Letgolts Method – Physical Therapy

I have been going to various chiropractors, doctors,
Acupuncture, Pilates and physical therapy for 7 years since i was diagnosed with Severe spinal stenosis and spondylolithesis. Everyone has tried to help me but i am a very difficult case. My internist told me about Allen Letgoltz and his method. She said her patients had good results. I was not going in with a positive attirude since i haven’t had any great results. Surgery was not an option for me.
From the first time i went i was walking more erect than i have for many years. It gave me confidence that i can do more than usual. I am not pain free but at least i can
Walk further and look a hell of a lot better when i have to. He is a wonderful diagnostician and seems to know what the heck u need to do. When he stretches me and moves things around it can hurt but when i get up i feel fabulous and nothing hurts. He’s very honest about what he can do to help you and what the limitations are. Certainly worth a visit or two to see for yourself.
Idell J

I heard about Dr. Letgolts from a colleague who praised his work with her issues stemming from Fibromyalgia. I too suffer from Fibromyalgia and cervical disease for 25 years of intermittent pain from cervical disk disease.
I spent too much time on my stationary bike one evening, woke up with mild lower back pain and went to my usual doctor (MD) who administered trigger point injections of Lidocaine. When the Lidocaine wore off, I could hardly walk down the stairs from my office to the parking lot. I had the worst back pain — pain which I never experienced before.
I went back to my doctor who gave me a Torridol shot, Rx for Prednisone and pain killers. He said the pain would go away soon. It didn’t and only increased in unbearable intensity. So another Torridol shot and no more Prednisone just Advil and pain killers. I had an MRI and herniated lumbar and sacral disks appeared. I knew these were not new results.
No sleep, working in pain I was sent to UCLA Comprehensive Spine Care Clinic which was a fiasco — the awful Dr. wrote 3 recommendations on the paper covering the patients’ exam table — PT and meds, epidural, surgery. He referred me to the UCLA PT Clinic upstairs from the Spine Center. This was a joke — the wait was 3 – 6 months for an appointment and the kind receptionist told me that with my insurance I could get good private care.
I saw an MD Physiatrist who was much kinder than the brusque doctor at UCLA Spine Center and he spoke of the same options. I was in such desperate pain that I even found a surgeon and made an appointment.
Before that appointment with the surgeon (which I cancelled) I spoke with my colleague and she told me to go see Dr. Letgolts. Thank heavens I did. He is wonderful, professional and inspires confidence. He is all hands on physical therapy and has great knowledge of the mechanics of the human body.
After just a couple weeks of treatment my pain subsided. It is almost fully cured now except for some numbness in my toes and side of one calf.
I find the treatments and exercises are immensely helpful and Dr. Letgolts has worked miracles for me. I was depressed, couldn’t do my normative activities except I needed to work and did so in excruciating pain.
I’m back to being myself thanks to Dr. Letgolts. I recommended him unequivocally. He’s amazing! I also like his staff.
Dr. Judith Bin-​Nun Ph.D.

I first saw Dr. Letgolts about 15 years ago about knee pain that began when I was running marathons in my 20s. After listening carefully to my history and confirming what he already deduced from my history, that my right leg was shorter than my left, he prescribed orthotics. After 30 years of knee pain, it was no more. I sure wished I knew about him sooner! With a painful knee, I had turned to swimming every day in my 20s. Then, about 8 years ago, my left shoulder began to hurt. The orthopedist offered me a new shoulder and said I would never swim again. I went to Allen, who explained the mechanism behind my pain, something the brain-​dead orthopedist probably could not do out of ignorance, and gave me some exercises to change my posture standing and swimming. I immediately began swimming again, and over the course of a year, the pain subsided. I still do the exercises every morning, and I have been swimming every morning since then without pain. I just saw him again last week to discuss foot issues and my history of DVTs. He gave me calf exercises, and in just a few days, I already see some reduction in the swelling. Over the years I have sent family members, friends, and even strangers to Allen. He listens carefully. He understands and explains mechanisms. He is the best diagnostician I have ever met in all of my experience with health-​care providers, he provides carefully designed treatment that makes sense and that is effective, and he does so with a minimum of visits. Simply outstanding!

This is not a review about the Dr. just his bad business practice/​billing office. I have been to many physical therapists previously and this is by far the worst experience I have had (prior to even meeting the Dr.). I am very fortunate to have excellent insurance and am very familiar with my policy and it’s benefits.
Deborah in the billing office continues to misquote my benefits even though I have now confirmed TWICE with my provider that they are an «IN network provider» and I have also reconfirmed my benefits with Blue Cross/​Blue Shield as the member. Deborah then, also stated «The Dr. doesn’t like to chase bills and they pretty much know how much the copay will be.» My policy states NO copay at the time of office visit, which is apart of my plan that I pay for, and is something that they also agree to when they sign the contract to be a Blue Cross/​Blue Shield provider. I told Deborah that I would be writing this review «she told me not to and that they would have it removed» This could be the best Physical Therapist in the whole world for all I know, but I don’t appreciate treated so badly by his billing office. I have done nothing wrong and am only asking them to comply with the terms of insurance that they agreed to as a provider. Lesson learned… Check with your insurance before you give them any money!

My experience with Letgolts Method Physical Therapy has been far and away the best medical care I have ever received. In part due to an injury I sustained in 2006, and in part due to some underlying orthopedic issues, I have had chronic back pain for nearly 9 years. I largely ignored the problem except during major flares when it slapped me in the face that I had physical limitations that were undeniable. After the birth of my 2^nd child, my back and hip pain was so severe that I could not walk for a month. At that point, I had no choice but to seek help. I saw a chiropractor for almost one year who relieved the hip pain, but made no headway on my back pain. I saw a sports medicine physician at UCLA who was even less helpful, except that she mentioned Dr. Letgolts as she was leaving the room. On a whim and in desperation, I made an appointment.
Within 30 minutes, he had explained the root causes of my problem and had developed a comprehensive treatment plan. He was kind, warm, engaging and professional, and I was hopeful that he would be of some help. After only a few weeks, I saw a remarkable change in my posture and gait, and my pain began to subside. Within 4 – 6 weeks, my 9-​year back pain was resolved. Unfortunately, a new spot crept up as my spine and extremities re-​equilibrated. Undaunted, Dr. Letgolts and his esteemed colleague, Ana, developed a new plan. I began working more with Ana on exercises in the office, and she never judged me when I couldn’t keep up with them at home. She was always positive and supportive. I’ve since alternated visits with the two, and now as of this week, I am almost entirely pain free. Just yesterday, Ana developed an exercise that immediately relieves the pain when it begins to occur. I can assure you that I will make time for that one. I predict that in the next 2 weeks, the entire problem will be resolved.
In sum, I have never been so impressed with medical providers in my life.
P. S. My husband and I are both physicians. He saw Dr. Letgolts for a less severe problem and was equally impressed by him. If you have pain, pick up the phone. They will take great care of you.
P. P. S. A shout-​out is also deserved for the front office staff, Jeff and Gaalan. They are so kind, so funny, and make visits to the office a true pleasure. This is a class act medical practice.

We came to Dr. Letgolts with the hope that he would be able to help with our daughter’s scoliosis. He presents himself as an expert on scoliosis, and a «maverick» who follows his own method. In a very self-​confident way, he quickly diagnosed my daughter’s leg length difference as the cause for her scoliosis, prescribed orthotics with a heel lift, and told us that would fix the problem. We were delighted with this «quick fix.» Of course, it was too good to be true. The leg length difference isn’t the cause of my daughter’s scoliosis, the heel lift was in fact making the scoliosis worse (per both her orthopedist and chiropractor via X-​rays), and we wasted a month with this useless treatment. I’m sure Dr. Letgolts has helped girls with scoliosis who do have a true problem with leg length difference, but this was not the case for us. In summary: he jumped to conclusions too quickly, promised a quick fix that would miraculously solve the problem, which then was proven to be completely ineffective and, in my daughter’s case, actually worsened the problem.
Very disappointed.

I am totally happy with Dr. Letgolts and Anna. My husband originally came here a year ago for nagging back problems which Dr. Letgolts was able to correct, and now he does Pilates and 3 minutes of exercise every day and he’s doing great. The amazing story, though, is what Dr. Letgolts and Anna have been able to accomplish with my children. First, my daughter, who is special needs and has been diagnosed with a degenerative neuropathy and wears plastic DAFOS’s to walk, which she could barely do. After 1 month of intensive physical therapy, my daughter is out of her plastic braces, and walking better than she has in YEARS! Kudos to the caring and talented Anna who patiently has been reteaching my daughter to walk, after years of relying on plastic braces. We are excited to see how far we can go with this therapy, but it is exciting to see my daughter’s legs begin to work for the first time in years… Suffice it to say it has been a real gift from God to our family. Thank you Dr. Letgolts and Anna and staff. My adult son wants to write his own review of how much Dr. Letgolts has helped him with his poor posture and recovery from two concussions.

I am a 44 year old fitness trainer, physical therapy aide, and aging athlete with many past injuries: ACL reconstruction, herniated lumbar & cervical discs, dislocated/​fractured shoulder, compression fractures of the thoracic vetebrae, and the list goes on. I have spent over $ 60,000 on surgeons, chiropractors, and (3 dozen) physical therapists all over the country. So, I speak with as much experience as any professional athlete with a lifetime of injuries and over-​used body parts.
Dr. Letgolts is easily one of the best therapists in the country if not the world. He has an extensive knowledge of pain related issues; muscle/​scar adhesions, nerve impingements, myofascial interactions, etc. and his cause & effect treatments & exercises work wonders. I have sent 100’s of people in his direction including my mother. Many had seen other types of health professionals to no avail. After just a few appts. all of them have thanked me for referring them to ‘Allen’.
If it were not for Dr. Letgolts I am certain I would not be as healthy, active and pain free as I am today. I have learned a great deal from his treatments and I consult with him regularly for treating my clients (many of whom are also his patients).
Jeff Archibald
ACE & NASM Certified Trainer

After having problem with my knee for over 10 years Dr letgolt saw the problem instantly and my knee is improving drastically. Doctors and practitioners couldnt see the problem and it continued to get worse until I saw Dr Letgolt. His assessment was spot on instantly. I am so grateful to have found him.

I have been going to Dr. Letgolts for about 10 years. I was referred to him by a friend and I am very thankful for the referral.
Dr. Letgolts is extremely knowledgeable and can figure out what your ailment, injury is merely by watching you walk. He doesn’t take x-​rays (thankfully), but can tell right away what is wrong and how to fix it.
He was the first person to recommend and build orthotics for me which was a lifesaver. I have them in my running and walking shoes.
I see Dr. Letgolts only when I have an issue, injury and he always gets to the root of it immediately. I usually have one follow-​up visit and that’s it! He is not the type of Doctor who tells you to keep coming back in, unless it is vital that you do.
All in all, he is a great Doctor, kind, thorough and knowledgeable as is his staff. I recommend him all the time to my athletic friends and will continue to do so. Anyone with any physical ailment should go see him!

My wife and I have been seeing Dr. Letgolts for about 5 years off and on for hip issues for me and back problems for her. I am 57 years old and pretty active, but my bad posture and gait have gradually increased my discomfort as I walk and exercise as I’ve gotten older. What i especially like about Dr. Letgolts is that he takes a holistic approach to his treatment. He is a master at getting to the root of the problem, recognizing that pain in a particular area may be originating from a different part of the body, and through a combination of stretches (sometimes painful, but well worth it for the relief it causes), pressure points, and exercises to increase strength and balance, he has made my life as well as my wife’s so much more comfortable. He is a keen listener, has a great bedside manner, and the academic training (a Doctorate from USC) and practical skills he’s acquired from his thriving practice to make a difference in our lives. While he can’t undo the aging process, but he has been a miracle worker in helping us to live pain free.
Mark Z.

Dr. Letgolts is a really amazing doctor. I saw him for 6 months and he helped me get back on my feet. I’ve been to many physical therapists and he truly is the best. He gave me individualized attention and he was also caring and thoughtful. He was also very knowledgeable of my injury and assessed my issues immediately. He helped me get back on my feet. His staff is very kind and caring as well. I highly recommend him.

While I like Dr. Letgolts, I have found that many other doctors disagree with him. That said, his efforts were helpful but I have questions

My husband was told he would never walk correctly or have feeling in his right leg after a football injury in 1969. We were referred by a friend to Dr. Letgolts and in the first visit, he UNFROZE my husband’s kneecap and by the third visit, had restored feeling to his leg. It is a MIRACLE! Dr. Letgolts has my husband kicking like a Rockette, and walking balanced, without limping! He is no longer in pain! The office staff is friendly and professional. I recommend him to anyone who has suffered and wants help from the BEST!

Dr Letgoltz is brilliant and insightful. He has a deep background, which you can read about on his website. He also has a mind that is open to new ideas and he listens to the patient.
I came to him for a very complex issue that came from being hypermobile. It is very very rare that I find a doctor who understands what extreme hypermobility can do to joints. Dr Letgoltz was great!
My ability to walk has greatly improved. Walking. Kind of a big deal. Most doctors have been either dismissive or my condition has bumped up against their limitations. (People whose egos are all tied up in success don’t like it when they’re stymied, and many have called me names or accused me of faking it for insurance, which is weird becuase very often I was paying out of pocket and had no insurance.)
Have you ever noticed that when you’re at the edges of some people’s expertise, their ability to think logically evaporates? It’s as if you’re threatening their entire identity.
Dr Letgoltz is not like this.
He’s got a fiery intellect and is well-​versed in a number of disciplines that give him a lot of intellectual range — he has a lot of different arrows in his quiver and seems fond of puzzles. His ability to make disparate connections is truly admirable.
He was also very very kind to me because I didn’t have insurance. I am extremely grateful to him.

Let me start off by saying the doctor and his staff are very nice and personal people. They make you feel very welcome here at the facility. Unfortunately there are problems that need to be addressed.
I visited this facility as a very active athlete facing knee pain. Let me first start off by saying if you are an active athlete, this is not the facility to go to. This place is more about covering up things that need to be corrected by othrotics, then actually addressing your functional issues. This might be good for the over 60 crowd, especially since a lot of them live in brentwood. But not for an active athlete.
In my case, I was given very high and deep orthotics. After seeing many Orthopods and PTs, I came to the understanding that my problem was not over-​pronating, but in fact my problem was developing many areas of tight scar tissue around my legs, causing my knee pain, and causing it to appear I was overpronating, when in reality it was just the muscles and scar tissue pulling the joints closed.
In order to solve that, I did not need orthotics, but I needed many, many, Active Release or Myofacial Release therapy to untangle the web of my body from being an athlete for my whole life and not having the proper body work done in the last few years. I also needed a proper strength training program staring from scratch. The doctor did not address this issue. The doctor put me on a regiments of some squats and other quad strengthening exercises, when in fact that was just tearing up my knees as the patella had no room to move. What should have been done is hamstring strengthening and glute strengthening, while kneeling hip openers and calf stretches were accomplished to offset the 4 – 1 imbalance in my legs.
Unfortunately, the doctor did not prescribe this, and my knee pain was worse after wearing these orthotics for 1 month. The knee pain then filtered over to my other good knee, causing this tendonosis to develop on the knee that was not causing me pain. Very unfortunate situation for me.
I would hope to find a PT who understand the demands of an athlete and how to fix them. Unfortunately I have had a problem in finding this person.
The second issue I have is with service. Before one of my games, the doctor said, «why dont you come in right before your game and well stretch you out». Sounds like a good idea, right? I came in for 15 minutes to get a stretch out and test before I went and played. When I got my bill I was charged 210.00 for those 15 minutes. Not that I expected it to be free, but I was going there 2−3x a week. You stretched me for 5 minutes and passed me off to your intern who didnt even work there for the other 10 minutes. You are very comfortable in your practice to afford to do this to your patents. I was disappointed.
Finally, the last issue I had was in the billing department. We initially had some issues with billing my insurance, but those issues were resolved. Instead of refunding me or giving me a call to let me know those issues were resolved and my insurance paid out all the claims that I originally paid cash for, the company was mute. Essentially, if I didnt speak up, they would have been taking about 500 dollars total from me per session as I paid, and my insurance paid for each visit. I had to place 3 – 5 phone calls to get the matter straightened out. That was also disappointing.
At the end of the day, overall, I was disappointed on many fronts. The reason I went to this place was because of the glowing Unilocal reviews. So I would like people to know my experience at this facility.

Dr. Letgolts is incredible. His engineering background coupled with his non-​adhearance to traditional western medicine dogma has produced a gem of a doctor who is able to think outside of the box in order to resolve plaguing issues.
I have been suffering from all kinds of strange pains throughout my entire body for years. I have been to various traditional doctors and none diagnosed my problem and instead just treated the symptoms with medications. Within 5 minutes of seeing me, Dr. Letgolts diagnosed my issue which had to do with my gait — I have a genetic distortion which was causing me to walk badly. This was causing pains all the way up to my neck. I even had a traditional western PT tell me that my gait was «just the way I walked». They never suggested that it was suboptimal or causing my pains.
Thanks to Dr. Letgolts and his immediate diagnosis and subsequent adjustments and orthotics, my body feels much better. I can not recommend him enough. He is really amazing!

I’ve only been to Dr. Letgolts once, but that’s all it took for me to know I’d found an amazing doctor who could help me.
My situation: I hurt my knee a few years ago, did not feel comfortable with my doctor who saw me, and I just allowed it to heal naturally, as he recommended. Now, a few years later, I hurt the same knee, but in a different manner. Running and physical activity are very important to me, so being unable to run, lift weights, row, etc., has been difficult, even for this short period of time.
Dr. Letgolts made me feel very comfortable. He allowed me to explain my story, and he listened to me without interrupting. He was thorough in his explanations but not confusing, and he explained to me what was going on with my body. He also had a warm bedside manner. From my experience, it’s hard to heal when you feel uncomfortable at the doctor’s office, particularly when it’s necessary to relax your muscles long enough for the doctor to assess your issues. But because of Dr. Letgolt’s kind and professional demeanor, even the first visit was not awkward.
I left his office feeling relieved that my knee problems are going to be taken care of, and that they will be addressed from the source of the problem rather than having a doctor give me treatment that results in a band-​aid type effect, or a system that ensures I will need treatments for years and years to come. I feel confident that my treatment is going to go well, and I’m truly thankful to have found Dr. Letgolts.

For over a year I have had trouble walking due to arthritis and hip pain. I had been told by my orthopedist and a consultant that nothing could be done but the pain to walk was unbearable, Dr. Letgolts did an extensive assessment of my pain, walk and arm movement. He told me that the orthodics I was wearing were not doing the job and that I needed an orthodic that was a whole sole long. Just using a temporary insole that he modified meant that I walked without pain for the first time in months. He is just a master who really listens and then treats. I have had just four sessions with him and already my life has changed — not running yet but walking well.

A couple of months after having joint replacement surgery I was prescribed physical therapy. I ended up wasting one of my 12 yearly visits at another local physical therapist.
I found Dr. Letgolts on my providers website. On my initial visit he spent a half hour talking to me one on one, getting a complete understanding of my history. He also thoroughly reviewed my posture, stance and ability to walk. He does not overbook, so he was not running from room to room tending to other patients… it was truly one on one PT.
Dr. Letgolts then went to work on my leg really getting into the muscles and stretching everything. He has been helping me relearn to walk, and train my muscle to start firing again… my glutes have been a problem as my incision from surgery affected my glutes muscles.
He also corrected my stance and posture… he created orthodics for my shoes and within a week and a half I am walking normally again.
I am having another surgery in a few month… I plan on starting physical therapy with him one week after surgery.