Iris Wolf Physical Therapy Gentle Holistic Pain Relief through expert hands-on Manual Therapy
Iris Wolf Physical TherapyGentle Holistic Pain Relief through expert hands-on Manual Therapy

What patients are saying

Testimonials

 

I will start by saying I think Iris Wolf is not just a Physical Therapist; she is a healer.  She has a remarkable talent for determining the root cause of your condition and addressing it directly and gently.  I have worked with Iris Wolf for over 25 years.  We met when I had suffered a herniated disk in my back from an earlier athletic injury resulting in a chronic condition.  During my early treatments Iris was able to alleviate my pain and provide improved mobility.  After the required surgery, she helped me to heal without any lingering effects.  Over the years since then I have visited Iris whenever I have any muscular or joint conditions requiring attention.  Every time I have visited Iris Wolf she has been able to diagnose and address the problem, usually in one session.  I cannot overstate my positive feelings about this amazing health care provider.   

 

David M. Browning

   Portland, Oregon

 

Iris Wolf is a healer, a teacher, and a highly skilled Physical Therapist. Iris listens, communicates and treats each client with a profound acceptance of individual needs.  With an unstable SI joint and lower back issues, I have turned to Iris, for over 15 years, to guide my body to relearn and realign through Manual Therapy.  Iris draws on her up-to-date training to utilize an integrated approach to diagnose and design effective treatments.  She is able to integrate her vast knowledge of the wisdom of various PT modalities with the intelligence of a client’s body.  In so doing, a client is encouraged to participate directly in a holistic process.  For me, this means understanding where my body considers neutral alignment in the moment.  Working with Iris is not a passive undertaking; my body continually learns a process of ‘active intuition’ (my words) to gently move from painful limitations into more flexible extensions.  Iris follows up her treatments by assigning simple yet profound exercises to stabilize and strengthen. Thank you, Iris Wolf, PT!

 

Joan Kvitka

 

In my opinion Iris Wolf is the best PT in town.  The combination of her exceptional manual therapy skills and her superb intuitive healing sense allows for every treatment to be completely individualized to what your needs are as a whole person. She does not just treat the injury but the whole system to ensure the most optimal functioning possible and as such a freedom of movement that is rarely achieved with other modalities.  As a PT myself, Iris is the person I trust most with my own body.  

 

Chelesa Mayer, DPT

 

I am feeling so much better. I couldn’t believe how much better it felt to swim just after I saw you! It felt like I had so much more fluidity of movement. I’ve taken some long walks in the snow, did a little bit of shoveling and built a snow person.

D. N.

 

Your referral to get a cat scan saved my life. I can never thank you enough. I’m so grateful for your help over the last few weeks.

M. A.

 

Thank you for the great work. So much improvement! My son even thanked me for bringing him to you.

S. W.

 

Thanks for the fabulous treatment Iris. As expected, I am a bit sore but feel great as the ribs are freely moving again.

C.D.

 

Dear Iris, I am so grateful for all your healing, your direct and pragmatic kindness and your laughter.

Tanja Crenshaw

 

More practical magic from Iris – hands down the most gifted PT I have ever worked with. Sad you don’t have a Hawaii office!

Fenix Grange

 

My recommendation for Iris is unqualified!  She inspires instant trust. She loves the work she does and it shows. She is everything a master practitioner should be.  

I have suffered for years from severe neck, shoulder and head pain.   Nothing helped until my equally impressive Pilates teacher Vicky Mosse recommended Iris.  After a short round of intensive treatments, my symptoms have diminished, my posture has improved, I am more energetic and my sleep patterns are better. Now it is up to me to do the exercises, take good care of my body and put myself in Iris's amazing hands for a "booster" as needed.  

I feel so strongly about giving Iris five stars that I have asked her to use my name.  

 

– Nancy Harkrider  Portland Oregon

 

Iris Wolf has worked miracles on my body, literally. I had neck pain for almost a year when I first came to see her.  I’d visited numerous practitioners --  an acupuncturist, a chiropractor, an orthopedist, a physical therapist and my primary care provider.  No one could rid me of the pain.  Iris spent five patient months with me, trying to figure out what was going on.  And finally, I started to get relief.  The pain continued to subside and then, one day, it stopped. And it’s never come back. I’m deeply grateful to her.

I’ve also seen Iris for other aches and pains and it always helps.  She tries a variety of techniques until she gets to the bottom of the problem. I cannot recommend her services highly enough.  She is talented, thoughtful and very kind.

 

Diana Bianco, Portland

 

I found Iris through a friend who had a persistent  back problem that Iris fixed. I have a vertebra in my lower back that is out of place. Iris has done more than any other provider to relieve the nerve pain that goes down my leg and into my foot. When I'm diligent with the regimen she gave me, my body feels great.

Iris is the most competent physical therapist I've ever had, and I've had several. Her understanding of how the body works impresses me anew at every visit.

The friend who recommended Iris to me calls her 'the mechanic' because she has a preternatural ability to fix almost anything. I agree completely.

 

– Anthony Effinger, Portland, OR

 

 

I am retired and not ready for the armchair. Working with Iris has kept me in the game, independent and free of pain. Thank you for everything you do for me. Thank you for keeping me in the game.

 

– Daniel (Myoan) McCarty, Portland, OR

 

 

I have seen Iris Wolf at different times over the last 15 years with amazing results. Most recently, after three visits she had manipulated my frozen shoulder so that I was able to raise my arm over my head.   I find her approach to physical therapy the most effective for me.  She uses expert manual therapy and adjustment of the affected area to get it working again. Then she also shows me exercises to strengthen the affected area. She has also helped me with postural balancing as I have back and diaphragm / breathing issues from a car accident many years ago.

My  respiratory issues occur after bronchitis or pneumonia with resulting  muscle tightness in my chest and upper back, limiting my breath capacity.  Iris has manually adjusted these areas so that I am able to return to my normal breathing. I highly recommend her.

– Sandy Marron

 

 

When is a therapist more than therapist? When she treats a patient like the most important person in the world. When she listens carefully and draws from an impressive tool-kit of solutions. When she applies Columbo-level detective skills to your body quirks.When she constantly studies the latest advance thinking in her field, so no ideas are left on the table. When she is above all else, honest and beaming with integrity. That’s Iris Wolf. As a patient for ten years, I could not recommend her more highly.

 

– Karen Brooks, Portland, Oregon

 

 

Iris Wolf, practitioner and teacher, is one of the most knowledgeable, empathetic, intuitive and skilled Physical Therapists I have ever known --- and I have known many. Wrought with 24/7 chronic muscle pain (for half my life), I was on my way to being pain-free, the moment I entered her treatment room.

With her vast skills in many different types of manual therapy and XXX, slowly (BUT oh so surely), Iris guided me to a pain free life.  Through many setbacks along the way (car accidents, various muscle injuries, panic attacks, and more), Iris’ steadfast patience, knowledge, and loving-kindness was a major factor in my recovery.  I will be forever grateful (indebted really) to her.  I have, and will continue, to refer my family and friends to Iris. 

 

– Tricia, Beaverton, OR

 

 

When I was 22 my 1 year old daughter was sleeping with me and threw her legs over my neck during the night.  That put a vertebra out and injured my neck.  My mother took me to a chiropractor, who was more like a wrestler, and he further injured my neck.  I have been dealing with the results ever since and I am now 85.

Because of what he did, I have 4 fused vertebrae in my neck and a twisted spine.  With the help of osteopaths I managed to do reasonably well until the osteopaths no longer did the type of treatments that they had been doing.  Then about 15 years ago one of my students – I am a music teacher – told me about Iris.  I have been going to Iris ever since.  I have had both knees replaced and Iris has helped me to continue to be active and able to do normal things that I would not be able to do anymore if it were not for her.   When I have a problem she gives me a treatment and it is better.

 

My biggest problem is my neck and shoulders.  She has been able to keep me mobile, and now I can use my right arm to do things like reaching behind me to zip a zipper, which I haven’t been able to do for a long time.  With her help I live a pretty normal life and still work. I’ve been working for over 62 years.   If it wasn’t for Iris I am sure I would have been totally crippled and unable to live the life I am living now. 

I have a treatment every 2 to 3 weeks.  I always have some pain, and have had most of my life, but Iris keeps me active and able to work and live in my home on my own.  I am forever grateful for her help and friendship.

 

Thank you, Iris for being there for me all these years.

 

– Pauline Bellows Jensen

 

 

Thank you, I have no pain anywhere. You have been wonderful. I certainly will come back whenever I have pain. You ARE wonderful!!

 

– Gaik Taylor

 

 

(16 y/o patient with sports induced asthma at high level activity)Her mother wrote:

She went to Steens mountain high altitude running camp last week & didn’t use her inhaler once. You are the golden ticket!

Emma feels much better and is doing her exercises. I should have had her see you a long time ago.

I’m hoping we can throw that inhaler away. It will be clear once cross country races begin but I feel pretty strongly that you have made that possible.

 

– Tricia Pitzer

 

Iris Wolf: if I didn’t know you were so well schooled in all things P.T. and cranial, I would think what you do is just magic. I don’t think there is any part of my body you haven’t treated over the last 5 years: problems in my back, legs, neck arm, feet, breathing problems. It’s amazing that I am now a completely functioning being! Every treatment put me a little closer, and also gave me the confidence that I could make it. Your techniques and intuition are nothing short of impressive. Getting a treatment from you remains a major treat – especially the cranial work, which is like a little trip to heaven, making me not just relaxed but sharp and crisp in thought. Thanks for all you do.

 

Karen B

 

Iris, thank you for the healing experience. It has been a blessing to have you enter my life.

 

Kay

 

Dear Iris, thank you again from the bottom of my heart for all your positive energies and talents that you brought forward for my healing. You are truly an amazing woman!

Thanks to you I am feeling terrific and believe that I will maintain and continue to feel this way as I move forward.

 

Lois

 

Dear Iris! I want to thank you for your wonderful care and treatment over the past two month! I have made amazing progress with my injuries and the function of my hand since I began treatment with you. …. My doctor was so impressed with my progress and with the report you sent him that he expressed an interest in having you do a presentation on your approach to his team of doctors!

 

Margaret

 

Dear Iris, on my way home from seeing you Friday I was listening to NPR. They were interwiewing the author of a book entitled “The Anatomy of Hope”. The author, a doctor, spoke of the importance of allowing patients hope in even the bleakest of circumstances. Hope is what you provided me when I first came to see you. After so many years of little progress in dealing with my back pain, your listening ear, your professional skill and your sensitivity helped me believe that there was hope for relief. And to a great degree you’re responsible for the relief of pain I have experienced. Thank you, Iris, for all you have done and continue to do for me.

 

Debbie

 

Your skill, courage and heart change us all who are fortunate enough to be touched by you, Iris. Thank you.

 

Steve

 

Dear Iris. Just a short note thanking you for making it possible for me to have continued visits with you. You truly have made an impact in my life. I feel my visits with you provide me with not only pain relief but with “do able” exercises that are extremely helpful in making an improvement in my overall health. Other physical therapy exercises from previous PT’s were usually too difficult and actually increased my pain making my condition worse. I also have learned a great deal from you in many areas of health and have appreciated info and advice you’ve given me along the way as well as your support.

 

Diana

 

Dear Iris, Thank you so much for working with Baby Nick after his birth. He seemed to enjoy your tender touch. It was an honor for us both for him to receive such a beautiful gift. I have also very much enjoyed learning from you – both as a mentor / teacher and from my own healing experience with you. Thank you for the light you have shared.

 

Tami

 

I want to thank you again with my back pain. I realize that some of your patients have much more serious problems than mine, so I do appreciate you taking the time to help me.

 

Jill

 

Dear Iris, I am always thinking of you! I want to thank you for fixing my body. I couldn’t have done it without you. I have been doing really well.

 

Michelle

 

Dear Iris, I can’t begin to adequately thank you for the difference you’ve made in my wellbeing. I am grateful – THANK YOU! I will miss seeing you. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you and consider you both an expert practitioner extraordinaire and a friend.

 

Mary

 

Dear Iris, today marks the 1 year anniversary of my shoulder recovery. Today, I am relieved to say that I can lift my arm over my head! It has been a hell of a year – and I learned so much about myself & about healing in general. My dreams of dancing, farming, using my body, entire body, is now a possibility.

And this I know for certain. I wouldn’t have done it without you. Thank you for your unrelenting support, guidance, healing hands, salty humor, constant belief that I could get there (even when I didn’t believe it myself), and knowing when and who to refer me to. I am so grateful for you Iris. You are a wonderful soul.

 

Mira

 

Iris, I can’t thank you enough for all the help that you gave me during 2014. Your Physical Therapy sessions were truly a transformative experience. I had begun to wonder whether it was possible to live without pain or to get back to my former self. Your patience and your gifted and intuitive approach guided me to a recovery that has been far beyond what I thought was possible.

 

Jen

 

Dear Iris, I cannot thank you enough for the change you have made in my life. I can now enjoy all the things I love. I really enjoyed meeting you and you are a lovely woman with healing hands and much knowledge.

 

Jeannie

 

Hi Iris, Thank you for taking such good care of me. Your kindness, generosity, and healing knowledge are a gift.

 

Michelle

 

Thank you Iris for your healing presence!

 

Marna

 

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