Long before I became a medical doctor, I had the privilege of studying under Diane Waye in 2011, and her mentorship has left a lasting mark on my personal and professional journey. Over the years, I've trained in a wide range of therapeutic modalities--including yoga, PNF stretching, Graston, acupuncture, massage, chiropractic, and physical therapy--and completed clinical rotations in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and Orthopedic Surgery as a physician. I've even now learned the principles of Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy. Yet nothing has shaped my understanding of human movement, joint function, and corrective exercise as profoundly as Active Isolated Stretching (AIS). Diane's instruction in AIS remains one of the most valuable tools I use--for my patients, my clients, and myself. Her insight, clarity, and generosity as a teacher continue to influence my approach to healing and performance to this day. read more

Diane gave me pliability, helped me cure a shoulder impingement, and gave me more shoulder mobility helping me surf better. Thanks Diane!

I have been working with Diane since 2015 as part of my recovery from an ischemic stroke I had two years prior, at the age of 29. While I have recovered to the point that most can't tell anything had ever happened, Diane has continued to help me work on and improve the physical remnants that I still experience. Multiple doctors had told me recovery would plateau and essentially stop at the "5 year mark" after the stroke. But here I am going on 8 years after the event and I still see and feel improvements when working with Diane. Diane has an incredible ability to just watch me walk and know what stretching and strengthening my body needs that day. She has also educated me and helped me with good practices for my overall health, not just in relation to the stroke. This ability of hers has not waned despite the fact that we have to have our sessions virtually these days. She can still spot the most subtle of signs that enable her to guide me in the exercises and stretches my body needs without even being in the same room. Not only is her knowledge of anatomy and physiology extensive, she genuinely cares about her clients and their well being. Whatever the source of your physical ailments, you will be in excellent hands. I honestly cannot recommend her enough. read more

Diane's presentation and the group movement she led was very specific to our needs! She even requested a video call with me in advance so she could customize the movements & body-preserving strategies to our unique work environment situation. read more

Hello Fellow Yelpers! I have been actively seeking relief from back and neck pain for several years. I recently found Diane Waye and want to strongly recommend her services. Diane is a certified therapist and can help with anything from back pain to headaches to increasing overall flexibility. While massage therapy is nice, I think this form of therapy is much more effective for the healing process. It really increases flexibility and strength. Another great thing is that Diane offers a free 15 minute session to introduce you to the techniques. Overall highly recommended, you can check out here website here: http://dianewaye.com/default.aspx Enjoy! read more

Stretching By the Bay - Physical Therapy Near Me

I've been stretching with Diane for the past several months, and have seen some real improvements. Diane helped me with my walking stride which resulted in reducing the inflammation of my right knee. I also attended her recent online Hips & Hearts partners session. It was a blast. Not only is Diane an expert in her area, but she is a truly kind, fun person to workout with. read more

As a licensed neuromuscular therapist and professional ballet dancer, Diane has greatly impacted my life through her teachings of AIS. I would recommend to anyone looking to take care of their body, and or learn how to better take care of others to experience the beauty of Diane and AIS. I feel empowered by her recent four day seminar for licensed professionals to take these tools and integrate them into my own practice. read more

I've been working with Diane for more than six months now to help realize two goals: 1) to be able to run even with an old ACL injury, without pain or further injury 2) to improve my posture and relax my extremely rigid muscles. More than to seek a service for pain relief, I wanted to learn and empower myself to manage my own body for the long run. In Diane, I have found an incredibly knowledgable and devoted teacher. Her knowledge of the human musculature runs deep and her practice shows that she is attuned to how each muscle behaves. Every person's body reacts differently to tension and she adjusts the stretch accordingly. From there, she guides you on how you can achieve the same result on your own. It's not a massage. Think of it more as learning physical therapy. You're here to learn to learn how your body works, how it responds to pain, and how it responds to being relaxed/stretched properly. The truth is, to stretch your muscles, you have to contract the opposing muscles--and that means you have to work it to get there. Because of the shelter-in-place, I've been doing virtual sessions with Diane, and that's continued to be helpful for me. She's good at assessing your form through the video; it's easy to follow her instructions through the video to perform the stretch on your own. Even if you're not doing it 100% perfectly, it's still effective. I've taught my partner what I'd learned from Diane, and even though this is secondhand learning, they too have found it helpful. We stretch together regularly now. read more

I visited Diane after my massage therapist recommended that I start a program of Active Isolated Stretching (AIS). I was recovering from a bad case of sciatica that had all but completely halted both my professional life and my social life for about two months. I had experienced significant improvement with neuro kinetic therapy, but my affected leg still lacked flexibility and experienced occasional flare-ups of pain. I was concerned that without continued improvement my condition might quickly deteriorate again. Diane set up a stretching program for my legs and lower back. Even after the first session I could feel that my flexibility was substantially improved, and within the first week my general discomfort declined significantly. The AIS program that she developed for me has been much more effective in increasing my flexibility and reducing my pain than the static stretches that my doctor/physical therapist had prescribed. I've continued to improve steadily since seeing Diane (I started about 3-4 months ago). If you are experiencing sciatica and/or lower back pain, I would definitely recommend giving Diane a try. read more

I've had this left hip pain for at least 5 years if not longer that I could not get rid off and was resigned to just have it for the rest of my life. Not chiropractic, not Chinese medicine, not rolling, nor theragun'ing helped. But Diane's personally tailored AIS stretches (and eating less sugar) got rid of it! Diane is a freakin' miracle worker! Mind you, however, these stretches are not for sissies. You really have to put in the work but it's sooo worth it. Also, her YouTube channel is an undiscovered gem. I'm so so grateful for Diane. I get to be more present for my family (especially my toddler) because I'm not in constant pain. I'm surprised AIS is not a household name. With how much we sit and work in front of the computer and are on our smart phones, we NEED these stretches! Like she said, stretching is/should be like brushing one's teeth. I appreciate you, Diane. You are brilliant! You're a MASTER! read more

Diane has completely changed the way I think about stretching and flexibility. As a lifelong competitive runner, I thought I might be beyond help when it came to basic skills like touching my toes. After feeling the threat of injury in several gym flexibility classes, I went to Diane to get an evaluation and training plan for self care. She spent so much time sharing her knowledge of AIS, I know it's a skill that will help me in all my athletic endeavors (and in living a pain-free life generally). After our first session, she had me not only touching my toes - but touching the FLOOR! I couldn't believe it. I haven't been able to do that since before I started distance running in 7th grade. I can't wait to see what progress I can make months down the road. read more

AIS really has worked wonders for me. Diane has helped me out many, many times with my crazy snow boarding or trapeze injuries. She also really helped out my mom who wasn't having any luck with the physical therapy the doctors prescribed for her knee. AND...my roommate was amazed when she was able to fix things his chiropractor couldn't fix. She's very centrally located and easy to get to on BART or MUNI. read more

A long while ago, a friend told me that Diane needed a new website, which I knew I could help with. What i didn't know was that Diane would soon engage me in the most wonderful conversation about health, stretching, strength and about my body and how to keep it in top shape. Since then I've had the joy and delight to see my posture improve and the pain in my body clear away faster with Diane than with any chiropractor or massage therapist. It is obvious that Diane cares a lot about people and their health, and will do whatever it takes to have you loving your body without the pains and aches that you once believed would never go away. Call Diane and have a conversation with her about how you feel in your body. The response will be well worth the few minutes of your time! read more

I met with Diane clear that I had no issues save those easily solved with my regular workout. However, one session with Diane and I instantly felt better sitting and standing. And a few hours later, my wife noticed the moment she met me that I was taller and straighter. Thank you Diane. read more

I had a session with Diane for posture/walking issues and she was great. She has a sunny disposition and a great positive attitude - loved working with her. read more

When I finished my first session with Diane, I remarked to her, "I feel liberated" insofar as my range of motion increased dramatically. The second session, I remarked, "does this give you some kind of endorphin rush?" I don't really know the science behind what she does--or stretching in general for that matter--but it's hard to argue with results. I feel more limber on runs and bike rides, my run times are better, and my body just feels more robust and nimble. In short, I highly recommend her. The service is simple: stop by one of Diane's offices for an hour or an hour-and-a-half long session. Wear your workout clothes. Give her a broad outline of your goals (or don't, she can help you there too). She walks you through several stretches, teaching you along the way. I think one session is not enough. After about 5 sessions, I think you have a good grasp of how it works. You could do Diane every week if you wanted, and I don't think you'd stop learning. She also does some stretches that you can't replicate on yourself. If I had a choice between a 60 minute massage and 60 minutes with Diane, I'd go with Diane hands down. Her techniques are effective. My hamstrings had been unusually tight; now they are more limber. Indeed, my whole "posterior chain" (a word I learned with Diane), which is all the muscles leading from the back of your calf up to your lower back, had a low range of motion. Bending down to touch my toes was not without some difficulty. That has changed, too. One of the huge benefits is that she actually teaches you what she is doing. She empowers you, which is a stark contrast with other professionals in this same area. So I don't need Diane every time I stretch--though she does some really intense stuff that I can't do and that really gets me good--I can do it on my own. My vocabulary is increased, so I can talk about problems more easily to trainers and doctors. Bottom line is that she's developed a skill in me so I am self sufficient. Being limber and flexible has helped me in ways I couldn't have imagined. I feel healthier. I feel stronger. In turn, those two help my confidence and self esteem. So In short, she's really made a difference in my life. A quick word about me. I'm a mid-thirties male who actively runs, bikes, swims, weightlifts and cross-trains. I had never really stretched before Diane and didn't know anything about it. I had some problems on longer runs: my left knee started to hurt. For these reasons, I sought out a stretching professional and am glad I did. read more

Diane is AMAZING! I just got out of a session with her and I feel fantastic. I refer many of my patients to her (I'm a chiropractor) and I consistently hear very positive feedback. I am actually considering making a visit to Diane a mandatory part of my care plans. Hardly anyone knows what Active Isolated Stretching is and how when they are thinking "maybe I need a massage" what they REALLY need is some AIS. If you are tight and hurting (and not holding chiropractic adjustments very well) then you need to see Diane. P.s. She also gets tremendous results with competitive and highly trained athletes. read more

After my first marathon, I struggled for few months with a bad hip injury. I visited doctors, chiropractors, PTs to get help. My pain usually got better after these visits but then it would eventually come back. Feeling desperate about not being able to run, I decided to visit Diane. The week before I visited her, I was in really bad hip and back pain and taking about 8 Ibuprofen Pills a day. The first session consisted of 2 hours of assisted stretching and during that very first session my pain was for the most part gone. Diane stretched muscles that I never even felt before. She is really great at what she does. I saw Diane for about 5 sessions and she taught me a series of stretching routines that I could do on my own. Now, almost 3 months later, I still feel great and I am training for my second marathon pain free! I still religiously do all the stretching exercises that she gave me. read more

Diane has always been my go-to person when it comes to injuries. Her nuanced understanding of the body's structure, musculature, and overall movement always put me at ease. Her techniques are effective and empower me to take my health into my own hands. After a diagnosis of arthritis in a toe joint, she gave me exercises to regain mobility and stave off future problems. It is been similar with any other aging and repetitive strain issue I've had. Diane gives solid information, hands-on work, and specific exercises that yield clear results. read more

I remember one of my first sessions with Diane. I'm a B-boy (breakdancer to the lay person) and a rather large one at that. My legs and hips can be perpetually tight. Diane systematically opened up my body in a specific order that had my legs feeling loose and my entire stature integrated into one solid piece. That night I went out to catch some wreck at a fellow dancer's birthday party being held at SOM Bar in the Mission...Thanks to Diane I felt light as a feather and so nimble I was practically flying. People went nuts! Power moves have never felt so effortless as after a session with Diane. She really got me into my body in a way I have never felt before. read more

Still getting treatments from Diane every couple of months. She really has changed my life. Funny how when your back stops hurting, life seems rosier. I see her for tune-ups. Remarkable. read more

AIS has been an eye opener for me. Before I went to see Diane I was doing regular static stretches, but may have done myself more harm than good by using too much force. On recommendation of my chiropractor I went to Diane for my plantar fasciitis and chronic lower back pain. In a few week, the plantar fasciitis was completely gone and my back is already doing much better. On top of this, the sessions with Diane are very enjoyable. read more

Diane has been a miracle worker. I could barely sit or stand at work from a sharp pain in my lower back. I found her through Yelp reviews and she was able to schedule an appointment for that evening. She is very thorough in her examination and very helpful in providing information to change your patterns of walking, moving, sitting, and standing. I learned so much from spending time with her. I am very grateful for her services. I would highly recommend Diane if you are seeking an alternative to chiropractors, medications etc and looking for an overall total body approach to changing your situation. read more

Diane is an incredibly sweet, generous person and practitioner. I went to Diane, because I had a sudden and very severe onset of plantar faciitis (the inflammation of the tissue on the heel of the foot that usually lasts 6 months - 1 year.) As a performer, dancer, yogini, runner, etc. I was desperate to do anything that would help me heal quickly from my immobilizing plantar faciitis. Diane had me stop doing some of the stretches the podiatrist taught me, and instead trained me to do the AIS. It took a couple of weeks, but I felt a difference with her stretching regimen. After a couple of months, (combined with acupuncture, an anti-inflammatory diet, and feet-friendly exercising, (swimming, elliptical, core work,) I felt even more helped by Diane's work with me. Six months later, I haven't noticed any pain. I plan to continue to use the AIS method of stretching in the future... All in all, Diane is very friendly, and at times in a casual way...I'm a native New Yorker so this was at first a little jarring. However, she is just very giving of her self, time, care, and knowledge, which are all great things. She also has a sense of humor, and it was great to be able to work with someone who knew her stuff and was clearly passionate about helping me. read more

I am recovering from knee surgery. I ran into her handing out flyers in my neighborhood while I was hobbling around on crutches. I'd never heard of A.I.S. but maintained a rigorous stretching routine until my injury. Diane has helped me regain my flexibility and range of motion. And she's helping me learn to walk again after I was immobilized for 6 weeks. I highly recommend her. She's a pro. read more

Diane is a true healer, from my 1st visit I knew I made the right decision to see her. Each session we focused on deepening the stretches, increasing flexibility and control and getting to know more about the anatomy which helps unwind tightness built over 15 years of sitting at a desk. She also gave me a great at-home routine which allows me to maintain the flexibility we gain in each session on my own. Beyond that she cares, I've gotten follow up texts to see how im feeling after a long flight, and emails and calls to educate me further on my body and how to be better. I cant recommend or thank Diane enough. read more

Several years ago I was referred to Diane Waye by a friend who had positive results from using the AIS method taught by Diane. I had not gotten satisfactory benefits from previous physical therapy sessions and yoga classes for my stiff, painful joints, lower back and weak ankles so I decided to invest in a series of Diane's treatments.   Since becoming her client, I have noticed greater flexibility, mobility and less pain. She has helped me with my posture, body awareness and breathing. I'm grateful for the personalized program she designed for my lower back, legs, arthritic knees and feet. I find her manner to be friendly, sincere, gentle, patient and caring and highly recommend her services. read more

Diane Waye of Stretching by the Bay helped me resolve my hip pain in a just a few hands-on assisted sessions, plus a four self-care exercises that she taught me to do on my own. Now she advises me on my exercise program so I can get great results working out without injury. She's a bit of a wizard at what she does! Her stretching is painless and effective - it actually feels good! Just you take your car to skilled mechanic, I recommend seeing Diane to keep your body tuned up. read more

Diane Waye is by far the best sports therapist that I've ever been too! Before my friend recommended her to me, I was just going in to massage centers to get deep tissue massages on my legs. That worked only for a little while, however I found a lot of my running injuries to resurface within a couple of weeks again (I run competitively). Since seeing Diane, she has been teaching me the art of Active Isolated Stretching, and it has been working phenomenaly for me! In my first visit, she eliminated my IT Band injury that I was dealing with and taught me stretches to keep it away. On my next visit, she fixed a runner's knee injury, and taught me stretches on how to deal with that. Not only are her teachings keeping me injury free, but they've made my workouts better thus far into my marathon training. I feel like I'm so much more loose now, and it's been showing in my workouts! Bottom line is that Diane has been great! I will continue to see her once a month like I have been doing, and I would recommend her to anyone who is having any muscle injuries in their feet or their legs.... read more

Diane is nothing short of a miracle worker. 9 months ago I injured my toe by simply whacking it against the bathtub when I was taking a shower, 3 weeks later I banged it again against my metal bed frame, and then I dislocated the bone at the tip of my toe sometime after that (I have no idea how). This last 9 months has been a long journey of healing and trying to find ways to help my toe to heal. It has been a painful and disheartening process. I have been practically bed ridden since the injury, and been given the protocol "RICE" rest, ice, compression and elevation. When I saw Diane last night she said "RICE" is so 2000, now we have 'MICE" - which replaces the rest part with movement. Why doesn't anyone know that?!!! No one I have seen has integrated movement specifically into my healing process. I went to see a physical therapist last week and he consulted with my podiatrist and decided, without ever looking at my toe, that I am not a candidate for physical therapy because my injury is too simple. My podiatrist had really wanted me to see a physical therapist, so after the PT told me that he couldn't help me, I decided I had to go see Diane and see what she thought and if she could help me. Well, she immediately began assessing my toes range of motion and then she showed me a series of stretches for my toes that would stretch and move them and help the joint in my injured toe to gain more of a full range of motion, as well as stretch the scar tissue that is keeping my toe from moving fully. Diane taught me and my partner (who I brought with me) how to do the stretches on my toes through manual manipulation, and invited us to video her with an iPhone as she went through the whole instruction process and showed us exactly what to do, so we now have a take home instructional video specifically designed for my situation. Wow!!!! I am blown away!!! All this time I have been told again and again from various people that there's not much they can do to help toes, and Diane instantly knew what to do to help me! I am convinced that if I had seen Diane when I first injured myself my whole experience would have been different and I would have been doing stretches while my toe healed and the scar tissue would not have bound my toe up the way it has now. Diane also worked on my 67 year old mom who has had a painful back injury. She injured her back 7 years ago and went and saw 2 physical therapists who handled her so poorly and caused her more pain so that she doesn't want to go back to physical therapy ever again. She had pretty much given up on being able to get help. She has spent the last month suffering with painful back spasms. Diane gently guided my mom through a series of stretches and movements that my mom didn't think she could do, and with Diane's extraordinary soft touch and gentle encouragement, my mom made progress with her back that she didn't think was possible! Wow again!!! Because of the work with Diane she feels much more confident that she can do exercises that will truly help her back and feels confidence and optimism about her healing that she didn't feel before. We are both believers. Diane brings extraordinary skill and a deep understanding of the body that needs to be integrated into the medical establishment I would say you can't afford not to see Diane! I have been searching for help for 9 months and am so grateful that at least I found her now. I feel hope again. Like I could walk again, dance again, live a life again. For real. And I was starting to feel more and more concerned that I wasn't. Now I have a plan of action and I can take steps every day towards my healing with the help and guidance Diane has given me. Thank you Diane! read more

Three sessions with Diane was more effective in improving my posture than 10 sessions with a rolfer. She is the best!

I was really fortunate to find Diane and her expertise in Active Isolated Stretching. Not only is she a doll, but her method was effective and I left the session feeling great! I was having problems with mobility in one of my hip flexors and I wanted to find a more advanced way to learn to stretch my body correctly and improve overall flexibility. After just one session, I had regained mobility and throughout the process she helped me realize what I needed to do to stretch correctly. Besides that, she sent me home with a lot of helpful tips to continue the process on my own. Do not hesitate to go see her if your body needs a tune up! She is endorsed by the creator of AIS himself, she has great insight into what the body needs and she is a pleasure to work with! read more

Diane Waye is a healer. Professional, knowledgable and caring. Her work with me erased lower back pain associated with a 20+ year old back injury. I cannot recommend her highly enough. Brilliant! Thank you Diane. read more

I have many back/leg/hip problems and have been to many physical therapists/chiropracters/accupuncturists ... I started going to Diane and find that she is very knowledgeable, warm, understanding, kind, patient, and does a marvellous job. she is very experienced and understands the body and knows how to help it get repaired. She gives you exercises to do at home which help. I can't say I am cured, but she is the only person who I feel helps me. If I could afford to have her 3 times a week I am convinced I would be a new woman. Please give her a try you won't regret it. read more

i discovered diane waye on YELP and have never been so satisfied with a professional before....she is talented ...skilled...and has the unique ability of listening and understanding...i have been helped considerably with sciatica ..the excersizes have been tailored to my particular problems...i highly recommend anyone visiting diane for all problems...i will return with any challenge in the future...hats off to you diane!!!. read more

I have had chronic lower back, butt and sciatica pain for about 8 or 9 years. It has severely limited my activity and altered my life. I have tried acupuncture, traditional physical therapy, chiropractors, massage. I've gone to neurologists, osteopaths, had steroid injections. Not to leave any stone unturned, I even went to a faith healer. All with very limited or no success. I started seeing Diane about 9 months ago. After the first session I was in total pain and could barely walk. But miracles of miracles, after a few days I was almost pain free, something I haven't experienced since I can remember. The treatment lasted about 2 to 3 months in conjunction with doing the home exercises that she assigns. My second session was even better. The benefit lasted about 4 months. And it continues to get better. I can't recommend her techniques enough. She has really helped me and allowed me to function normally again. Thanks, Diane. read more