Renee Garvin, PT

	Joined Jun, 2003 Department: Chronic Pain Title: Sr Physical Therapist Degree: PT Interests: Traveling, reading, running, hiking, exercising, knitting Languages: Some Spanish Practitioner Homepage
Bio I have been a physical therapist since 1992. I worked in an outpatient setting with work related injuries as well as with the elderly in a nursing/ assisted living facility before joining Kaiser's Chronic Pain Program in 2003. I enjoy working with people & assisting them in their efforts to develop proper movement & exercise routines. I believe everyone can benefit from exercise & I am passionate about instilling this belief in my clients. Just like food & water, exercise is a necessity for the body! When I am not working I enjoy hiking, biking,running, reading, cooking, traveling, seeing Broadway plays & hunting for bargains. B.S. in Health Sciences, Cal State Hayward Master's in P.T., UCSF/SFSU
My Medical Specialty
More details about my specialty: I chose to pursue a career in physical therapy (PT) when I was in high school taking a Health Occupations class which allowed us to observe various medical / hospital personnel doing their jobs. I was placed in the PT dept and knew it was what I wanted to do because it combined my interests in the human body, health, and helping people. I enjoy being a physical therapist because I find it very rewarding that I can motivate someone to change their behavior or move their body differently and improve their health, well being, posture, function, quality of life. My specialty interests and affiliations within my field: In 2004, I took a Pilates training course and became a certified Pilates instructor so I'm using this form of exercise in my current work with chronic pain patients. I believe it fits very nicely with the approach the Chronic Pain Team takes with the patients we work with in terms of body awareness, using the breath and improving function. Great health resources that I refer to: Anything that has to do with the body, exercise, self help. I believe different people learn from various resources including books, the internet videos etc.
Interests
In Feb 2006 a co-worker and I formed the North Bay branch of 'Knitting Pals by the Bay', a group that knits caps for people going through chemotherapy. This has been a very rewarding & successful endeavor. On Nov 5, 2006 I ran in the US Half Marathon in San Francisco. I have only been running for about 5 months, what I would call run/walking. But I ran most of the 1/2 marathon and finished it in 2 hrs and 40 minutes! The best part was running over the Golden Gate bridge and the beautiful views. Currently reading: Self, Health magazines My favorite book or author: most recently Harlan Coben Great movie: March of the Penguins	Hobby Photos & Links: KnittingPals.org
Family & Friends
People in my life: My husband & I have been together for 20 yrs, wow, half of my life. We are best friends.	Photos of my Family & Friends: my beau & I

Travel
An adventure I've had: The most exciting thing I've ever done on a vacation was going on a zip-line adventure through the jungle in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Other exciting adventures have included visiting the Empire State building and Twin Towers in NYC. Favorite place in the world: Many favorites including: Tahiti, Baja Mexico, Sonoma County	Travel Photos: Me on the zip line in Puerto Vallarta A Photo of One of My Favorite Places: sea of dolphins