1st Choice Healthcare/ ART

You made the right call ... he comes highly recommended by a host of friends who have seen him over the years.  I had one friend tell me that he drives from Kennesaw to see him in Decatur.

Do not be surprised if they tell you that part of the issue might be tight hips.  Best way to work that out is through consistent stretching, core strengthening and, for the first part, deep tissue massage.

Jennifer Vogel, a multiple IM finisher and ultra marathoner (won the Keys 100 miler twice in a row), is a licensed massage therapist who works there.  She "gets" it and is very cerebral in her approach ...

I've been going to Dr Steve for a few years - he joined 1st Choice last year - and feel that ART has mostly been good for stopping problems before they start. If you've already got knee issues, for instance, ART might be good for keeping them from getting worse but won't have much effect on tracking problems.

I go maybe every other week when training is in more intense phases, less often when I'm just maintaining. I'm a believer but would still say there are limits to what those treatments do.

I hope they can get you ready for Peachtree..

Great to hear! Thanks everyone for the positive feedback!

I'm sure a large part of my ongoing 'itises", etc. are a result of a weak core, hips, glutes and overall weak everything! It's a vicious cycle as I try to strengthen with weights, add hills, etc. and I end up getting injured which has been so frustrating!

I'll let you know how the appointment goes!
Thanks again!

Dr Sadri is dad-gum good. I had a nasty case of ITBS a few years ago and ART/Graston helped me get over it. Keep in mind that ART/Graston treats the symptoms and definitely helps loosen the IT band. You'll also need to treat the underlying cause. They'll help you figure the underlying cause out.

I recently made the switch to Dr. Nik and don't regret it one bit. 

Keep in mind, there is NO quick fix for ITBS.  It will take some time.  You should experience improvement within a few visits.  I know I am feeling much better. 

In addition to Dollar's caveat, remember that ART ("Active Release Therapy") is just a name brand attached to long establish physical therapies used by PT's and chiro's alike ... and that there may be other techniques that might be better suited for you. 

Either way, you are in good hands there.

I'm always open to new treatment options as I seem to have tried everything else and thought ART would be another good alternative. At least I can get some counsel as to what strengthening, stretching, etc. I need to be doing as it's become overwhelming with all of my home exercises, etc.

I know that I need to invest in Pilates but the classes are out of the budget at the moment. As an alternative, I've tried the Winsor Pilates dvd's and they were snoozers! If anyone knows of any decent ones, let me know! I've also tried the Rodney Yee Yoga for Athletes and various other Rodney Yee dvd's and they seem to be pretty good.

Thanks again for all the great feedback!

Do you  belong to a gym? I joined Lifetime Fitness for their 25m pools but have since started to use their yoga and pilates classes as the basis to build my core strength while stretching out. (It has been a humbling experience as the housewives of Johns Creek continually kick my rear in flexibility!)

Check with your gym to see if they have classes you can avail yourself to.  Alternatives to LTF are your local YMCA or I believe that LA Fitness has group classes as well.

Absent that, you can do core specific exercises. James (thecaptin) started a thread that has a listing of core exercises here

Thanks! I saw the thread but didn't really see a workout plan. Does anyone have one that they really like and could recommend?

I work out at GA Tech as my husband is an alum, for a really low membership fee. They offer GT Fit classes for an additional cost (6x more than my membership!) If I were to take any of the classes down the road they don't offer any at 5:30am. I think they just offer a cycling class 1x or 2x a week at 6am.

Look like I'll have to work on the core at home - can't wait! ugh

Thanks again everyone!

I saw Dr. Sadri last year for a hamstring issue.  Couple times of week with ART and Graston.  Very painful and I often looked like he beat me with a stick with all the bruises I had.  But with his help and a little time my issue was resolved and has not come back. 

I will also say not only is he a great doc but a fun guy to be around. 

Good luck with your recovery.

I saw Dr. Sardi last week and as everyone mentioned, he was very personable and extremely thorough with my exam! I guess the good news is that I have ITBS but not the classic case so hopefully with 4 or so visits I should be back on track!

He did some ART and I was prepared to be bruised in my glutes but great news - no bruising, just some soreness.

I have some lengthening and balance issues but my strength was good which totally surprised me! I have a tight right sciatic nerve and tight right hip ( right side was tighter than the left troubling side) so I was sent home with just 3 exercises and quit doing all of my other ones that I had been doing. I also stopped taking Advil and started taking Tumeric and stopped using the prescription anti-inflammatory gel - Voltaren and starting using some Arnica Plus.

Dr. Sardi suggested that I don't use the ITB Band that I just bought and wore once. He recommended that I get on the treadmill and use a 1-5% grade which I did yesterday. I ran the 1st two miles at 2% and then the last 2 @ 1.5 % and was able to run all 4 miles which was a first in a long time! I felt a bit of an ache outside of my left knee but nothing like I had last week when I ran with and without the ITB brace. What a difference the incline made and I feel really good today. I thought I would be pretty sore since my legs felt a bit sluggish during the run.

I have two more sessions planned this week and hopefully two more after Peachtree and I should be good to go.

I'm encouraged that I'll be able to run Peachtree and then do my 1st tri of the season in 3 weeks. I may not have a PR season but at least I'll be able to participate with hopefully minimal pain.

Thanks again everyone for your great feedback and recommendations!

Great news!  Sadri is the bomdiggity!

Glad I found this post.  I'm seeing Dr Sadri tomorrow night for achey knees.

Let us know how it goes! I'll be curious to hear how your appointment went and your feedback regarding Dr. Sardi!.

I'll be there tomorrow and also on Thursday so I'm ready for Peacthree!

Good Luck!

My appt with Dr Sadri last night was fantastic.  They are very thorough and their goal is to get to the root of the problem, help you fix it and give you exercises to solve it.  I have very tight hips and calves.  And no strength in my glutes and hams.  He gave me a course of action and worked out some of the issues in my hips which of course is pulling on my IT band and causing pain in my knees.  I'm looking forward to getting this problem solved and know I choose the right place to do it.

Thanks for the update Patti! Great to hear your visit went well. Sounds somewhat similar to my issues. You're in very good hands - literally:-) I have total confidence in Dr. Sardi and 1st Choice Healthcare. I already saw major improvements after my 1st session and running on an incline on the treadmill.

I've had 3 session so far and yesterday Dr. Sardi did the Graston technique on my peroneal and both kneecaps. I thought ART was painful which doesn't compare to the Graston pain! I could barely withstand the pain, especially on my knee caps which are sore today as well as my peroneal. Supposedly, I will be good to to on Sunday for the Peachtree but I'm a bit concerned the way things are feeling right now. I guess with Graston, there should be a quicker recovery time.

It was recommended that I warm-up 10-12 minutes pre-race and half of that time should be running backwards - so if you see someone in the Lenox parking lot wearing a Team Marathon Bar top that will be me!

Good luck Patti with your treatments and keep up posted!