Humpty Dumpty is sitting on this wall contemplating all the time, money and energy he wasted being treated by all the kings horses and all the kings men! He is now a very satisfied, and "put back together" client of TCRR. He's visited both of the Round Rock locations and the Austin location and LOVES all three! You will too!
This Testimonial section is here to offer hope to the people who have tried everything they can think of to overcome their pain and haven't been able to.The testimonials you are about to read were written by clients who were/are very happy with the results of the treatment they received at Therapy Central of Round Rock...so much so they chose to share their stories with the rest of the world. Are their results typical of our clients? Yes. Does everyone have the same results? Of course not. As you read through these testimonials you'll find that to be the case. It is prudent to be skeptical of any claims having to do with your body or your health. Please talk at length with the person(s) that referred you to us about their experience at Therapy Central. Can we help you? I believe we can.
Jessica Rightmer has been a patient since 2005. She is a Junior on the Auburn Women's Soccer team - who just won the SEC Championship yesterday against the Florida Gators.
Pic and comments sent to us via Facebook by Charles Rightmer, (proud dad!) Thanks Charles for sharing!
My granddaughter, Mallory Aarhus, came to see you Saturday, 8/14, with a shoulder which has been troubling her for at least a year. You completely cured her! She is so happy to be pain free. What a wonderful gift you have!
I want to thank you for keeping me from getting an operation or shots on my back like the doctors wanted to do. When I came to you I was on Vicodin because the pain was so excruciating I could not stand it. I could barely walk. The MRI showed a herninated L5 with a piece broke off. Your therapy and advice on my physical life style has me feeling like a New Man. I pretty much quit Pepsi...maybe one a week. I lost down to 207 from 228 hope to break [200] someday. I changed what I eat and I run/walk 1 mile at least 4 times a week. My back gets real stiff sometimes after I've sat on the combine all day but I don't have the constant pain I once did.
Thanks for everything!
Alan
Helen Hibbard - RN, (Round Rock, TX.) (Leg Pain)
I just wanted to say THANK YOU, YOU ARE AMAZING!! I'm with Round Rock Fit, trainning to do the Freescale marathon in Feb. My calves and shins got progressively tighter and stiffer as I trained, my ankles started to become so painful that I was about to give up but thought I'd give Therapy Central a try. Susan was the angel that beat the *%$@ out of my legs but the next morning when I got out of bed it was the first time in months that I wasn't stiff and limping in the morning. Thanks again for the great work you do and for giving me the opportunity to continue to work toward my goal of completing the marathon. Susan you're the best!
Faye Dedrick - Software Architect, (Round Rock, TX.) (Hip, Leg pain)
Susan, thanks so much for helping me!!! Just from one visit my right hip is pain-free. I wanted to slap you while you were working on me but I ran in the Cedar Perk 5-miler 2 days after my visit and had no pain whatsoever. What have I done all of these years without you!!!
Thanks again, Faye
Linda Kaiser - Teacher, (San Antonio, Tx.)(Back pain)
Susan, I just wanted to write and say Thank you! I feel SO much better than I did last week! My back is not aching, even in "the spot". I can turn around better to see behind me when driving! I'm even walking differently. It seems more free moving. (I don't know if that makes sense.)
I tried sleeping the way you showed me. Not comfortable. I am reading though with my legs propped. I'll probably try some tennis ball work tonight.
Just wanted to let you know I don't hate you and you DID help me. I'll call for another appt. as soon as my wallet allows! (Your prices are normal. My budgeting skills stink!)
Talk to you soon.
Linda
Julie Wright
I have suffered (and I use the term literally) from cluster headaches for more years than I can remember at this point. I have experienced headaches that I go to sleep with at night and wake up with the following morning for an interval of weeks, sometimes months, with no relief. With a profession that is persistently demanding and often requires an immediate reaction approach along with sharp analytical skills, the headaches have been no less than a life challenge. Even without the job, the headaches would have been a life challenge.
Ironically, even after being referred to Ken by my own husband, who had been referred to Ken by a good friend (who happens to be a Baptist minister) for treatment of our son's back pain, I was still skeptical. Can't get more reliable sources than that. but, even after acknowledging the immediate and continuous results of our son's athletic ability after only two treatments by Ken, I still maintained my skepticism. Of course, why wouldn't I remain skeptical after years of being told that "nothing that can be done", or "stop stressing", or better yet, "try this drug, or this drug, or both these drugs together".. you simply learn to live with it because you think you have no choice. At one point, years ago, I was so drugged out on anti-depressants (as a "cure") that I had to literally think about simple, every day tasks before I could complete them; I'm talking as simple as brushing my teeth or signing my own name.
Funny thing is , you always continue to look for that one miracle that will take away all the pain, so you try anything and everything with the hope of possibly returning to a life of normalcy.
Well, I finally found my miracle; I have been receiving treatment from Ken for a few months now and life is good once again. Yeah, it hurts - but the relief you receive from a few days of discomfort is a very worthy trade. One thing I truly appreciate about Ken, is the time he takes to explain and work with you. it all makes sense now and it all ties in; the treatments, posture, breathing, sleeping.., Ken works with you until you understand and the great thing is, you learn to help yourself. With every treatment, I find an increased level of energy, focus, flexibility, and an overall sense of well-being, so even though my headaches have subsided to an almost non-existent frequency and level of pain, I am committed to continuing treatment and self-help. I would recommend the treatment to anyone who has experienced migraine suffering and would most definitely assure positive results.
Julie Wright, Program Analyst/Manager
David Matranga - Houston Astros/Los Angeles Angels/Sports Agent
I just would like to thank the staff at Therapy Central for helping to take my career to the next level. Having muscles that are loose and flexible has made a huge difference in my performance on the field and has...
... also helped to keep me in the lineup. Injuries can kill a player's career and I have no doubt that without the help I received I would have had some sort of serious injury by now. The way Ken explains it, most therapies treat injuries by trying to strengthen the muscles around the injury and never really fix the problem and therefore the problem never goes away. This happened to me with a quad pull; I injured it towards the end of my 2001 season. We tried everything that we knew how to do to treat it but nothing seemed to work. After taking 2 months off, doing nothing, I started running again and it was still bothering me so I went and saw Ken. With about three treatments my quad was feeling better than ever and I haven't had a problem since then. This type of treatment works, but most trainers, doctors and even massage therapists don't know what it is or how to do it and it's really hard work. Thanks guys.
David Matranga - Houston Astros, 2B
David and Austin getting ready to move to the Phoenix area with Sarah...(in the house cleaning). We're going to miss you guys a lot. David is currently with the Padres organization so keep a lookout for him on TV! Best of luck David!
New Update on David! As of this Spring David has moved on with his carreer and is now a Sports Agent with SRI Sports! If you or anyone you know is in need of an honest, hard working agent that has more integrity than anyone I know please consider working with David. Call the office and we can give you all of his contact information!
Lisa DePaulo - Professional Golfer LPGA
After I finished my Rookie year on the LPGA in 2000 my hip was a mess. I could hardly turn through the ball on follow through and walking 18 holes was a real chore. Walking 4 rounds in a row was getting to be nearly...
... impossible and my golf career was looking bleak. Getting out of a car and trying to stand up from sitting brought on my greatest pain! I worked for a year with a sports trainer on strengthening my hips, abs, and whatever else I needed to strengthen and nothing was working. Finally I was desperate and saw an Orthopedist who promised he could fix me with an injection of cortisone. That was the most painful shot of my life, I was wired for the next 24 hours, followed by pain, and then two whole weeks of relief. Then the pain came back and I was really down in the dumps and didn't know what to do.
I had seen Ken a couple years before but he moved across town and for some reason it seemed like too much of an inconvenience to drive 45 minutes vs. the 30 I used to drive. He looked me over, put a huge ice pack on my back and took a block of ice and proceeded to "Ice massage" my hip. Now there was absolutely Nothing pleasant about this process. After surviving the Ice massage, and my backside clearly frozen, he stuck his fingers, hand, elbow and god knows what else in my hip, back, and I am not sure where else, as I think I was ready to pass out! At one point he got me up on my side and had his thumb or something stuck so far in me that I really didn't know whether to cry, throw up or pass out! It hurt so bad...and Ken would just look at me and say, "You are going to feel so much better you won't believe it! Trust me!"
Well, how can you look at Ken and NOT trust him. So, I believed, did what he said, endured the pain and of course drank about 10 gallons of water the next 48 hours and he was right. I was sore for about two days but the real deep pain was gone! I could sit down and get up and not limp for the first 10 steps! A couple days later I realized I could drive into town and no pain! Then the real test came, playing a round of golf. I played and the next day no pain again! I couldn't believe it, and I was ecstatic. Then I played three days in a row...and no pain again! I had spent almost a full year and easily $2,000, and Ken fixes me in one hour and all it cost was $55 and a bunch of pain for one hour to cure my pain for almost two years now. I can't believe how great he is and I am so thankful that he gave me my quality of life back and more importantly my golf game back! I have won two tournaments and finished second so far in the last 10 months and I believe I still have some competitive golf left in me thanks to Ken! Look out, I may get back on the LPGA Tour again!
Thank you Ken!
Lisa DePaulo, Professional Golfer- Austin, Texas.
(Update…Lisa made the cut at Qualifying School this fall and is now gearing up to compete in the coming LPGA Tour season! Way to go Lisa!)
Lily Swann, GymnastHi!
My name's Lily, and I'm a level 10 gymnast at AcroTex Gymnastics, in Georgetown Texas. I have been training gymnastics since I was 6 years old, and in the ten years of experience from it I know one thing is for sure: you're gonna hurt. The older you get the more you hurt. Like my coaches say, there's no sport that's harder on your body...
... and your mind, its also the sport that takes the most amount of talent.
Getting to the point, without Ken I surely would not have achieved all the goals that I wanted to reach this season, that I trained 25 hours a week for. My back had been hurting me for about two years off and on (but mostly on), and nothing seemed to be making it better. The number of times I went to the doctor, I couldn't say because I lost count. I also attended physical therapy regularly, and had to stay off a lot of my skills in gymnastics. I couldn't compete in my meets. Although the therapy helped, it was nothing compared to what Ken did. Three trips to Ken made my back feel great! (well not during the massage, but after it.) During the massage, well it hurts, but its well worth the hour's pain. I was able to get back to doing my skills and even qualified to the Junior Olympic National Championships. Now, about 3 months later, my back is still feeling better than ever! I can do all my gymnastics skills without pain. It's amazing!
But then right before my national championships I sprained my foot pretty badly. My mom was determined that I could absolutely NOT compete. It was extremely swollen and very off-color. The doctors were sure I had broken it; luckily not, but they thought it absolutely impossible for me to compete at nationals. I was still determined to compete, and didn't want to give up with one doctor's opinion, so my mom took me to another doctor- bad idea. The doctor told me that my foot was severely injured and that I needed to get it casted immediately and keep the cast on for 4 weeks. I didn't like this at all! I called up my coach and asked him what I should do. He said that it was just one doctors opinion, maybe another doctor more specialized in feet would be better to look at it. So I thankfully left the building castless, leaving my mother extremely fretful. She didn't know what to do. She called her friend Ana, and asked her what she thought, because she is a nurse. Ana thought that my mother did the right thing not to caste it, and suggested we go back to Ken.
We hadn't realized he could help with healing sprains too. Later on, I hobbled into Ken's office with the boot that the first doctor had given me on my foot. Just a little over an hour of working on me, I got up, and could not only walk on it with no pain, but I could jump on it with no pain! It was amazing! It even looked better! I went one more time the week of my national championships, and he made it feel even better, and I was able to compete! I was ecstatic! Two days later, I was on the plane for Orlando Florida for the national championships! I had a wonderful time at Orlando, and I owe it all to Ken! Thanks Ken for making all my dreams a reality!
thank you, Lily Swann
Ben Barker- Round Rock, Texas
I had been working for a cabinet maker. We were moving a 200 + lb. cabinet from a garage to his truck. While trying to get it into the back of the truck it started to tilt. I grabbed it and pulled my shoulder. The next stop...
... the doctor's office, cortisone shots only help for a day, maybe two. Several months at a treatment center with very little improvement. Then the insurance money ran out and with no job I just had to grit my teeth and endure the pain. I couldn't lift my right arm past shoulder level. I could not pick any thing up off the floor and put in on a shelf over shoulder height. I couldn't help around the house as much as I wanted.
Carol Ives referred me to Ken. ONE, painful visit, and I had the FULL USE of my right shoulder again. After 2 - 3 years of pain, inconvenience, and unnecessary cost. Ken's one hour of pain, for a lifetime of use of a limb, was worth it. I have been back to Ken several times since for tight muscles, from stress ( you have to know my family). Ken has been a life saver. Thank God for Ken. Thank Carol for Ken, too.
I'll be back, Ken!
Sincerely,
Ben Barker Round Rock, Texas
(Note…Carol Ives is Ken’s mom who used to be his primary referral source! Thanks Mom!)
Bill Poole - Whiteland, Indiana
In 2002, while we were in Colorado, I had hearing loss and ringing, (Tinnitus) in my right ear. I mentioned this to Ken and he grabbed the long muscle in my neck and squeezed it very hard. The pain almost brought me to my...
...knees but I had immediate relief. Ken told me that I could massage the muscle in my neck myself. I occasionally do this and get some relief, but not as much as the first time that Ken worked on my neck.
In 2003, while we were in NY I mentioned that I had wrist/hand pain and this was affecting my golf game and other activities. It hurt to make a fist with my right hand and my fingers and knuckles hurt. Ken firmly grabbed the top long muscle in my forearm. I then made a fist while Ken was pressing very hard on this muscle. At the same time he had me raise my fist up and down. Initially there was extreme pain but the pain slowly subsided and I was able to make a fist and move my fingers without pain. I think it would be great if Ken lived in Indiana. At my age aches and pains are more frequent and I think Ken is a miracle man.
Bill Poole, age 60, Whiteland, Indiana
Harvey Sussman - Austin, Texas
TestimonialOne day I woke up and experienced pain trying to lift my arm above my head. I searched my memory trying to think of when & where I hurt myself. Nothing came to mind. After several weeks of "waiting for it to go away" I went to see an orthopedic surgeon. He diagnosed a "sore shoulder" & gave...
... me several exercises including working against those stretchy rubber things. Nothing improved. My next venture into finding a cure involved a physical therapist. She diagnosed everything wrong with me, starting with my faulty posture. At $100 a visit, it was an expensive & non-fruitful six visits. Then I heard from my daughter's boyfriend about the "pain man"- Ken Moench.
I made an appointment & after the first 5 minutes he diagnosed my problem as a knot in my pectorals. This shortened muscle made my shoulder come forward, which caused rubbing & irritation of rotator cuff muscles every time I moved my arm. Ken dug his fingers into my pec & I almost screamed. After a few minutes of trying to move my arm, it gradually started to loosen up. By the end of the hour, my arm could move without pain, my shoulder returned to its normal position, & my rotator cuff problem was a thing of the past.
After over 6 months of living with the pain & discomfort, I finally found the cure from a man who understands the physics & physiology of how muscles need to be in order to work properly. Since then I have had problems with tennis elbow corrected. Not every session leads to an immediate cure, but staying the course and trial and error always found the real source of the problem. My posture still stinks, but I am now pain free
Harvey Sussman Austin, TX
Julie Burnham - Mom (Round Rock, Texas)
TestimonialSome people claim how well my daughter Amy is doing today is a miracle. I do believe in miracles but I will tell you without a doubt how Amy is doing today is due to the talents and knowledge of the one and only Ken Moench. If you have a competitive athlete as a child our story about Amy may be...
... familiar. However, living and dealing with the experience with Amy was far from familiar but a roller coaster ride of a lifetime. I will begin with telling you that we started seeing Ken in 1996 for our son Ray. We continue to see Ken on a maintenance basis for our daughter Amy. To be able to say a maintenance basis is truly a blessing considering we were seeing him three times a week for a long period of time.
Our daughter Amy turned 12 on June 28, 2003. She is a high level competitive gymnast. Amy has been competing in gymnastics since she was 7. Amy is a very hard worker whosets her goals and pushes herself to achieve them. In the fall of 2001 Amy was competing at level 8.She started to have heel problems that were causing her severe pain and were interfering with her training. We like most parents began addressing the problem from the traditional medical standpoint. We took Amy to her primary doctor then on to several orthopedic doctors. The medical diagnosis was Severs disease. Amy had to take time off training and wear a cast boot for several months. To a competitive gymnast this treatment was devastating. Her heels did not get better.
Amy continued to train and compete in pain. Not only did she have heel pain but, she started having severe lower back pain. I can remember days I would go to the gym topick her up and she would be trying her best to train and she would have the look of complete and severe pain in her eyes. Many days there were tears, which not only broke my heart but made me seriously question whether to allow my daughter to do what she truly loved. Amy was training to compete in level 9 and try for a spot on the TOPS National team in the summer of 2002. The day came when training in pain came to a screeching halt.
The day came when Amy’s body said no more. Ironically Amy was not performing a difficult skill but she actually just bent over and could not stand up. Amy’s back popped and she couldn’t move. She was terrified and her coaches were beside themselves with worry. Her father picked her up and carried her to the car and then carried into the house. I will never forget that day. I was overwhelmed with fear for my daughter’s health. I experienced the spectrum of emotions from fear to guilt and anger. Most of all I just wanted Amy to be free from pain.
I took Amy to her doctor who checked her and took x-rays. I was then sent to an orthopedic back doctor in Austin. This is where the roller coaster ride reached its peak. The orthopedic doctor said that Amy had either multiple fractures in her back or spursfrom old fractures that never healed correctly. He sent Amy to have an MRI and a bonescan. We were told Amy was not to do any gymnastics and he did not even want her in the gym. Once again Amy was stopped from training and had to worry about getting behind or lose progress on skills she was just learning. We received the wonderful results that Amy did not have fractures or bone spurs. However, the doctor wanted to put Amy in a full body back brace to allow her back to heal. This is the turning point of the story.
As Amy’s parents we have to rely on other people to do things for her that we may not be qualified to do. For instance, her teachers educate her, her coaches coach her, and her doctors help her stay healthy. There is a point as a parent where you start to question and you decide you know what is best for your child. Her father and I decided to take her to see Ken before we went through any other medical treatment from her doctors. You have to understand we sought medical advice and put Amy through medical treatment for months that was not helping and not cheap. We knew there had to be another answer.
We took Amy to Ken because we knew first of all that he knew and understood athlete’s bodies. He also knows how to get to the root of the problem. Ken does not just treat the pain but he finds out what is causing the pain and treats both issues. We outlined for Ken the entire situation from start to finish. From the minute Ken understood Amy’s pain and what exactly from her daily workouts could be causing the pain he showed extreme confidence that he could help her. I look back on that day and I realize that it was Ken’s confidence in what he knows and what he does that enabled me to put my child in his care. I ask myself why I didn’t take Amy to Ken first before I took her to the doctor thinking they would help her. The answer to that question is that as a mother I needed to know that she did not have fractures or skeletal problems that would prohibit her from being a gymnast or possibly walking. Once I knew that she didn’t I also knew that Ken was the best person to help her for the long term… not just band aid the immediate pain.
Ken worked on Amy for three days a week for a couple of months. It was only a couple of weeks before she was back in the gym training. Amy’s coaches thought she would have to miss most of her level 9 season, with the hopes she could compete in her last meet to qualify for regionals. Fortunately because of Ken Amy not only competed in her first meet but she was the all around champion in her next meet and made it to regionals too.
I will be honest with you the treatment from Ken is not a walk in the park. It is an ongoing joke that you walk in smiling and walk out crying. With Amy it was not a joke. I sat and watched every treatment holding her hand watching her cry in severe pain. I also got to watch her walk out feeling better and getting better every time she went. Ken also had Amy at 11 years old doing something most adults including myself would never do. Amy had to come home from her treatment and sit in a bathtub full of cold water with 4 or 5 bags of ice on her. This allowed all her muscles to heal at the same time. As I watched Amy sit in this ice bath I realized not only how much guts and determination my sweet child had but, how much she truly loved being a gymnast.
Amy is now training for her level 10 season, and for the first time in a long time she is pain free. She calls Ken her hero and I call him my angel. Needless to say he is very important to us. Ken not only helped my daughter be pain free but he helped her learn about her body and how to listen to it. She continues to make stretching her muscles a priority and we see Ken once or twice a month just to keep Amy’s muscles loose.
When I sat down to write this testimonial I did not realize how painful it would be. I have been in tears off and on had to walk away and compose myself a few times. When I remember how much pain my daughter was in and how hard she fought to be a good gymnast even while in that pain it makes me very sad. I also am forced to realize how close she came to losing the dream she works for every day of becoming an Olympic gymnast. I write this testimonial not only because I believe in and love Ken for what he does but, because I have complete admiration and respect for what Ken did for my daughter and all the athletes that are realizing a dream. My hope from this information is to save other parents from going down a path blinded like we did. Parents want to do the best for their child. Trust someone who has been there you will give your child no better gift than Ken if they have pain from their sport. Ken not only provided Amy with hope he gave her back her flexibility and she is doing better than ever. God Bless you Ken.
Julie Burnham, Mom Round Rock, Texas
Wade Heidmann - Merrill Lynch, (Austin, Texas)
First, I guess I should start by saying that my problems are no worse than most of the patients Ken sees. Nothing more than a couple of on-the-job upper and lower Back injuries, and serious car accidents anyway. I first came to see Ken one recent summer after I was...
...rear-ended in my work truck while on the job; an accident that flared up new and old injuries in my neck and back. Let me assure you that the intensity of the pain was like nothing I had ever experienced before. I spent countless hours in Doctors and Chiropractors waiting rooms and offices to find out that I would spend even more time, and money (loads of money), waiting at the Pharmacy for some 'go home and sleep' prescriptions. Which, I won't lie, sounded pretty good coming from a Doctor, a man with a medical degree. So off I went, to sleep and rest that is, for about four days.
Four days later, and the pain was gone. Just as long as I didn't try to move and kept eating pain killers every couple of hours. This was getting pretty old in my book and my boss and fellow employees were missing me at work. So upon my bosses recommendation and verbal testimonial, I drove out to Round Rock to a little converted home under a shade tree known as Therapy Central of Round Rock to meet the man my boss called the 'The Miracle Man', a.k.a. Ken Moench.
Upon finishing a detailed conversation about my pain and previous injuries, I was skeptical when Ken told me he thought he could help me. I was even more skeptical, but interested, when he told me that he could help me without drugs. So I followed him into his office and hopped up on the table. Now what happened next, I will never forget. PAIN, and lots of it. Not like the pain of getting hit with a baseball bat or stabbed with a knife, but the pain of unused muscles being 're-birthed' back into life and freed from their dormant state, into a state of free movement and mobility. This went on for about an hour; several times I wanted to scream in agony and several times I did.
When I heard Ken say "that's all I'm going to beat you up for today" I was relieved. I stood up from the table and WOW, I had never felt so flexible in my life; and my back pain was hardly noticeable. After a couple more visits to see "The Miracle Man", I never felt better; and the Back Pain you ask... I hardly ever hear from it.
From my first encounter with Therapy Central (1.5 years ago), I was sold. I am currently seeing Ken for what is known as Cluster Headaches, and am seeing significant improvement in the frequency and duration of the Clusters. Something my Neurologist couldn't do even with multiple MRI's, Cat Scans and a large paper bag full of prescriptions.
So, in closing... Thank You Therapy Central, and Thank You Ken. And for those of you reading this; do yourself a favor; stop your pain and suffering, it can be done; Ken does it everyday!
Wade D. Heidmann - Austin TX. Client Associate at Merrill Lynch
What a difference, took a little getting used to at first. Cannot believe the flexibility and smoothness I feel. I have never hit the ball with that kind of extension....fluid! Thanks a ton, Reagan
Jon Roberts - Investments, (Austin, Texas)
The first thing I want to say is that I have very little faith in chiropractors, or in alternative medicines, or in miraculous cures. Despite the remarkable things I had heard about Ken Moench (nicknamed, Dr. Pain) I was reluctant to commit myself to what I thought might be quackery. It was only because my friend, Bill Stott , insisted, and actually took me there personally, that I went.
I suppose I was desperate. Just as I was finally able to hit a tennis serve with some authority, I developed a very painful muscle problem in my shoulder (actually, the muscle that runs through the arm pit and up into the shoulder).
So I was like many other active adults in their early fifties: fit, but subject to a nagging injury that was threatening to end my tennis.
Ken Moench treated my shoulder to a series of painful (very painful) massage and stretching exercises over a 45 minute period. At the end of the session, I was remarkably free of any discomfort. I couldn't quite believe it had "worked" and I kept expecting the pain to return. In fact, I did not play tennis for two days, because I felt so good and was afraid that as soon as I hit another hard serve the pain would be back. When I began playing again, however, I had no problems, and have had none since.
I know that it may sound implausible that a single session should so thoroughly have cured so intractable a problem. But there you have it. I still don't know exactly what it is that Ken does, but I can tell you it works.
I'm a runner. Ken says runners are all nuts. Maybe. But, it's kept me in shape and healthy. But, I almost had to give it up. When I began training for the Motorola Marathon in 2001, I got stuck at 6-8 miles. What I mean is, I couldn't run more than 6-8 miles without my left ankle feeling pain and unable to hold my weight as I stepped on it. This had happened before many times, since...
... I'd been a runner for many years. I could only train for and do 10K races, but I longed to up the distance and experience the accomplishment of a marathon.
As the weeks progressed in the training program, we hit the eight mile mark. Like clockwork, during the run, my ankle began feeling pain; I felt a tightness or pulling that would come and go. By the end of the run, though, my left leg seemed to "lock" up and I could hardly limp to the car. I stretched as recommended and iced a little at home, but something else needed to be done, I knew.
Ken Moench had presented a seminar at our marathon training meeting a few weeks earlier. His topic was injury prevention. I was skeptical that massage could cure my ailments, but his presentation touched on many areas that were concerns for me. The first indication I got that Ken was on the up-and-up was when I called his office and he was willing to talk to me over the phone and give me advice without making me come in and pay. Within two days I was making an appointment, though.
I didn't expect the painful treatment, but was quite surprised by the obvious release in the muscle. As I winced and moaned in pain while Ken held the leg muscle and moved my foot from flex to point, I could feel it letting go and the pain subsiding. I accused him of letting up on his pressure and even watched him (through squinched eyes) to make sure he wasn't tricking me!
Please note, I said earlier that my ankle was in pain and Ken worked the muscle in my leg . I was shocked when he started working on my calves and shins. I, of course, questioned him on it and wanted to know exactly what he was thinking. Also, remember, I was a skeptic. As he explained to me, these muscles connect at the ankle joint, thus, when it tightens, I was feeling it in that area. There were several spots along my anterior tibialis and calf muscle that Ken worked on and released the tightness. It was like a miracle! I could not believe the results. I continued to train with the marathon group and went in to see Ken every few weeks as needed. My leg muscles had been conditioned to tighten; this is known as muscle memory. So, with successive mileage increases my ankle would feel the pain; I'd go to Ken to have my legs worked on; and slowly, but surely, the muscles have become conditioned to endure longer periods of time before needing this sort of work.
I have now completed 3 marathons and am training for an ultra with Ken's treatment. So, giving up running has not become a reality for me, but ice baths and massage have.
An e-mail sent this year while training for her ultra marathon...
Hey Ken,
I made the entire 18 miles on the trail today without ANY heel pain! I think that's amazing! I think you get the credit for it even though you made fun of me in front of the entire group. :o)
Right now, after an ice bath, I feel pretty good except for ITB on both legs and hip soreness.
See you this week!
Thanks, Allison
Mike Sherley - Auto Insurance Adjustor, (Leander, Texas)
Both my son & I had great success with Ken's type of therapy & was skeptical
at first. My son Casey was experiencing pain in his right arm when throwing the
baseball & had been going on for several weeks; was not able to pitch at all; went to Ken for one visit & was back throwing the next practice & no problems the rest of the spring season.
After watching the success with him decided to give it a try myself; have had neck pain most of the last 6 years & have had physical therapy several times but with not much success. After 2 visits with Ken have more movement than had in years & very little discomfort any more. We both are firm believers & have recommended him to others & will be going back if ever needed.
Greg Dahmer - (Round Rock, Tx.)
I've had lower back pain for almost 3 years. I initially hurt my lower back doing squats. The first time I've ever had back problems. Originally I went to a chiropractor and had the x-rays and the whole slow process of going in 2 or 3 times a week for months. Things didn't really seem to be moving as fast as I would have liked to see. However, I went along with the program. Finally with time and treatment, I was able to get back into a regular routine.
Six months later I for no apparent reason started to experience soreness and some pain in my lower back again. I thought that I could just work through and things would be fine. What I didn't realize is how painful things could get. I ended up in the emergency room because of the pain and lack of being able to move without pain. My treatment was strong pain killers, steroids, and direction to seek out a back specialist. I did find an orthopedic doctor specializing in back problems. He continued to put me on steroids and more pain killers.
I was directed to go to a physical therapist and begin a program to realign and strengthen my back. After about 3 months I was released and given back exercises to do 3 or 4 times a week. After having gone to the ER, my pain was still pretty bad and I was looking for something that would really give me an instant fix.
I was familiar with the treatment that Ken offered because of one of my sons having played baseball for Ken and seeing Ken do some treatments for kids on the teams he coached. Reputation and word of mouth are wonderful things. Everything I had ever heard about Ken was good. I made an appointment and limped into the office like an old man. In short, after a session of more than an hour, I was able to sit-up, bend over and tie my shoes and walk out with little to no pain. I followed up 2 days later with another appointment and things were back much better than I would have ever imagined.
Ken indicated that come back when "I" thought I needed some adjustment or work done on my back. Each time I left their office the follow-up advice was treat plenty of water, walk to keep things loose and ice when possible for a few days. No high pressure to come back, no milking the patient for $$, and emphases put on when "I" thought I needed to come back. My understanding of what Ken offers is this. They use pressure points to release the muscle and allow the vertebrae to go back in place. Ken mentioned you just need to be smarter than what the muscle is. I did learn some good exercises from physical therapy, but I experienced more relief and ease of pain having Ken work on me more so than anything the back specialist or physical therapy was able to do. I'm sure those are fine options, but my experience was much better with work Therapy Central performed on me.
The treatments Ken puts you through aren't a cake walk by any means. They make you work, stretch, move and push on muscle to release the tightness in order to ease your pain. After one treatment folks will understand how good it feels to have the treatment done and the ability to sit-up and do things they couldn't when they first came in. I'm not going to knock the specialist, and other doctors in their respected fields. I just know from my stand point the success and comfort came from the treatments Ken performs and would recommend for everyone. I know where I came and know who much a healthy back meant. With Ken's help, I can get back pretty close to what it was. He may not be able to part the seas; however he does walk on water!
Donna Barton - Back, Neck and Shoulder pain and how traditional treatment DID NOT WORK....
It's been almost a year now since my one and only appointment with you. It is hard to remember the chronic back, neck and shoulder pain that motivated me to spend – let's see – 18 visits times 1.75 hours equals 31.5 hours (not including driving) seeking relief at a specialized clinic that combined physical therapy, massage therapy, and chiropractic care all in one place, all in one appointment. They were all knowledgeable, deeply caring, extremely competent people. But they worked under the restrictions of an insurance-based system. When I came in with back pain, they all worked to treat that specific back pain. When the pain would move to a different location in my back or neck, their treatment would move there also. I would often feel much better for a couple of days, but I would soon be desperate for my sometimes weekly, sometimes twice weekly appointment, depending upon my progress. Once or twice I even went in to an appointment with pain in my SI area and of course they worked on that and showed me how to do core strengthening to remedy that over time.
I finally went to see you at the insistence of a friend who couldn't bear to see me with my neck locked – I had to turn my whole body to shoulder check when I drove. I wondered what was wrong with me that none of the take-home exercises worked, that after all this time and effort I was simply having pain in different areas than when I started. I blamed myself for not doing something right, or for aggravating their treatment somehow.
When I got to Therapy Central, you looked me over - me and my tight back and neck muscles – and promptly announced you had to start with my SI in order to resolve anything. My SI wasn't even actively bothering me! Your explanation that what was misaligned below caused problems above made complete sense. I put my body in your hands, and one appointment was all it took to remove all that pain.
Since then, I have a great appreciation for all my precious connected parts and I practice light yoga mindfully. I drink lots of water and try and sleep in a position that agrees with my body. Thank you!
Humpty Dumpty is sitting on this wall contemplating all the time, money and energy he wasted being treated by all the kings horses and all the kings men! He is now a very satisfied, and "put back together" client of TCRR. He's visited both of the Round Rock locations and the Austin location and LOVES all three! You will too!
