Meet Carolyn Silan, PT

I have always had a caring nature and when that is combined with, not only a strong desire to become the most effective Physical Therapist that I could be, but being dealt some health cards that required me to undertake my own health journey over the last six months, you have the recipe for this Physical Therapist to achieve great Physical Therapy outcomes!  Furthermore, my Orthopedic Physical Therapy educational journey has truly been a series of fortunate events.

I love to learn, and every patient, and every injury that I personally sustain, teaches me so much!  Plus, I delved into my Physical Therapy education with enthusiasm and went the extra mile in my learning when it came to my orthopedic courses!  I studied above and beyond what was needed to pass that class because I had such deep interest in the field.  Then after Physical Therapy school, I spent a considerable amount of time and energy pursuing not just the minimum continuing education required but seeking out many courses a year as well as committing myself to long-term courses to really learn Orthopedic Physical Therapy!  Yet, I credit much serendipity just as much in my knowledge journey.  And I am so grateful that I can now reap the benefits of my vast skill set and treat my patients so much more enjoyably with being able to provide expert care and very successful outcomes.  

It practically borders on the line of a miracle that I got into Physical Therapy school at all!  In case you aren't aware, Physical Therapy (PT) is a very difficult school to get into. Usually students need to have graduated from their undergraduate degree with as close to, or over, a 4.0 GPA in order to win a spot as a PT student.  I spent a little too much time socializing, when I wasn't working full-time, in the early part of my undergraduate education at UC Davis. My GPA was a shocking 2.6 at the end of my first semester.  My GPA didn’t improve much from there over the ensuing years, only enough to stay in school.  But, eventually, I went down to a part-time job with the help of my parents, and managed to graduate with a 3.2 GPA.  Impressive, provided what I started with, but still far below what the other Physical Therapy students I was later competing with to earn a place in PT school had on their records. Fortunately, I had challenged the Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) Board Examination to become an PTA in 1994 and was able to ace the interview and made it into Physical Therapy school at CSU, Sacramento!

At the time of graduation, I am 7 months pregnant and needing to find a full-time job. My last clinical affiliation while in school was at an all female clinic where two of the other therapists were pregnant as well. As luck would have it, they hired me despite the fact that I would need maternity leave shortly after starting because the three of us could stagger our maternity leaves, so I was happily hired!  It was a learning clinic and we had in-service trainings every month from the other PTs in the clinic that had gone to Continuing Education courses.  You really get to use and know what you have learned if you turn around and teach it!  A great learning tool!

Fast forward a year, and I'm moving back home in the Central Valley of California near Sacramento to be near my family.  As my luck would have it, I ended up moving to Folsom, California, right around the corner from a Manual Therapy Training Center that was offering a year-long study in the Norwegian approach to Manual Therapy. My mom was in good health and could make an hour drive every week for 11 months and come on one weekend a month to spend time with her grandson and afford me the opportunity to gain such valuable education.

Over the years, I was fortunate enough to be able to learn from other experts whom I admire in the field of Orthopedic Physical Therapy.  Living a couple of hours from the San Francisco Bay Area allowed me many opportunities to study from the best.  I learned the Australian approach to Manual Therapy at the renowned Kaiser Hayward, California. I enjoyed being entertained as I learned some amazing techniques by Brian Mulligan who pioneered Movement-based Joint Mobilization. Michael Shacklock, DipPhysio, MAppScMPT, FACP, and Founder of Clinical Neurodynamics and Advanced Clinical Neurodynamics taught me about the specifics in treating the nervous system.  I have a prized picture with now 86-year-old, Shirley Sahrmann, PT, PhD, FAPTA who pioneered Movement System Impairment Syndromes.  And, what I believe to be one of the most effective therapeutic interventions ever, Myofascial Decompression™, which is cupping with specific movements performed simultaneously, I learned from it’s Founder, Christopher DaPrato, DPT, SCS, CSCS, PES with the University of California, San Francisco.  I have since taken that technique to a higher level of effectiveness with functional movements performed rather than just one muscle group being activated, for example, sit-to-stand or walking with cups applied rather than, say, simply tightening your quadriceps muscle (good things are learned when the therapist needs to be a patient!). The initials after my name are from certifications, first as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist in 2003 and a Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist in 2005.

I have embarked on my own health journey over the last several months and have learned so much!  I have suffered dozens of whiplash injuries and concussions over the years as well as fighting an auto-immune disorder.  This has led to multiple areas of severe myofascial restriction (see my current newsletter on this website for more information on myofascia) as well as severe muscle cramping usually in the wee hours of the morning and almost always in my right calf.  I’m sure many of you can relate to this misery!  I even get muscle cramps in my eyes!  I turned myself loose with all kinds of self-treatment tools and techniques and learned how to maximize the results of these techniques that I have taught others over the years, now applied to myself.  I developed many techniques out of necessity for my own healing journey!

Proficiency with all of these techniques and interventions I have honed over time sets me apart from other Physical Therapists. As an athlete and fitness enthusiast myself, my practice stems from my passion for whole-body wellness. I am here to help you live your best life, with your healthiest body! You, too, can let over 30 years of experience as a bodyworker help you to feel your best!