Sterling Structural Therapy - Carefree, Arizona

Holly Dean

I started with SST back years ago when I live in AZ. I was having daily headaches. Cured! Next I worked on a low back issue. Cured! Now I no longer live in AZ and so I am working remotely with Danielle to cure my knee and neck issues. It seems like such subtle work and that can frustrate me sometimes but I keep at it because I know it works. I highly recommend all the therapists at SST and this technique. Thank you Danielle, Judah and Dana. What a wonderful process you have created! I am grateful! Holly

Donna Gigliotti

SST has changed my life. Eventhough I have the mind, heart and soul of an athlete and had rehabbed myself to a certain point, I was not getting to the place I wanted to be. I still suffered from chronic pain, lingering neurological issues and joint issues as a result of chronic Lyme, stroke and chronic fatigue that I have been living with since 2007. Then, in 2023 I was literally knocked off my feet when a sheep ran into me on my left side ( yes, he was running). I had to figure out how to continue to work, since I am self employed. This led to me developing body mechanics that reduced my pain enough to work but I knew were not serving me in the long term. Even though I am a chiropractor, I have never done well with people working on my body. It was always too much and it would end up setting me back. That is where SST has been so wonderful. After the first 45 minute free consultation, my chronic pain areas were reduced by 80%. I kept doing (what seemed like a very simple exercise) for the next week and it continued to reduce my pain each time. I also began to notice how ingrained my bad body postures and movements had become. I had been very hesitant to begin any exercising because each time I had tried in the past I would have a big set back with increased pain levels. I already lived in chronic pain and more was not fun. How could I even attempt to exercise or even take a long walk without hurting myself more because of these body positions, movements and habits I had developed just to function in my life and work. I knew I had to retrain my entire nervous system, muscular and most of all the fascial system of my body. I knew the fascia was the key but I was not going to a practitioner and have them manually move it around as they saw fit. That would have just meant more pain for me. I stumbled across a You Tube video of Dana Sterling pulling on a facial bodysuit of a gentleman and I thought- how cool. I then began to watch several of her videos and it just made sense to me.

SST has been the key to rebuilding my life.

Danielle, watches me like a hawk adjusting the slightest movements and positions of my body all from the comfort of my home. I get to listen to my body and give her feedback and she makes her recommendations. Now I am excited to have someone to help me rebuild my body using the body mechanics that are right for me (not the masses). I am now able to have the confidence and correct body mechanics to do things again like cut wood, split wood, rake and even take a walk. I am looking forward to being able to enjoy life more knowing I have the tools and coaching available to support me.

I do want to say that LESS IS MORE in this work. As I have unwound/detangled/loosed my fascia it has also allowed all the emotions that were stuck in them to be released. NOT what I expected at all, it caught me off guard but, I am so grateful to finally be done with them. I know it is not talked about but all traumas are stored in our tissues. As my fascia releases and my body is functioning more efficiently I have more energy for life.

SST is profound work, that goes beyond the tissue as it unwinds the nervous, mental and emotional systems and promotes my muscular and skeletal systems to work better with less stress.

Dr. Donna in PA

Kirsten McKay

Dear SST,

Wanted to share a big milestone with you. I’ve been able to run every day for over a year now without any injuries! This is the first year-long stretch in probably 20 years that I haven’t had an injury that prevented me from running. Many days I thought I would never be able to run or play sports again. Now, I’ve run up to eight miles at a time and don’t have any residual tightness or pain afterwards. I’ve been able to play basketball a little bit, too. No full court, yet, but a few one-on-one and two-on-two pickup games. Again, I’m able to move dynamically without any problem. I feel like I’m moving better than I have in at least 20 years. Can’t even begin to describe how amazing it feels to be this healthy after so many years of frustration, pain, and disappointment. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the SST therapists for helping me get here! I tried literally every form of therapy out there, to no avail. When I told other therapists I felt like my fascia was twisted, they looked at me like I had two heads. It was a long, lonely, and discouraging journey, which makes this all the more rewarding. The best part is, I’m just getting started! Again, thank you for all your hard work and compassion that is helping people like me. Thought you would appreciate some positive feedback. ?

Roberta B.

The short of it: I'm 10 virtual sessions (around 2 months) in with Danielle, and I've had significant improvement and look forward to continuing to work with SST!

The longer version: I signed up for SST due to pain that made it difficult to sit. I'm just under two months in and past the 10-session mark, and it's been an overhaul of my movement patterns.

Danielle, my therapist, is an absolute expert in the field and masterful in dealing with pain and overall tension. It's been slow and steady work, but I've gotten progressively better, can move more, and feel more confident in my body and abilities as I slowly pick up strength training and exercise again. This is no overnight fix—so expect to put in some work and be patient!

I opted for the online sessions, and the teaching, feedback, and adjustments have been clear. I didn't expect the virtual option to work so well. Danielle is super attentive and picks up even the smallest adjustments that need to be made. It also has the added benefit of becoming more in tune with yourself as you're accountable for carrying out the exercises by yourself and need to speak up to clarify when needed.

I recommend having a laptop you can tilt and wireless earphones/headphones you can connect so you can easily move around and do the exercises as instructed while still hearing well. I'm in a completely different time zone than the US and had zero issues scheduling sessions.

Each session re-teaches you how to hold yourself and move (e.g., sleep, walk, sit, bend, etc.), which you then start doing 24/7, and you also get homework exercises you need to do several times a day (around 3-5 times in my case for 10 minutes each). As you progress, you'll also get strength exercises. I've also gotten specific feedback for different types of exercise and sports (e.g., walking, swimming, cycling) I want to get back to, so once I had the basics covered (which took me around 10, 45-min sessions), I was really glad to see the feedback tailored to the specific things I want to do again.

The best part of this process is that I feel I now have the tools to maintain movement patterns that take care of my body for a lifetime. I plan to continue working with Danielle and SST to fine-tune everything I've learned as I work on improving my overall health and lifestyle.

Elena V.

I've been working with SST on adjusting a misalignment in my body that caused chronic pains and reoccurring injuries.
It's been 4 months, and I see improvements both in my pain levels (none) and overall wellbeing.
These improvements require self-discipline and making sure you do the recommended adjustments and exercises. If you don't have time or discipline to do that, the program might not be right for you. Danielle is wonderful to work with. Recommend to anybody who wants to feel better in their body and ready to do the work.

G. Kryschuk

Over the years I have dealt with recurring acute pain that would be relieved monthly through chiropractic care and massage.

Last year I started a strength weight program. During that time, I developed chronic pain in my neck and shoulder. I tried chiro, laser therapy, physical therapy, massage therapy and acupuncture which did not relieve my pain and at times made my pain worse shortly after treatment.

I discovered Sterling Structural Therapy while I was searching on YouTube. I was hesitant to try but I thought I had nothing to lose.

They matched me with Lauren, and she has been great. I have been working with her since the end of July 2023. Remote physical therapy works, and it gives people around the world a chance to live pain-free.

I am having more pain-free days, but I still experience flare-ups. When I do, I have tools that I can use to lower the intensity over time.

It is important to do the homework and be willing to make lifestyle changes in your daily movements for long-term relief. The new daily movements include a change in sleeping position, walking, sitting, etc. and adaption to activities you enjoy.

My mindset of strength has changed. My new goal is getting to total alignment so I can be pain-free and stronger within my posture. I have started basic strength work. In time I believe I will be able to get stronger again using modified techniques and having new goals.

It‘s just the beginning of my recovery. I have hope that I will get my health back in time. Looking forward to new physical activities or sports.

Thank you, Lauren, for your expertise, patience, encouragement, and understanding. The Sterling Structural Therapy Team and Lauren are giving many of us back a pain-free quality of life to enjoy.

Robby Straub

I would like to thank these wonderful people. I'm convinced they are actually angels. I've been in chronic pain for 26 years. It started with plantar fasciitis when I was 21. I believe the precursor to that was actually a tonsillectomy at 18, that involved some complications.

The pain eventually covered my whole body, and became something to have to live with. I never gave up hope that I would get better, and to have it actually happening is too good to be true.

When I saw Dana's talk on YouTube, I knew immediately this is what would work. What an unbelievable gift to give to someone. To be able to erase 26 years of damage. It's been incredible to experience the body being healed! I've cried tears of joy multiple times along the way.

Being in chronic pain, you are not able to experience life, because the pain takes all of your attention and effort. I'm now having longer stretches with less pain, and am able to concentrate, and think about other things more often.

Dana and SST are giving my life back to me. I'm not sure they fully understand the good they are doing for people. From day 1, their professionalism, and caring guidance have been on full display. Fantastic that this is available virtually. Thank You Dana!

Judah is my therapist, and she is simply put, amazing. She knows exactly what to say, and how to guide you, and you can tell she really wants you to improve. Her dedication is obvious, and I will continue to absorb everything she teaches me like a sponge. Thank You!

Thank You to Mollie and Alexandra, and the entire SST team!

Rebecca Mac

I have been working with SST for about 3 months now and I'm very impressed with their approach and the treatment results.

I have scoliosis, and was diagnosed with hip impingement in my right hip a few years ago. At the time, I was experiencing high levels of chronic pain in my right hip and leg. I was referred for hip arthroscopy surgery, but did some research and discovered that there were many people who had reduced/eliminated hip pain via physiotherapy. So I started doing an exercise routine every day with specific exercises that targeted the hip muscles. Over time, this reduced my pain, and increased my mobility. But I wanted to understand why my body kept falling back into this dysfunctional pattern of movement, that resulted in pain. When I came across some content from SST, I was intrigued that they work on the entire fascial system, not just the area that is manifesting the dysfunction (pain).

My SST therapist (Danielle) has taught me an exercise routine that I do 3-5x a day (only takes 10-15mins). But she has also taught me new ways to sit, stand, walk, sleep, etc. so that my body does not fall back into the dysfunctional pattern that causes pain. I am very excited to have these tools to keep me out of pain and able to do the sports I enjoy!

One other component that I would like to mention is that SST also addresses the nervous system component of chronic pain. I have come to understand that stress causes us to hold tension in our bodies, which eventually causes pain. My therapist has taught me various techniques to calm the nervous system, so that the muscles and fascia can let go of tension and the body can be at ease.

If you are experiencing chronic pain, and are desperately looking for something that will work, book a consult with SST. You do need to be willing to commit some time each day to do the exercises, but you will not regret it! It will be good for you.