I'm giving Philip Brown very high marks for what I was able to accomplish through his help. The process I needed to go through to recover from the bone-spurring and osteoarthritic development of my ankle without major surgery was my goal. I've been a distance runner, mostly trail runner, since my cross-country days as a high school runner. I had to finish running and switch to cycling and other forms of exercise back in November 2006 and do my best to recover. I journeyed through many therapies and found two that included a ton of homework. I've been teaching human anatomy and physiology at both graduate and undergraduate levels since 1987 specializing in dissection lab. Perhaps it was my knowledge of anatomy that got in the way at times of seeing so very clearly the relationship of back curvature, postural issues, movement kinesiology and the muscle adhesions of a 50-something that had endured lots of exercise, injury and recovery. The fix for me came in two stages. Learning standing qi gong from Liping Zhu at http://www.qidragon.com as a kind of "test" or metered way of seeing how good I was getting at simply standing with good structure. The second step was all of the homework that Philip Brown gave me as he melted through various muscle adhesions and presented his standard homework techniques that allowed me to learn new movements and arrive at new structural postures. The second step also included Philip Brown's lifetime knowledge of yoga. Philip has been a student and teacher of yoga most of his adult life before switching careers to go into this area of physical therapy. Yoga and tai ji are still on going parts of his life. I took me a year of Philip teaching me how to stand, sit, put new structural curves in my spine, and finally walk without pain. The proof came when I ran 10 miles two years into my practice. For those who stopped reading as soon as I said one year and then spoke of my two year recovery, I have a small clue to share with you. The lower anatomy of a human being has poor circulation compared to the rest of the anatomy. I've shattered my elbow, had it rewired, went through the physical therapy and I have full range of motion with no pain or arthritic development. Chronic injury from the knee on downward gets progressively more difficult to recover from. It's a fact of life. Now at 61 I can go back to all of my activities, but I do have to be very mindful of daily practices of posture, structure while standing, kinesiology of movement and all of the homework lessons. But I get to walk, run, cycle and be fully active. So there's a price and there's benefits. Depends on how much it matters to you, how much you're willing to commit to the work it takes to be truly active and aerobically fit into the latter part of life. I may have caused some people not to try Philip Brown and caused them to seek joint surgery. It takes a part of my day every day to practice movement and posture and self administer massage and stretching. This is how one treats the root of chronic joint injury. BTW, my original review was here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/philip-brown-bodywork-structural-integration-san-francisco#hrid:kZawJbsEa5nSSEvBMOHg9A/src:self I've included pictures at that location. read more

Have you ever gotten a massage because you were in pain, but then left the massage feeling completely relaxed, but still in pain? Well, you haven't tried rolfing. Rolfing is a type of massage in which the therapist works with your connective tissues to help relieve pain and restore balance in your body. Philip is amazing! He's professional, respectful, extremely knowledgeable, empathic and just knows what he's doing. I've gone to Philip a handful of times over the last 5 years, mostly for some acute pain. Most recently, my clumsy a** injured my lower back while stumbling on some stairs. After a few days of trying to stretch it out myself, I finally made an appointment with Philip. He was able to accommodate me that day and now I feel fantastic! In terms of affordability, Philip charges what anyone would pay for a standard massage AND you're getting long-term benefits. Here's what to expect: When you walk into Philip's office, you'll chat with him a bit about what's going on before receiving treatment. He has a warm and cozy room in the back where you will lie down on a massage table fully-clothed. He keeps you completely covered with sheets, except for the part he's working on. Rolfing can be a bit painful, like a deep tissue massage, but you'll walk out feeling like your muscles have finally taken their grip off whatever they were holding on to so tightly. Philip usually recommends a medicated patch (smells like tiger balm) to put over the area after treatment. After every session, I feel more mobile than when I walked in the office and for that, I am grateful. If you have more chronic issues, I would suggest several sessions. read more

Before I went to Phillip for rolfing, I took 1,800 mg Advil for my pain from sciatica which was caused by a herniated disc. Although I still experience discomfort, after a couple of months of treatments I'm taking 400 mg or less of Advil for the pain. read more

I would have to disagree with the person in NY. Philip is actually fairly inexpensive and never hurt me while taking care of my multiple issues. Actually, I realized that Philip is a true healer, extremely knowledgeable and very sensitive to his patients' condition. My condition has tremendously improved since I have been under his care. I can not say the same thing about all the doctors and surgeons I have seen over the last 8 months, to even tell me what is going on with the paralysis taking over my right arm. Philip is the only one who has been able to provide me with a full explanation and bring a great deal in relief with my pain. I can not recommend him enough. read more

Phillip is very professional and knowledgeable. I was interested in his assessment of my posture and curious about rolfing. His suggestions for posture improvement has really been invaluable. I had no idea I was walking around tensing my lower back muscles. I constantly remind myself to relax them now and am feeling a difference in my lower back tightness. He clearly knows what he is doing and I walked out of his office feeling great. I'm looking forward to my next session with him. read more

I just completed the full series of sessions and am so grateful for all of Philip Brown's expert and compassionate care. I was a little apprehensive about rolfing at first, but his gentle approach made me feel completely comfortable. I started feeling the benefits in my walking, posture, and general well-being right away. I credit Philip with getting me on the right track to improving my health and quality of life following some surgerical procedures. I'm quite certain that I will return to him to any other necessary "tune-ups." He's top-notch! read more

Philip is the BEST. Knowledgeable, highly effective, and extremely reasonable rates. If you're in pain don't hesitate to call him.

Philip knows how to cure what is ailing you. He's a great listener and focuses on exactly what needs attention. If you don't have any specific issues, he can provide an overall body treatment which will make you want to schedule another session. He starts every session by looking at your normal standing posture and asking you questions about your current state of health. I always leave his office feeling great! I have been seeing him on and off for over 5 years and I highly recommend him. read more

Ive been going to see Philip for almost 10 years now and he is the best body worker by far that I have ever worked with. He cured my sciatica which I have no pain anymore and have not for a long time and then he cured a strained rotator cuff. His assessment skills are thorough and suggestions extremely effective and valuable. I have sent a lot of friends and family to him and they all came back with the same raves! Also he is VERY reasonable in his rate. read more