Bay Area climbing physical therapist recommendation

I live in San Francisco and I’m struggling with a couple hand issues, a pulley injury and also a separate popping issue where my hand goes numb temporarily (no lasting pain though) when climbing. I saw a physical therapist but he didn’t seem to know exactly what was going on and for sure didn’t have climbing experience. Does anyone around here have any good recommendations for a PT that may be able to help me? I got some recommendations from Jared Vagy, but they are all remote PTs who do online consulting and I think it would be much smarter to see someone in person. Any suggestions appreciated.

Check these guys out http://ptrenew.com/. I went to see them after a TFCC injury and was back climbing at my pre-injury level after around 6 months.

Antonio Ting wrote: Check these guys out http://ptrenew.com/. I went to see them after a TFCC injury and was back climbing at my pre-injury level after around 6 months.

Arthur Long at UCSF.
He's also a climber.
https://www.ucsfhealth.org/providers/arthur-long

Kush Khandelwal wrote: Arthur Long at UCSF.
He's also a climber.
https://www.ucsfhealth.org/providers/arthur-long

Thanks for the recommendation. I called them at they are not seeing new patients at this time, but hopefully when all this is over I’ll be able to see him. 

I broke my finger climbing in December, had to have surgery / pins, etc... And I did my physical therapy at Golden Gate Hand Therapy. They were very solid. They said they get a lot of climbers. I don't know if that means they specifically understand climbing injuries... but it might be worth calling them and asking.

Eric Metzgar wrote: I broke my finger climbing in December, had to have surgery / pins, etc... And I did my physical therapy at Golden Gate Hand Therapy. They were very solid. They said they get a lot of climbers. I don't know if that means they specifically understand climbing injuries... but it might be worth calling them and asking.

Hi there OP, did you find a PT that you liked and helped you?  I’m recovering from a climbing shoulder injury on my own right now, but would like to get some help. 

kevin campbell wrote:

Hi there OP, did you find a PT that you liked and helped you?  I’m recovering from a climbing shoulder injury on my own right now, but would like to get some help. 

Unfortunately I didn’t find a great one. I went to GSports in SF but the PT I saw didn’t really seem to have too much experience treating climbing specific synovitis. He basically just had me to hand/finger movements and stretches with bands, and told me not to climb for a while. Didn’t even mention handboarding or barbell finger rolls which seem to be effective for many people. I could’ve just got unlucky with my specific PT, and the condition I was treating. There was signed Tommy Caldwell and Beth Rodin posters in the office which made me hopeful, but I think it’s the founder who is a climber. Unfortunately he wasn’t available for actual appointments though. 

I have also been through a lot of different PTs in both Oakland and San Francisco.
would love to hear if anyone has a good referral also.
im 9months out from ACL surgery and iv been through at least 5 different PTs. All rubbish IMO.
i got as much information from youtube and did all the routines myself at the gym.
it seems like a lot of the PT clinics put tons of money into marketing them selves to athletes. Then they have unskilled staff members who have a few gimmicks to make you feel like you didn’t totally waste an hour of your life.

Buy Dave Macleods book on injures and treatments related to climbing.

If the injury feel serious go to an orthopedic surgeon first to get the all clear that it is not something serious.

Its a sad state of affairs but i really think you need to take control of healing by educating your self. 

I saw one PT in Oakland at a place called Webster Orthopedics (now re-branded to golden state something) and did not love my results. I can not recall that PTs name. It was for my shoulder 30 min apt. Saw a doctor in their practice the week prior. That doc saw xrays and said it looked fine and I had some sort of impingement and to go to PT. The PT kind of gave me wishy washy answers. First saying oh dont climb for a while. Then was like okay you can climb just not that much or that hard. Then gave me a few things to do, 7 days a week. I stopped climbing for 4 months and was on/off with rehab routine. Now back climbing and i can feel just a bit of discomfort when I really search for it rotating my shoulder. Going to try a new PT now. Will hopefully respond here with great results lol. Big thanks to all here though for the advice and references.  

hey guys, i’m a chiropractic student at palmer west who is currently seeing patients in our clinic. I am a avid climber myself and work heavily with rock climbers and rehab dealing with climbing injuries. my email is sethaungstpalmer@gmail.com if anyone is interested. 

Hey there! 

I'm a Physical Therapist that specializes in treating climbers in Oakland CA. I work both in Oakland and in Berkeley at Benchmark Climbing gym. Happy to see anyone that needs. Feel free to email with any questions. My website is www.emilynoept.com 

I’m just going to throw this out there as a physical therapist. If anyone has a hand or wrist injury, go see a certified hand therapist (CHT), majority are typically occupational therapists. I work with a CHT and it doesn’t matter that she is not a climber, this is what she specializes in and is the only area of the body she treats (plus elbows). Physical therapists are trained to treat hand injuries and I have evaluated and treated hand and wrist injuries, but I will always refer patient to the CHT.

That being said, if you have a shoulder injury or whatever else, I’d try to find a PT who climbs ;)

Emily Louise wrote:

Hey there! 

I'm a Physical Therapist that specializes in treating climbers in Oakland CA. I work both in Oakland and in Berkeley at Benchmark Climbing gym. Happy to see anyone that needs. Feel free to email with any questions. My website is www.emilynoept.com 

I just wanted to chime in on the conversation and say that Emily is a great PT for climbers.

I exploded my right middle finger pulley 6 pitches up last June. It was bad: my belayer heard it from 50 feet away. I started working with Emily soon after and was back to climbing full strength in less than 6 months!

she is knowledgeable, professional, kind and fun to work with. She really knows her stuff and understands the specific needs of climbers, since she is one! Really can’t recommend her enough if you are looking for tailored and attentive PT from a climber for a climber!

Emily Louise wrote:

Hey there! 

I'm a Physical Therapist that specializes in treating climbers in Oakland CA. I work both in Oakland and in Berkeley at Benchmark Climbing gym. Happy to see anyone that needs. Feel free to email with any questions. My website is www.emilynoept.com 

I second the recommendation about Emily, she is very knowledgeable about climbing injuries and empathic, being a climber herself. I had an A2 pulley injury four months ago and sought Emily's care immediately. The diagnosis and treatment plan that I have received allowed me to recover faster than I would have ever expected and it has been a pleasure working with her.