TESTIMONIALS
Derrick White
MAJOR LEAGUE SCOUT
I have benefitted from Travis’s vast knowledge as a strength and conditioning expert and as a highly-skilled physical therapist. Before becoming a Major League Baseball scout, I had a 20-year playing career and Travis worked with me as sprint coach, increasing my 40-yard dash time to 4.4, the fastest of my career. I was definitely performing at my peak level when working with him.
More recently Travis helped me with a complex chest injury that others were unable to diagnose. He identified a number of issues and set a course of rehabilitation for me. Throughout the process, Travis was incredibly accessible via phone or in person to answer any questions and to provide feedback on my progress.
The exclusive service that Travis is able to provide is second to none and I am very excited to recommend him and feel he is uniquely skilled and qualified as a physical therapist and as a strength and conditioning specialist.
David A. Kell
COMPUTER PROGRAMMER/ANALYST (RETIRED)
From birth, I was afflicted with Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP) which caused me to have progressive weakness from the waist down. HSP impairs walking, where the knees and hips on each step are bent instead of straight, and the feet land flat instead of the heel-toe standard gait. A lifetime of walking this way, combined with obesity, caused permanent disabilities in my spine and legs. I also suffered a string of very serious health conditions over the course of a decade, including a heart attack, two fractures of the left femur, and a kidney infection that led to sepsis.
Prior to working with Dr. Travis Duro, I was totally incapacitated. At best, I could only stand (while clutching a grab bar) momentarily before my knees would crumble, leaving me collasped on the floor. My legs would not support me, so even if I was uninjured from a fall, I could not (from the floor) regain a sitting position and/or haul myself into bed.
Travis was recommended to me as an alternative to the physical therapy (PT) outpatient services which I had been using once weekly. After an evaluation, Travis committed us to an intense program of three sessions per week designed to restore my walking abilities over time. The key advantage was the very specific and personalized therapies Travis developed. In each of our twelve sessions each month, we worked to solidify previous progress and then add another enhancement. For example, because my knees were a problem, I learned how to stand with my feet spread forward and backward for extra stability. This non-standard foot positioning – tailored just for me – put an end to my frequent (daily) falls. And soon, my secure stance was the foundation for rapid progress, allowing me to master assisted walking up to 450 feet and even walking entirely unassisted. I have progressed to standing unsupported for minutes, instead of seven-seconds. I am also back to driving again and my overall health has progressed rapidly as each of my muscle groups are being stretched and flexed every day.
Besides these remarkable results, I am also impressed with how Travis’ plans for me are fine-tuned and progressive. As I master each new skill, he has an enhancement or refinement ready to build new progress at every step. When I met Travis, I was almost completely disabled from a complex combination of lifelong and recent issues. Now, six months later, I am close to being completely self-sufficient. I can heave my wheelchair or walker into the back of the car, run errands, and return home without anxiety. We have come to the point where the key remaining tasks include (with canes) walking a steep downgrade, safely ascending and descending a flight of stairs, and even walking without any assistive devices whatsoever.
I am incredibly grateful to have Travis as my guide towards regaining my health and mobility.
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Mikyo Riggs
OWNER AND HEAD INSTRUCTOR
Marin Mixed Martial Arts
The biggest thing that Travis instilled in me over my transformation from injured patient to Jiu-Jitsu champion was the belief that if I approached my goals properly, I could go as far as my will would take me. He gave me the guidance which led me to find my confidence and eventually the will to win.
Travis Duro is the finest physical therapist I have ever known. He has second to none skill, knowledge, and expertise. The fact that he is an outstanding personal trainer and nutritionist is certainly an added bonus. I still run my Mixed Martial Arts program and teach a range of competitors from beginners to expert-level. I owe much of my ability to do this to my friend and mentor, Dr. Travis Duro. I still utilize many of his principal teachings to this day.
Over years of training and competition, I have sustained several serious injuries which became conditions of chronic pain. These injuries include herniated disks in my lower back and neck, and a torn labrum in my right hip and both shoulders. I also have a torn meniscus and torn ligaments in my left knee.
I have been working with Travis for nearly 20 years, first as my physical therapist and later as my personal trainer and nutritionist. As my physical therapist, he not only treated my injuries, he provided me with the knowledge and insight to self-manage my conditions. Then, as my body healed, Travis trained me for competition and got me in the best shape of my life. As a result of working with him - while other doctors thought my competitive days were long gone - I was able to compete at the highest level of my sport and win competitions.
Ken Bovero
ARBORIST
I had known Travis socially for several years, so I sought out his physical therapy expertise following several injuries resulting from my very active lifestyle and injuries incurred during a serious car accident. In short, I had a badly crushed disk in my lower back, suffered numbness and tingling down my arms into my fingers, as well as headaches and neck immobility. In working with Travis, I was instantly amazed by his abilities to relieve my symptoms. We had several sessions a week which included manual therapy, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation. Travis also developed a series of specific movements I used for pain relief and personalized exercises to maintain and improve my overall mobility. Over a fairly short time, my symptoms became manageable and I was able to move through daily life with renewed vigor.
I then told Travis that I dreamed of competing in the Dipsea Race, even though I had never run competitively. I also told him that I wanted to earn a Black Shirt which is an honor given to the top 35 overall finishers in the race that typically has over 1,400 participants. My age at the time put me in the most competitive bracket, so to say it was a lofty goal would have been an understatement.
I asked Travis if he could train me knowing that he had been a track coach at San Francisco State University. He agreed to train me if I agreed to focus not on the end result of a Black Shirt finish, but on personal improvement and self-discovery. Travis wanted me to compete against myself and focus on the process of making myself the best runner that I could be. With this commitment in mind, a very challenging and arduous training regimen became manageable. Travis pushed me past limits I definitely would not have been able to overcome alone. All the while he kept emphasizing discipline, sacrifice, and consistency with hard training.
During the training process Travis discovered that my aggregate times on most sections of the course were on par or better than what elite runners were doing. We began to focus on my weaker points and they too came up to competitive levels. It became evident that I was a natural runner and I had never tapped into my true potential until I got help and guidance from Travis.
On the day of my race I was ready! About 4% body fat and 30 pounds under my pre-training weight. I finished the race 5th in my age group and 38th overall just narrowly missing a Black Shirt in a race with 1,481 competitors. Following the Dipsea I competed in several other off-road trail racing events placing in the top 5 in every event I entered. After suffering with chronic pain issues for many years I had become an Elite runner and I owe it all to Travis!
Bob Reynolds
With regard to improving my physical ability, Travis Duro was positively, absolutely the best thing that ever happened to me.
In early April of 2012, while on my bi-weekly 20 mile bike ride I lost control of my bicycle, swerved diagonally across the road, went into a ditch and flipped over. I knew instantly on impact it was a serious accident. In fact, I became paralyzed and needed to undergo spinal surgery. The following two months were painful and stressful - physical and mentally - as I recuperated from surgery and started very light, minimal physical therapy. I was still mostly paralyzed and in dire straits. I then met Travis Duro, who at the time was the Director of Rehabilitation at The Rafael Convalescent Hospital.
What ensued over the next five months was a highly productive, vigorous rehab regimen that got my legs to work again, enabled me to stand and then walk a few steps with the aid of a walker and a bit human assistance, and eventually, had me walking the entire length of the corridor outside my room, a distance of over a hundred and fifty feet! Travis pushed me hard - anyone within earshot of that corridor definitely knew the amount of pain I was experiencing. It was hell, but Travis was a true inspiration on a daily basis which helped give me the strength to keep going.
When I first went into The Rafael Hospital, I couldn’t move my hands and arms at all let alone reach anything on the table next to my bed, but under Travis's care, I began to regain motion. By the time I left hospital, I could actually take hold of and operate the TV remote control, begin to use my computer, and practice going up and down a simulated staircase. Regaining those types of functions back gave me some serious hope for my future quality of life.
Throughout all of this, Travis took precise documentation on my progress and I was told later that my progress reports gave Kaiser the ability to develop a case study about the amazing recovery and rehab I experienced under Travis. Before working with Travis, I was completely paralyzed, but under his care – over the course of several months - I was able to regain a level of physical mobility that allowed me to return home and live life again! Travis is indeed, my miracle worker!
Py Driscoll, MD
I am an Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine doctor and I first started working with Travis Duro at the Alta Mira Recovery Program, which is a residential rehab program for the treatment of substance use disorders and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. Dr. Duro has helped me with several patients over the years using his skills with musculo-skeletal diagnoses and his unique ability to handle the sometimes co-occurring complex psychiatric overlay. Following are a couple of examples of my work with Dr. Duro.
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One of my patients had a very abnormal gait, but her complaints were vague, making her condition challenging to diagnose and hence, treat. Dr. Duro was able to pinpoint three separate interacting musculo-skeletal problems and recommend specific exercises and stretches that improved her condition.
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Another patient was experiencing severe pain in several body parts, but upon examination, was fine physically. Again, Dr. Duro was able to identify the issue and recommend a treatment regimen that improved the patient’s condition.
I highly recommend Dr. Duro as a physical therapist. He is kind, gentle, respectful, and easy to talk to. He also is incredibly knowledgeable and meticulous with his work.
Taylor Colverdale
YOGA INSTRUCTOR AND NURSING STUDENT
As a healthcare professional and fitness instructor, I can’t say enough about how Travis has influenced my approach to living a healthy lifestyle with a focus on nutrition + exercise. I consider him a mentor and over the years, he has taught me to see the big picture, always emphasizing that truly learning about nutrition and exercise means "incorporating them into one’s lifestyle." Travis helped me to understand the science of healthy living from a fundamental stand point and the knowledge base Travis has given me is something I now pass on to others in my practice as a nurse and yoga instructor.
Travis doesn't just tell his patients and clients what to do, he instills in them the knowledge and understanding they need to progress and excel towards their goals. Under his guidance and mentorship, I reached my goal of 11% body fat and have a very defined 6-pack! And it’s not just about physical appearance – I feel amazing and in control of my health! This state of self-empowerment isn't easy to achieve, but Travis inspired me to go further than I ever imagined. He is by far, one of the most intelligent and motivational people I know, and he never ceases to amaze me with his personal dedication and the knowledge he passes on to his patients and clients.