Sports Medicine Institute

This is the best place to find knowledgeable massage therapists who understand athletes and their needs. If you want a very deep massage that helps improve your performance, SMI is for you. If you’re a former collegiate athlete and want something as close as possible to your old training room, SMI is for you.
Also Josh is THE best (granted I haven’t tried other massage therapists but I’ve heard they’re all very talented!). They also are open on Saturdays which is convenient if you have a busy life. My favorite is that I can cap off a great massage with a dip in the ice bath.

So far I have an amazing experience with Dr. Jenna, she was working on my shoulder (overuse injury that was painful for about a year) and the results are so far really good. After only 2 massages the pain is about 75% better and I can definitely function much better (I can do push-​ups and core exercises with much less pain).
After having bad experience with chiropractors and PTs before, I am delighted that the ART massage seems to work like a charm.

Have seen Catherine Ryan for Active Release Technique (ART) for a year for hip injury brought on by long distance running. She’s a true expert and spectacular practitioner. She has deep knowledge of athletes’ injuries and needs, having competed at high level herself and having treated dozens if not hundreds of athletes at the highest levels of their sports. Extremely effective at relieving pain and speeding recovery from injury. Plus she’s delightful and pleasant. Highly recommend.

Greg Finney is the reason I come to Smi. As a career athlete I’ve never found a therapist who was as intuitive and strong enough to provide the healing my body needed after running or cycling. Greg comes highly recommended.

I’ve seen Josh for the last 2 weeks for my bum rotator cuff. After 2 hour long massages I’m starting to have more and more range of motion and am able to get back to Barre and normal carrying of things again!
This place is painful, clinician, but super worth it. Best $ you’ll spend for the ‘massage’ they target what your problem areas are, after diagnosing you too.

These guys are great. I met with Greg yesterday and he worked wonders on me. My doctor sent me in for phys. therapy for a deltoid tear. In an hour Greg had me go from a 6 pain point on a 1 to 10 to a 2. He worked wonders and knows his stuff. I highly recommend these guys and am looking forward to my next appointment!

I’ve had an excellent experience at SMI. As a 60 year old I have aches and pains that were never addressed properly. Jenna is a true expert and professional and she is very caring. She has the expertise to really do some deep tissue therapy that I desperately need. I haven’t felt this balanced in years. I have been so pleased with my sessions and I know that my health and body are truly in expert hands.

My husband gets myofascial massages from Greg. Greg is the only person strong enough to really reach the fascia. It’s because of Greg my husband can function in his daily life. Without Greg my husband is in crippling muscular pain.
Greg has changed my husbands life!

I’ve been long distance running for 5+ years and while I use to recover so easily from long races, in the recent year I’ve noticed — my body is aging, not recovering the same AND I’M ONLY 24!
The value of a proper orthopedic massage is beyond words for recovery, getting those aches and pains out and really making you aware of what body part needs taking care of.
My experience with SMI was great. I made an appointment with Phil, who explained to me the true causes associated with pains I had around my body. It was a great example of the knowledge that all staff probably encompasses here.
BEST THING: They take HSA! Whoo-​hooo! I’ll be back. Love that they offer their clients ice baths, although I personally hate sitting in one.
This is the day after my massage after running a full marathon just this past weekend. I no longer walk with a limp.

I recently went to SMI with a knee and ankle injury as a result of running. They were recommended to me for both acupuncture and orthopedic massage by several people I trust very much. I only wish I had not waited so long! Both issues were resolved quickly and professionally. I also have a much better understanding of how to prevent this type of pain/​injury in the future. Colleen was my acupuncturist — caring, communicative and talented. Greg my massage therapist — painful at times, but nothing compared to how my body felt before going in.
I highly recommend SMI to anyone in pain!

I called up because I was having an issue with my foot (when I would exercise) and was able to book an appointment on a Saturday (major plus — since I work during the week) with Phil. He was extremely polite and knowledgeable. He also, would tell me jokes when it got to be really painful. I loved that they followed up to see how I was doing a few days after the massage. I would recommend this place to anyone and I would definitely come back here. Just remember this is not your typical «relaxing» massage… you will be in pain but it’s worth it!

This place is great for treating sports injuries and the therapist (Shannon) who attended to me was really knowledgeable. She was very patient and took the time to listen to the probable cause of the injury before proceeding with the treatment. The orthopedic massage was a bit painful at times, but totally effective. I was feeling a bit sore after the massage, but after a few hours, I felt much much better. The therapist also took time to explain the treatment, answer any questions I had and was very congenial which made the visit very pleasant.
The front office was also quite efficient about organizing the appointment and following up on my condition after the treatment. I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a quick but effective solution to any sports injuries or other orthopedic issues.

Eva is an awesome therapist and this place is a god send. Yes, it hurts like hell, but its totally worth the pain. I’ve dealt with various injuries over the last 5 – 6 years ranging from IT band problems, tight glutes, piriformis from running, cycling and my workouts to tight shoulder and neck from typing on a keyboard. Eva has helped me manage everyone of these injuries. I’ve always returned to my activity level in at most a few sessions, sometimes in just one. Apart from being highly skilled, she is very attentive, friendly and warm. I feel that staff at SMI truly care about my well-​being and recovery.

This is a place for ORTHOPEDIC MASSAGE (***not*** «therapeutic massage» or anything relaxing). It is a place to treat and/​or heal injuries. If you are an athlete, you will probably like this place. This is not a place for a normal massage. (Hence the name «Sports Medicine Institute.»)
I partially tore my Achilles tendon training for the 2012 San Francisco Marathon. After my injury did not heal on its own, I saw an orthopedic surgeon who prescribed topical NSAIDs and tons of physical therapy and various treatments including laser therapy, ultrasound therapy, cortisone phonophoresis, electricity, ice, massage, night splints, etc. But unfortunately, for the next 1.5 years, I was unable to run due to pain in my heel (where it attaches to the Achilles) and was really bummed about it. After exhausting all of my less invasive options, I was on the brink of surgery. Fortunately, I think I have been saved from having to get surgery.
Upon the recommendation of an athlete friend, I booked an appointment with Catherine Ryan, D.C. (FYI, she is «Director Level» therapist, so she is expensive — but worth every penny.) I was warned that the treatment would be painful and I would have bruises afterward. I was told that it would take a few sessions to help me. The session was exactly as described: painful and bruising.
I think the goal was to get the knots and tightness out of my calf that had been there due to my compensating for so long from my original injury so that the muscle would stop pulling on my tendon. Trigger points? I don’t know.
However, following the session, I was immediately able to run again. I felt like this was a miracle. I only regret I did not find this place a year ago. I wasted so much time, money, and frustration with other things that did not work. But I am grateful nonetheless. Time will tell if my injury is truly healed, and I will update my review accordingly. But for now, I am SO INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL.
They do NOT accept insurance, but if you insurance company will cover it, you can get reimbursed.

I went to Jenna — she was very knowledgeable and insightful.
Great at diagnosing my issue and just all around wonderful experience.

Phil is absolutely brilliant. I limped into my first appointment at SMI a week ago after my calf cramped (again) from running. I have been dealing with this injury for most of a year now, and had various physical therapists throw everything from ultrasound to graston to acupuncture at it, with limited success. Nothing seemed to help, and after months of appointments, I finally resigned myself to the treatment no runner wants: rest. Fast forward 4 months, and I was finally starting to get my mileage back up when my calf cramped again. Frustrated, but unwilling to give up running again, I took a friend’s recommendation and booked an appointment with Phil. Four days later, I was able to run again.
I know my calf is still tight, and that I need to be careful about my mileage, better about stretching, and will want to see Phil again to work on it… but I finally feel like I found the fix for this injury. As a long-​time runner who has encountered several overuse injuries over the years, I am very excited about the soft tissue work at SMI and hopeful it will help me keep running.

Worth every second and dollar you invest in yourself at SMI. Intelligent, articulate, professional and excellent people at SMI.

SMI is great. Went to get a look at some IT band issues I was having and saw Mark. He spent an hour solid working on my leg. Before leaving he gave me some stretches and exercises to do — but it was definitely a deep tissue type experience (which is what I was looking for).
2 things to note: 1) cost (not cheap so ask for quote) and 2) availability (mine took a week).

I strained the inner portion of my hip during my bike training which felt like a groin injury. Being athletic and playing sports my entire life, I tried my best to work the strain out myself by using tennis balls, exercises, stretching, etc., but nothing seemed to get deep enough to hit the strained area appropriately. My girlfriend had gone to Greg at SMI previously and recommended that I go see them so I made an appointment with Greg.
Greg was able to fit me in without a problem and was able to deduce which area was truly strained by speaking with me and identifying the movements that caused the pain. He worked on the affected area in just two sessions. Make no mistake, this is not a gentle massage, this is a deep, penetrating therapy that will hit the areas you can’t get to yourself. I highly, highly recommend their services for getting your muscles right again and getting you back to an active state.

I’m a runner, getting back into serious training and was having some knee pain that I wanted to get worked on. I’ve had some experience with body work from a massage therapist who worked with our college team and found that massage was really helpful in staying healthy and working our issues, but this place is at an entirely different level. The people who work here are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. The guy who worked with me was very thorough in trying to understand where my issue was coming from and was very responsive to my feedback. He told me what to expect in the days after the massage, and told me to give him an update on my status in case I come back.
I was really impressed by how focused they were on my individual situation and how much they seemed to care about resolving my issues. This really isn’t a place just trying to get people in and out of their doors; they really are focused on solving problems and providing solutions to people’s needs. It’s not cheap, especially on a grad student salary, but you get what you pay for, I suppose. It was definitely worth it, and I see myself going back soon. Oh, and scheduling was really easy! I got an appointment the day after I called.

You cannot go wrong with Dr. Catherine Ryan .
I am not an active sports person, My injury was due to lifting up a heavy weight combined with too much time on the computer keyboard. Catherine assessed the shoulder injury accurately and within 4 sessions got me back on track. My insurance does not cover for her services. I discussed this upfront and she recommended a schedule for me, which had weekly appointment for the first few weeks till the problem was under control and then a good paced maintenance schedule. She was very honest upfront about not knowing how many back to back appointments I would need, till we had done a couple of sessions (fair enough!). Once she and I started seeing results, she recommend the next schedule. Very refreshing to see her attitude. patient comes first !

I am having pain on the tailbone when I sit. So I called SMI to have a session with Eva. A day after my 30 minute session, my left behind is all red with blue spots. It has been 5 days and it is so sore I still could not sleep on my left side. The extensive bruising indicates the force is so much that blood vessel was damaged. It should not happen if the therapist take care using proper pressure. I told her it was very painful during the session. She said that was how it should be. The pain was so I tense I groaned and had tear in my eyes. Now I feel much worse because in addition to my sit bone, I have a new injury caused by the massage.
I have had many massages and physical therapy sessions in my life. No one has ever done such damage. I email her a photo of the injury. First she said it was normal to have bruising. I told her this is not normal, the massage actually made damages to my body. She then admitted she did not realize it had so much impact on me. She said she would give me a free session to compensate.
Money can not compensate the pain I am having now. I can not lay on my back or on my left side. My old upper back started flaring up because the strain put on my left lower back.
This is my very first Unilocal review. I am really upset!