is supportive and realistic, knowing I have 3 small kids at home, and being mindful of that as she increased my home treatment program so that it was manageable. Each exercise built upon the previous one, and I have noticed such improvement in symptoms from week to week. She has incorporated various treatment methods including cupping, massage, pilates, ROM & weight bearing exercises, etc. I have also seen Dr. Victoria a few times for pelvic floor evaluation & treatment. Her diagnostic skills are phenomenal. I learned so much in my few sessions with her, and noticed marked improvement in my pelvic floor symptoms. Dr. Kate and Dr. Victoria have provided a coordinated treatment plan. As their patient, I feel well supported. I have tried physical therapy a few times in the past and did not see much improvement. I was skeptical to try it again, but I am so glad I did. As an out-of-network provider, IHPT is able to treat each client more holistically, versus the more traditional narrow diagnoses/treatment model through insurance. They will provide a detailed superbill which many insurances accept for out-of-network providers.

In 4 months, my symptoms have significantly improved. My body feels stronger and I'm able to hold my kids without constant back pain. If I tweak something and experience pain, Dr. Kate helps me to understand what happened and recommend small adjustments to help prevent it from occurring again. I have also started a pilates program at IHPT and Dr. Kate has helped to make small adjustments on the reformer to ensure I maintain proper position and prevent further injury. I highly recommend...