PHOTO ABOVE:
From left to right, back row:
Dawn Loretz, Katie Rittenberg, and John King,
with, (thumbs up), instructor Brian Mulligan,
followed by Nancy Bryan, Pien van den Herik
and Cicely Hart.
Front row: Andrea Long and Lisa Gibson.
Nancy graduated from UC Berkeley in 1973 with a degree in Dramatic Art and Dance. She received her Masters degree in Physical Therapy from Stanford
University in 1981. Nancy pursued a dance career as a teacher, performer and choreographer in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City from 1969 through 1988. Nancy was the artistic director of Nancy Bryan and Dancers from 1979 to 1988. Her dance company was selected to perform at the 1984
Los Angeles Olympic Arts Festival. She continues her ballet training with Sally Streets at Berkeley Ballet Theater and in other forms of dance, including Modern,
Hip-Hop and Cuban Salsa.
She received her Pilates certification in 1988. She has completed both the Redwood Physical Therapy Australian Approach to Manual Therapy (1991) and the Folsom Physical Therapy Manual Therapy (1993) Long Term manual therapy programs.
She published an article on dance rehabilitation entitled The Ballet Dancer, with co-author Britt Smith, MS, DPT, OCS in Spine in 1991.
Nancy believes that a comprehensive patient evaluation is the key to helping her patients succeed with rehabilitation. An effective evaluation allows for treatment to be tailored to the whole person and not just to the person's pathology. While she enjoys using her manual therapy and exercise rehabilitation skills, she is most satisfied when her patients have learned to manage their own unique physical problems with the knowledge that they gain under her care. In other words, imparting self-empowerment to her patients.
Her great joys, besides dance, are spending time with her family and traveling to Mexico and Latin America where she was born and raised.
• Nancy is a clinic owner and a founding member of SOS since 1988
John graduated from UC Davis in 1980 with a degree in Physiology. He received his Master’s degree in Physical Therapy from Boston University in 1982.
John was the manager of the outpatient physical therapy program for Alta Bates, Sportscare, in the late 80's.
In 1988 he recruited Nancy Bryan and Britt Smith to join him as partners in opening Sports and Orthopedic Specialists. John acted as the Managing Partner for SOS until 2003. Since 2003, John and Nancy have co-managed the day to day operations of the clinic.
John has an extensive background in sports. When he has time to break free of his duties to his patients and the clinic, John enjoys playing golf, tennis and skiing. He has two athletically inclined sons who have benefited from his expertise in strength and conditioning and his sports specific coaching abilities, as have his patients.
• John is a clinic owner and a founding member of SOS since 1988
Neha did her undergraduate studies in Physiotherapy from Mumbai University, India. She was passionate about pursuing further education in the USA,
and graduated with a Masters of Science from the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a major in Musculoskeletal Physical Therapy. Over the
last 5 years she has worked as a physical therapist in a variety of settings, ranging from hospital in-patient and skilled nursing to outpatient orthopedic facilities. Since 2018 she has focused exclusively on orthopedic and sports medicine injuries.
Neha believes in a holistic approach to treating her patients, combining research based evidence, detailed patient history and customized treatment
plans to improve overall movement impairments. She gains immense satisfaction on seeing the progress of her patients and this has driven her to
always keep abreast of the latest techniques & methodologies in the world of Physical Therapy.
Lisa graduated from Lewis and Clark College in 1993 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology. She received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in 2009.
Lisa believes MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE! Correct movement influences our physical and mental health, preserves our ability to interact with our environment, and helps minimize health care costs. Lisa’s mission is to educate her patients on how to age well through movement and to decrease the risk of injury and pain by moving well.
Lisa approaches a physical therapy diagnosis by understanding the patient’s musculoskeletal and medical history and performing assessments of gait, balance, functional movement patterns, joint mobility, and muscle length and strength.
She approaches treatment via a combination of education, corrective exercises, and hands-on/manual techniques.
Lisa fuses many manual therapy techniques to achieve the desired outcome. She has completed Active Release Technique (ART®) courses for the spine, upper, and lower extremities, and also employs joint mobilizations, Myofascial Decompression (frequently referred to as “cupping”), and therapeutic taping.
She has completed numerous - and continues to pursue - post graduate education courses to stay current with advances in musculoskeletal rehabilitation. Lisa has a particular fondness for treating all things related to balance, trunk, and hip stabilization.
Lisa identifies as a lifelong athlete. She played collegiate indoor volleyball and now regularly plays sand doubles volleyball. She also enjoys running, biking, hiking, and (of course) performing corrective exercises to restore and maintain her musculoskeletal and mental balance.
• Lisa has been a member of the SOS team since 2013
Andrea graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Zoology in 1996. She received her Master’s degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Iowa in 1998.
Andrea incorporates her knowledge of anatomy and biomechanics into treating the body as a whole when evaluating and treating injuries. A comprehensive movement analysis, Andrea has found, is key in whole body treatment. Andrea has taken several continuing education classes to improve her overall skill set, including treatment of sacroiliac dysfunction, mobilization with movement, myofascial decompression, Pilates based exercises, and taping.
Andrea enhanced her education by becoming a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists (CSCS). She feels that her CSCS training has provided her with a greater depth of knowledge relative to proper sports specific training for her patients. She has participated in several sports activities including, swimming, skiing, golfing, soccer and hiking.
Notable athletes: USA Swimming, NBA, USA Rugby, professional rock climbing, USA Fencing, USA Ultimate Frisbee, collegiate baseball
Katie graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1997 with a BS in Science Preprofessional Studies. She received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California in 2000. Since becoming a physical therapist she has enjoyed pursuing further educational opportunities. She became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist in 2003, and an Orthopedic Certified Specialist in 2005. In 2010, she received a Diploma in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy from the McKenzie Institute.
Katie worked for the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago: Sports and Spine Rehabilitation Center from 2002 to 2010.
In 2010 she relocated to Oakland and joined Sports and Orthopedic Specialists.
Katie believes completing a thorough history and examination, as well as gaining an understanding of her patient’s goals are critical components to beginning a successful rehabilitation program. When she is not working, Katie enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons.
• Katie has been a member of the SOS team since 2010.
