What’s up, my name is Javin and I am a senior at Irvine High School. I play Water Polo and swim for the school team. As an 18 year old, I frequently work out, surf, and partake in many sorts of physical activity. Ever since I was a kid, I have always had terrible posture and never took care of my body. As a result, I have had lower back pain at a young age. My back ended up arching forward causing discomfort from just standing or sitting. Going to different chiropractors or acupuncture facilities, have only helped me temporarily until I joined Southland Physical Therapy.

I started my sessions at the beginning of December with Samuel Ha as my physical therapist. Dr. Ha was easily able to recognize the problem and devise a plan for my recovery. Talking to Dr. Ha, I learned many new things that could prevent me from further injuries and perfectly explained why I was having these problems. Dr. Ha even takes a step forward and informs me of other problems just based on the information I have provided him. As I visited Southland twice a week, I began to personally know Dr. Ha and had a great time there. He hopes to compete in a triathlon and enjoys his time by playing basketball. Dr. Shanice Lowe has also helped me in the absence of Dr. Ha and was able to give me some new insight into my case.

The atmosphere provided by Southland is incomparable to any other facilities I have visited. Working on exercises to fix my back, the aids have helped me make sure that I was doing everything properly through the whole session. Any questions I had or needed help with, they were always there to help. Throughout the sessions, not only do the aids teach me proper lifting forms and exercises, I have had genuine conversations about music, lifting, and hobbies. Shoutout to German, Luis, Christina, Jackie, and Mo – Amazing people.

In just 2 months, I was 100%. I can finally enjoy standing and sitting without being in pain. My lower back finally straightened out and has helped me long-term. Learning new knowledge on lifting and proper form, I will be forever grateful. I give all my thanks to the staff of Southland Physical Therapy to help me finally deadlift without any pain and even inspiring me to become a physical therapist myself. I definitely recommend Southland- a rare, fascinating facility- to others. I might even injure myself again just to come back. Take Care.

My name is Breanna and I am a competitive junior rower. I have lumbar scoliosis which has caused immense stress on my right hip, both of my knees and ankles, and having practice six days out of the week for a year-round season has needless to say tremendously affected my body. I started going to Southland Physical Therapy around a year ago and I could not be more happy with the help and care I have received.

From my first appointment with Dr. Cameron Rau, I knew I was going to be receiving the greatest care possible. In the beginning, Dr. Cameron watched me walk up and down the hallway and was instantly able to identify one of my many problems: the way I walk as I compensate for my scoliosis by sticking out my hip in order to make my hips level. Through several different exercises and cupping, Dr. Cameron was able to increase my mobility in my back and strengthen my glutes and core to help support my hips. After just a couple of months, I was feeling better than ever. I was finally able to walk more normal. However, the following summer I just couldn’t stay away from the great hospitality of Southland Physical Therapy and I came back to have my returning hip and knee pain treated. As a rower, I have become increasingly quad dominate, causing severe pressure on my knee and overcompensations from my other joints. Throughout my rehab, Dr. Cameron and the whole Southland PT family have helped to find specific exercises that help strengthen my other muscles besides my quads. As my time at Southland PT has progressed, my pain has become significantly less severe and more bearable so I can continue to do what I love, row.

Words cannot express how grateful I am for the truly phenomenal care Southland PT has given me. The people there are some of the nicest people I have met. They make every appointment fun. Southland Physical Therapy is the best place to go if you are looking for the best care possible and a quick recovery. At Southland PT, they truly care about each and every one of their patients.

Dr. Andrew Hodge pretty much gave me my life back. I came to this office as a 25 year old bent over like an old woman, unable to sit or stand for long, numbness down my entire right leg, back muscles seized. In the previous months I had been bed ridden, had abdominal surgery, not to mention the disease I had unknowingly been living with for 10 years that was growing adhesions and scar tissue in my body. 3 months of work with Dr. Andrew and I’m a different person, I just completed a 5K walk without out stopping, and I can move, stretch, be active. I was a complicated case and from the start I knew Dr. Andrew was listening, paying attention, and making a custom plan for me. He communicated every step, was very conscious of not overdoing anything on my slow recovery, adjusted and increased the exercises as I improved to continue challenging my body to heal. It was hard work that I had to put in (you HAVE to do the work at home every day), and breaking up 10 years of scar tissue while retraining my muscles hurt, but with the tools he gave me everything has turned around. He has now referred me to Dr. Becky Chang to continue my work in an area that is her expertise (pelvic) and I’ve been wonderfully happy with her so far as well. The PT aids and office staff are all supportive, welcoming, and extremely helpful and knowledgeable.

In February 2016 I was climbing in Joshua Tree National Park. Climbing is something I have been doing for a long time and truly cannot live without, regardless of the inherent dangers associated with it. I was working on a challenging route, fell awkwardly, and felt something give way in back; I went down and laid there for a few minutes. When I tried to get up I could tell something was seriously wrong; I could feel nerve pain from my back to my foot and could not stand upright. Turns out I had four bulged disks and one that was paracentrally herniated “severely”; my family doctor sent me to a specialist who referred me to a surgeon for a microdiscectomy. I refused surgery and was prescribed lumbar injections and steroids; after two rounds in combination with physical therapy at a different location, my situation did not improve. I still could not sit at work for more than 30 minutes without severe pain.

A friend referred me to Southland Physical Therapy in April of 2016 and Dr. Austin Hunter was assigned to my case. During the first session, he worked closely with me to determine my individual issues; he understood my fitness level, and eagerness to get back on the rocks. The sessions were intense, but always resulted in positive gains even though I was only able to come in for treatment once a week. Within two months I was able to start working out again. By August 2016, I was climbing again. My back rehab was so successful that I was also able to ride my motorcycle over 4,000 miles in 9 days to attend the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota that same month! In less than a year I was back to 100%, climbing stronger, running further, and riding longer than before my injury, without invasive surgery. I am positive that surgery (i.e. discectomy or fusion) was avoided solely because of what Dr. Hunter and his colleagues did for me at Southland Physical Therapy. I am eternally thankful for their hard work and dedication to the science of rehabilitation.

Sincerely,

Sean

I have been going to Southland PT for a couple months now and am beyond happy I picked Southland PT to rehabilitate post spine fusion.

I injured my spine 4 years ago due to an underdeveloped vertebra fracturing causing low back pain, SI joint and nerve pain through my right leg. 6 months ago I had an anterior lumbar fusion (spine fusion via my abdomen) due to the instability of my spine and disc degeneration. Post-surgery my core was very weak and I was still having similar pains as before surgery.

I decided to give Southland PT a try and am very thankful to have met the amazing staff at Southland. They immediately discovered my hips were out of alignment upon my initial evaluation and was able to quickly adjust using my own muscle strength. The next day my SI joint had stopped hurting and the soreness I had when I got out of bed in the AM was gone! To think, for 4 years, I had joint pain that the doctors had thought was due to the joint being arthritic, when all along my hips were just out of alignment! Next they worked on my piriformis and hamstring to free up the nerve and muscles, which relieved much of the nerve pain in my leg (burning in outer calf and spasms in my glute)

I had been going on avg. twice a week and after the initial eval, my hips are staying in place and my piriformis and hamstrings are 100 percent better. I am seeing major improvement in my strength and feel more confident working out, thanks to SPT’s guidance on what is ok for my back.

Now, being a good doctor is a necessity, but what makes any place great is how you feel while you are there. At Southland all of the Doctors, therapy assistants and receptionists are so warm and genuine. The receptionist always remembers me and makes scheduling easy, the therapy assistants are fun and keep me entertained as I am doing my exercises and I feel like they are genuinely excited to see each patient. They genuinely cares about their patients, they even called me when I was on vacation to make sure my back was doing okay with the flight and travel. They answers any questions I have and is always happy to explain what they are doing and why it helps.

I would recommend Southland PT to anybody needing therapy!

I was hospitalized for 5 days with a bulging disk in my lower back. The disk was hitting a nerve, causing a great amount of pain to shoot from my upper left hip down to my ankle. At the two week point of my injury I started going to Southland Physical Therapy to receive treatment. On my first visit, I could walk for about 90 seconds before severe pain would set in, causing me to immediately lay down. Upon my first visit to Southland Physical Therapy, I was very impressed with the amount of attention Dr. Claire paid to my symptoms. She conducted strength tests to get baseline data, and provided me with basic stretching and strengthening exercises to do at the facility and at home.

Over the course of the next 12 weeks, I saw huge gains and made incredible progress. Each week, Dr. Claire would take the time to listen to my progress, respond to any pain I was feeling, and educate me on my injury and why I was feeling pain and discomfort in certain areas. I really appreciate that she took the time to inform me about my injury because it assisted me in my healing. Knowing what was causing pain and why I was feeling a certain way allowed me to focus on what I needed to do to not only heal, but to prevent further injury. Each visit, Dr. Claire increased the intensity of my exercises, and put into place specific strengthening routines for me to do to get back on the golf course.

Because of the incredible commitment and dedication to providing me the best care, Dr. Claire and her team of outstanding assistants at Southland Physical Therapy have kept me off the operating table, and helped me regain my strength and mobility. I am truly grateful for the time, compassion, and professionalism that was provided to me by the entire staff.

I have had a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum, and as a 49 year-old I had tremendous concerns to be able to continue to enjoy the very active lifestyle I lead. My orthopedist believed I could avoid surgery via PT, and I had 20 visits at Southland under Dr. Lee’s care. At the beginning my shoulder was nearly completely frozen, with almost no mobility. Three months later I am back to all of my previous activities: working out in the gym, playing league soccer, surfing, paddle boarding. Dr. Lee was phenomenal throughout, not only in methodology but in explaining throughout each session, and giving me a vision toward recovery. I am so grateful to have been under her care and will refer her to whomever is in need.

I am a Master Personal Trainer and an aspiring Firefighter. That being said, I put my body through a lot on a daily basis. I am constantly pushing the limits and striving to be better and stronger. I am lifting hoses, tools, and ladders heavier than my entire body weight above my head. I am pushing, pulling, lifting, and stressing by body constantly. Throughout this process I injured my right shoulder (Labrum Tear and Scapular Protraction) causing a lot of pain, weakness, and instability. A potential career breaker…

My time spent at Long Beach Southland Physical Therapy was better than I could have ever expected. I was blown away by the high level of experience and care the entire team provided me. I came to Southland Physical Therapy with an injury which I thought would prevent me from furthering my career as a Firefighter; I now walk away feeling stronger and more confident than I ever thought was possible.

Throughout my treatment I worked with Bill Erb DPT. I cannot say enough good things about him and his practice. He is kind, professional, and innovative. He had a wide variety of exercises tailored both to my needs and my future career goals as a firefighter. He really took the time to assess the injury as well as listen to what I wanted and come up with a program that was the perfect fit for me. I also worked with PT Aids Jasmine and Cal, who were both such a delight to rehab with. They made my exercises fun and created a warm and inviting environment. I would highly recommend Bill Erb DPT and the entire Long Beach Southland Physical Therapy office to anyone with Physical Therapy/Rehab needs. Thank you all so much!

At the age of 42, and my continuous experience of injuries from downhill mountain biking, I learned to limit my expectations for recovery time. Before my shoulder surgery in April, I was concerned about missing a big part of the summer season. I was able to pre-schedule my first post-op PT session right after the Surgery. I had the surgery on Friday, and on the following Monday Dr. Ryan started working on my rehab. My shoulder was very swollen and bruised, but using a variety of techniques, like taping, laser and heat, it healed quickly. The surgeon was impressed too in the follow up meeting.

Dr. Ryan also targeted the rehab plan for my sport, and instead of just focusing on strength and range of motion, the continuously evolving exercise routines involved control, balance, stability and precision. In less than 2 month I felt fully confident on the biggest jumps in the bike park. I originally thought it would take all summer to get there. The training staff is excellent too, energetic and very motivating – Thank you Anna! The scheduling staff were always able to assist in scheduling conflicts, and took complete care of dealing with the insurance – Thank you Shena!

Hello! I am a high school cross country and track & field runner and have been competing since the age of 12. Running every day 6 times a week for a developing body can create a lot of wear and tear, and it wasn’t until sophomore year that I started getting hip problems. As soon as I noticed the sharp pain in my right hip, Southland Physical Therapy helped assist me in a quick and easy recovery. Dr. Thomas Dinh, also known as Dr. T, is the absolute best when it comes to physical therapy.

In the beginning, he examined my form by watching me stride up and down the hallway; it soon became obvious that my glutes and right TFL muscle were very weak. Throughout my rehab, he created specific training exercises, improved my balance and hip strength to reduce compensations, and strengthened my core for better stability. Everyone in the Southland PT family has shown nothing but kindness, and every appointment is fun and enjoyable. As each week progressed, I got healthier and healthier to the point of feeling no pain at all.

When the cross country season started my junior year, I was finally able to run without pain, and my times dramatically improved throughout the season. Without the help of Dr. T, I wouldn’t have been able to compete in the CIF State Championship, and I am so grateful for his guidance through my journey of recovery! I highly recommend anyone who is in need of muscle therapy, and I mean anyone. Dr. T originally helped my grandma after her hip surgery, and that was what inspired me to get help. Everyone at Southland Physical Therapy genuinely cares about you and your road to recovery.

I am a very active person and have been an athlete my whole life. My main sport has always been basketball but I have enjoyed distance running for the last three years. As soon as I picked up running, I became committed to improving my performance at distances ranging from the 5K to the marathon. While training for a marathon in 2019, I managed to irritate my high hamstring. After running the marathon, the high hamstring injury flared up and caused pain in my hip.

I am very “on top” of taking care of my body so I did what I needed to do at the time – take time off from running, and work on mobility and strengthening of the hamstring and hip. I had a couple of failed starts with running after trying to treat the issue on my own. Slight irritation in the hip turned into pain and a general sense of my whole hip feeling off. I sought help from a physical therapist who helped me improve slightly and sent me on my way. I would eventually find myself in physical therapy again only to make slight improvements and eventually be in discomfort again. Over the course of 10 months, I saw three physical therapists without making any lasting improvements. Towards the end, my hip was extremely uncomfortable. I could not run for a minute without my hip locking up. I feared that I had soft tissue damage that would need to be repaired with surgery. After spending time and money on physical therapy that did not work, I thought that had to be the issue! I actually scheduled an MRI and was prepared to face the potential reality of a torn ligament. As much as I did not want to admit it to myself, I had thoughts that I would never run again.

I contacted Southland PT as my “hail mary” before getting an MRI. They said SPT would evaluate me and let me know if an MRI was a good idea. I can’t express enough how happy I am that I gave PT a chance with Southland. After my initial evaluation, Jason assured me that my issue was not a torn ligament like I had feared. He identified a couple of weaknesses that were causing me to run in a position that was compromising my hip. We got to work and I immediately felt better! After a few weeks, I was jogging lightly. A few weeks after that, I was able to run for 30 minutes without stopping! I am now back to my normal self, feeling comfortable running with no issues or discomfort! I cannot believe that I thought I would never run again. I am so grateful for Dr. Park and the whole Southland team for their excellent care and knowledge. I can honestly say that I do not know where I would be without them!

In the beginning, he examined my form by watching me stride up and down the hallway; it soon became obvious that my glutes and right TFL muscle were very weak. Throughout my rehab, he created specific training exercises, improved my balance and hip strength to reduce compensations, and strengthened my core for better stability. Everyone in the Southland PT family has shown nothing but kindness, and every appointment is fun and enjoyable. As each week progressed, I got healthier and healthier to the point of feeling no pain at all.

When the cross country season started my junior year, I was finally able to run without pain, and my times dramatically improved throughout the season. Without the help of Dr. T, I wouldn’t have been able to compete in the CIF State Championship, and I am so grateful for his guidance through my journey of recovery! I highly recommend anyone who is in need of muscle therapy, and I mean anyone. Dr. T originally helped my grandma after her hip surgery, and that was what inspired me to get help. Everyone at Southland Physical Therapy genuinely cares about you and your road to recovery.

I am a runner in my mid 40’s with a goal of completing 50 marathons by age 50. Over the summer I developed ankle pain that my physician thought was a high ankle sprain that could set me back for months. It was painful to walk and drive a car. I asked for a referral for physical therapy. I explained my injury and my goal to Duncan, including my upcoming race schedule. Duncan was able to provide me with exercises to take home as well as maximize my appointments. I was pain-free after a few sessions and was fortunate enough to continue my training. I have completed four marathons in the two months since I finished physical therapy and was even able to achieve a Boston qualifying time. I would not have been able to do this without Southland Physical Therapy and Duncan’s assessment and instruction. I do not hesitate to refer this facility.

I’m a 46 year old life long surfer, skateboarder, snowboarder, as well as an award winning, internationally published professional photographer, and I have most certainly accumulated a lengthy list of injuries over the decades of doing the things I love.

Some of my injuries are small, some are extraordinary. I have serious back and spinal issues. The reason I initially went in to see Dr. Q was to help me strengthen my core as well as to help me reach my physical goals. One goal in particular, would be to start surfing again after ten years of not doing so. With her help, I reached this humungous goal. Not one other PT was able to get me far enough to reach this ridiculous goal of mine. She took the challenge head on and together we succeeded. For this I will be forever grateful.

Over the years, after numerous surgeries, and in my quest to finding better long term health, I have been to a number of different Physical Therapy facilities, and non of them have even come close to doing what Dr. Q, at Southland Physical Therapy has done for me.

Her tremendous amount of knowledge in her field, as well as her willingness to do things a little outside the box, are in my opinion what make her an amazing and one of the best PT’s around.

The main thing that really kept me excited and moving forward, was the fact she always had some type of new exercise to physically as well as mentally challenge me. Not just your standard stuff, but things that took concentration and focus to excel at. This getting me in better shape and helping me have a more complete and successful physical recovery.

The day I walked into Southland PT in Long Beach, Ca, was the day my life and health turned a positive corner and changed for the better. Thank you Dr. Q and the SPT Crew.

P.S. On a side not, PT therapists and aids Maki, Lili, Seth and Danielle are all amazing as well and I want to thank them too.

I began working with Southland PT, Long Beach in March, 2016 (specifically Dr. Q). As of May, 2014 I had already been dealing with my stage IV cancer; 4 radiation treatments, 3 cryoablation procedures, 3 surgeries, countless appointments and bloodwork.

When I came to Southland PT I was extremely fatigued, could no longer drive, could not turn my neck or back, could not do any physical activities, I had chronic pain, could not groom myself in under 2 hours or even put on shoes and pants.

The amazing Dr. Q. set up a game plan for me. My main goal was to be able to become mobile again which would allow me to hopefully complete all the above I currently couldn’t do for myself. I was also given specific stretches to work on at home. I can’t express how they helped. At times I would be at home and could hardly move but I would start the stretches and my body would start to respond. We set a goal that by the time I went to Mammoth with my family in June, 2016 I would be able to do light physical activities, groom myself and feel stronger.

Long story short, come June, 2016 when I went to Mammoth and was able to do things like cook, groom myself on my own and even walk up stairs again. I kayaked and got in and out on my own. I was also able to ride a horse, something I thought would never happen again. I clearly exceeded my goals and was able to start cutting back on appointments. They helped me to relieve the majority of my pains. Being able to spend quality time again with my family and knock items off our bucket list has meant the world to us.

Fast forward to September 25, 2016, my lungs collapsed due to a bad reaction to an outpatient procedure where they removed tumors from my airways. I died for 20 minutes. I was then brought back and put in an induced coma. Statistically my family and friends were told to bring people by to say goodbye and they did. On the 5th day of intubation they slowly woke me and made the attempt to take me off the machine.

I swear on my life I am only here because of the love, support and how strong my body became while working with Southland PT, Long Beach. Because my body got back to a place of strength and working for itself again, it was able to fight and beat the statistics and I made it off the machine.

Once awake, I could not use my hands, walk or even sit up and had 17 rounds of radiation on my airways.

December, 2016 I was able to come back to Southland PT, Long Beach. I came back at first using a walker, then using a cane. I was back to not being able to groom myself, drive or do simplest of tasks around the house. However, it is now February, 2016 and in a short two months of being back to PT I am now driving again and walking on my own. I am also hitting new endurance goals, albeit slowly, but as they have told me, this is a marathon and not a sprint.

I am so thankful for Southland PT, Long Beach for getting me strong enough for my body to fight and beat the odds of death and now for getting me strong again so I can continue to check more items off our bucket list.

Southland PT, Long Beach are thorough, caring, patient, attentive, encouraging and professional who always provide the time to listen and respond to all of my questions/concerns. They explain what is going on in your body which helps me understand the ups and downs it takes.

The front office staff is always courteous. The professional atmosphere, cleanliness and attentiveness of the staff I have come in contact with is a wonderful experience.

I had been dealing with a series of health challenges which led to chronic pain in my hip and knee. At one point in 2013, I was seriously considering knee surgery to alleviate the pain, even though the chances of success were slim. My G.P. suggested I see a physical therapist. My assumption had been that physical therapy was for people who had suffered an injury or accident, or who were recovering from surgery. I didn’t realize that it could benefit people who were dealing with the normal aches and pains associated with getting older.

So in September of 2015, I made my first appointment with Southland Physical Therapy and met Dr. Lee. What impressed me most was when he said “my goal is to get you feeling good enough so that you never have to come back.” In my experience, it is rare for a doctor to say something like that. After a few weeks of treatment, I began to notice a significant lessening in my pain level and stamina. After a few months of treatment, most days were pain free, and made it possible for me to do all of the things I love to do, like taking my grandchildren to Knott’s Berry Farm or riding a bike with my husband. I am so grateful to Dr. Lee and all of the staff at Southland Physical Therapy. Everyone is so patient and kind. They are partners in my healing process, and that relationship is empowering.

My name is Ariel and I have suffered from a TMJ disorder for most of my life. 15 years ago I underwent surgery to correct some of the issues, and while it resulted in some alleviated symptoms it did not help improve my quality of life as significantly as I wanted it to. I spent the next decade coming to terms with the fact that sometimes my jaw would hurt when I tried to speak or eat, and that feeling of panic when it locked up so bad that opening was too difficult was okay.

Come 2022 I was discussing my TMJ with my doctor as part of a regular check up and he asked if I had ever tried to do PT to alleviate the symptoms. I was lucky enough to be willing to give it a try and signed up to see Dr. Andrew Hodge at Southland. When I used to think about PT I used to think about back pain, or knee issues, or carpal tunnel. I never actually thought that PTs would be able to also work on my TMJ – turns out I was wrong! Dr. Hodge was able to very directly determine what was wrong with my jaw and put together a plan for me to work through to alleviate or remove most of the symptoms. He also expertly manipulated my joint at every session in order to improve its overall functioning and further my plan.

The work I did in our sessions and at home resulted in a massive improvement in my quality of life after just a few weeks, and after keeping up with it for a few months it continued getting better. Pain is gone completely, mobility is vastly improved, and I feel equipped to deal with any future complications by continuing to do my exercises to maintain mobility and strength. I also know I have a resource in Dr. Hodge that is available to me if I have any future flare ups. It definitely beat having to get surgery again!

I am very thankful that I got to deal with this problem through PT!