I was flipping through one of my older issues of San Francisco Magazine (Jan 2010 to be exact), and I was excited to see that the feature article was about all the amazing physios, doctors, and other health resources available in the San Francisco Bay Area. The article, entitled "How to Get This Healthy," lists the health practitioners that some of the local Olympians and big-businessmen rely on. I was a little disappointed that no Track and Field athletes were interviewed and I was even more surprised that none of my favorites were listed. So, I thought I would add a few entries to the list.
Leonard Stein (Chiropractor, San Francisco) - I have been seeing Lenny since I was 13 and I honestly don't know what I would do without him. His list of athletes is ridiculously impressive (Andre Agassi, Martina Navratilova, the SF Ballet, Golden State Warriors...just to name a few), and yet he remains one of the kindest, most down to earth men that I have ever known. He even flew himself to the Olympics in Beijing to help me out. He is listed as a chiropractor, but he does a whole lot more than just snap-crackle-pop. I won't even try to list all the techniques he knows, but I can almost guarantee that if you have a problem, he will figure out a way to fix it.
Lani Green (Massage Therapist, San Francisco) - I love my appointments with Lani because they typically turn into a gabfest. Now don't let this make you think that that hour isn't spent productively. Lani has "amazing hands," as they say in the biz, and her ability to follow a string of tightness through a muscle chain is mind-boggling.
Jonathan Gavzer (Acupuncture, San Francisco) - If I twist my ankle and need to reduce the swelling, or if my body is feeling haywire after a bad sickness, I turn to Jonathan for acupuncture treatment. Sessions are an hour and a half, starting with a little "state of the union" talk coupled with tea, and ending with acupuncture and muscle work.
Randi Merzon (Intuition Medicine, San Francisco) - When I need someone to help me mentally prepare for a big race or if life is stressing me out, I visit Randi. It's hard to describe exactly what she does (for me it's like a mix between a therapy and a sports psych session), but she is the most positive person ever and I always feel like I can conquer the world after we meet.
Amol Saxena (Sports & Surgical Podiatry, Palo Alto) - Not only is Dr. Saxena a great doctor, but he is also a great guy and quite an athlete. Dr. Sax (as his friends lovingly call him), helped set me up with orthotics to correct my leg length discrepancy. Although he is an extremely talented surgeon, I appreciated his non-aggressive approach (he never tries to force anything down his patients throats and seems to view surgery as a last resort).
John Belzer (Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, San Francisco) - When I had a stress fracture in my femoral neck in 2007, Dr. Belzer is the guy who helped to guide me through the recovery timeline.
Alter-G (Antigravity Treadmill, Fremont) - Lucky for me, the guys who created the Alter-G treadmill are local and super nice. When I was recovering from my stress fracture, they basically gave me an all access pass to use their machine at the company's headquarters (at the time in Menlo Park). I still stop by the office every now and then if I'm feeling beat up and need a little extra recovery on my recovery run, but since nice seems to breed nice, the Alter-G guys hooked me up with Michael McCormack in San Francisco, who recently purchased a machine for his gym, M2 Revolution, and let's me come by whenever I need to.
Amazing win @ the 5k yesterday! It looks like that altitude training is working well for you.
Posted by: ScottD | 05/02/2010 at 09:39 AM
Don't forget your protein after the race
Posted by: Protein shakes | 12/19/2010 at 12:46 PM
*People are always telling you what to do, but what's right for them may not be right for you.
Posted by: Air Jordans | 12/27/2010 at 08:30 PM
Great entry! Great lists... Well done for you!
Posted by: Lose Fat Stomach | 02/08/2011 at 05:17 PM
Wonderful assessments!
It is a very good thing that you do research and figure out what is best for you.
Posted by: Dr. K-Orthopedic Surgeon | 03/08/2011 at 04:36 PM
I was a little disappointed that no Track and Field athletes were interviewed and I was even more surprised that none of my favorites were listed.
Posted by: ClubPenguinCheats | 04/08/2011 at 01:13 AM
Club Penguin, who are your favorites? Would love to know.
Posted by: Shannon | 04/12/2011 at 03:23 PM