Mister B.
Yelp
Elevate is the finest PT clinic I've been to in Los Angeles. As a runner with tens of thousands of miles on his legs whose had the pleasure (misfortune?!) of working with many physical therapists over the years, Dr. Meredith Soelberg stands above the rest.
A couple months ago, I took a fall while running and banged my knee pretty hard. I took a little time off and it wasn't getting any better so I made an appointment with my orthopedist. I had already been dealing with a chronic overuse injury (proximal hamstring tendinopathy) for some time so I thought I would get both conditions looked at. Doc recommended physical therapy for both and I asked him point blank, "Of all the PT clinics in L.A., which one would you recommend?" His answer was Elevate PT in Santa Monica. After checking out their website I was sold! Not only were co-owners Meredith and Brooke both rockstar athletes back in the day, but the facility looked awesome, featuring the same state-of-the-art gait analysis system that USC uses in their biomechanics lab. As a runner who is always looking to improve his form, this was incredibly appealing. I immediately made an appointment for a complete gait analysis plus treatment for the two injuries.
At our first session, Meredith and I talked about my running history (past injuries, weekly mileage, etc...) and running goals. Not only did I have some big races on the calendar that I needed to be healthy for, but I also wanted to stem the injury tide and become "bulletproof", to be a successful runner well into his fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties...
After the chit-chat it was time to get down to business. She hooked up a dozen or so little sensors to my body and had me start running on the high-tech treadmill (it goes forwards and backwards!). The sensors transmitted my running patterns to her laptop and instantly Meredith was able to show me where my form was inefficient and what we would do to make me a stronger runner. We came up with a plan and over the next few weeks we worked on strength and flexibility. Every session there were new exercises as I progressed (also kept things fresh) and I would get a detailed email with the latest program so I could do the exercises on days I wasn't scheduled.
So...a couple months later I'm recovering from my injuries and returning to running, a stronger athlete than before. A few things made my experience super positive. First, the dedication, enthusiasm, and expertise that Meredith brings to the table is phenomenal. Her encyclopedic knowledge of biomechanics was like catnip to a running nerd like me. Second, unlike most other PT clinics you work directly with the therapist for the whole session. I can't tell you how many other places give you 15-20 minutes with the therapist and then have their aides assist you with the exercises. Third, the facility is amazing. Besides the gait analysis system, they have every piece of equipment you could ever think of.
A thousand thanks Meredith! You and the team at Elevate made this weekend warrior feel like a pro and if the running gods ever look down at me with disfavor again, I'll know where to turn to.