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What they're saying about Dianna:
"Dianna Linden is unique among massage therapists. She is an expert at identifying the different problems in muscle tissue, from spasms to weak muscles. Dianna, with her expertise, works not just symmetrically, but therapeutically balances the muscles. When clients come to me from her sessions, the muscles are soft, my adjustments effortless.
She has instructed her clients to ask me what they can do to prevent the misalignment from recurring. I show them the proper exercises to correct weaknesses and restricted ROM. I know she expands on my instruction and reinforces their effort because compliance is higher with her referrals than the general population of clients.
My 15+ years of collaborating with Dianna has renewed my faith in what the field of massage therapy can offer to the community of health practitioners."
Franco Columbu, DC
Mr. World
Mr. Olympia
Mr. Universe
World Powerlifting Champion
World Records in Powerlifting:
Bench Press 520#, Squat 655#, Deadlift 750#
Records in Weightlifting:
Snatch 270#, Clean and Jerk 400#
Restoration of the athletic body from one hard training session to another is largely misunderstood and often ignored in the development of athletes in this country. If you’re a serious athlete or the coach of serious athletes and you’re interested in smoothing out the bumps in the training highway you have to listen to the words of Dianna Linden, a bodyworker supreme.
Dianna Linden is any hard training athlete’s best friend. Her educated hands and fingers can accurately diagnose soft tissue injuries with the accuracy of a high tech scanning device
I recently got Dianna to agree to an interview of nearly an hour and a half to talk about bodywork, restoration, athletic massage and how she can identify proper and improper training simply by palpating the muscles. . She is the most accomplished athletic massage therapist I’ve ever been involved with...you can access this interview in the member section of my website.
Bob Takano
Takano Athletics
USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame Coach
Dear Dianna,
You truly have a gift! Your exceptionally skillful hands, comprehensive knowledge of the body, and consummate professionalism are unparalleled.
In many ways you are like the ultimate bodywork detective – not only addressing the immediate area of injury but also investigating the surrounding and related tissue to determine if more than just the obvious is involved. And you almost always manage to find schmutz that I had no idea existed!
Our collaborative bodywork sessions make it possible for me to train at the level necessary to be competitive in weightlifting at the national level.
I cannot thank you enough for all of the bodywork and moral support you have provided me with over the years.
Hey Di - Wanted to let you know that my hamstring feels like a million bucks! The work you did on it on Friday really did the trick. Most of the issues I've had in the past have been more joint (tendon, musculo-tendinous) related so the effects of your work on this muscular twang was much more dramatic. After trying to ignore it for almost 2 months, now I don't feel it at all. Your skills continue to amaze me!
Thank you!
Love,
Leslie Musser (2:24 min)
2006 American Open - Silver Medallist
79kg Snatch / 96kg Clean & Jerk / 175kg Total
6 for 6 and 3 personal records!
2004 Olympic Team Trials Participant
2003 National Championships - Gold Medallist
As a Olympic athlete I compete against the world's best so I put my health in the world's best hands. Dianna’s comprehensive knowledge of the body and unique gift to heal gives me the confidence to maximize my potential during training. With Dianna's assistance I have fully recovered from my Achilles tendon injury allowing me to train for the 2008 Olympic Games pain free. Thank you for the gift of health and for your constant support!
Thanks Dianna for everything!
Malachi Davis
All American 4 x 400m NCAA Champion
2004 Olympian
2005 World Championships
Thank you for being the most incredible, talented and sophisticated body worker IN THE WORLD!! More importantly, however, thank you for being such a special person in my life. You are truly amazing. I would not be here without your support and guidance, and of course the countless hours of body work. Thank you for helping my dreams become a reality.
You are the best Di!!
Love,
Gea Johnson
USA Bobsled
Dianna has helped me recover from numerous cycling injuries.
Thanks to her skill and expertise, I've been able to maintain a semi-pro level of performance years beyond my expectations.
Dianna is a therapist non "par excellence”.
Randy Paik
Director of Photography
Di,
Here's what I tell people about your work. You have helped me avoid two surgeries, one on my knee and one on my back. Doctors wanted to cut me open to explore but you used your techniques to break up adhesions and release constricted muscles that even top surgeons couldn't diagnose. You have changed the quality of my life.
For that you have my deepest admiration and gratitude.
JJ
Dianna was my lifesaver from our first meeting on! She is one of the most knowledgeable people I’ve come across in terms of sports therapy – combining the physical treatment with spiritual and emotional healing as well. All of which can contribute to injury and failure to achieve the gold.
I heard about Dianna thru a great friend of mine, 3 Sport Olympian Gea Johnson, while preparing for the Inaugural World’s Strongest Woman Competition. I had changed overnight from light figure competitor training to super heavy, pushing myself for personal records 6 days a week, 3 hours a day. I only had 12 weeks to prepare to compete against some seasoned powerlifters, and the workload was really wreaking havoc on my joints, muscles, and connective tissue. She kept ‘tweaking’ my body to prevent me from going into an overtrained state – something that can make an athlete come to a complete halt in training.
A few weeks out from when I was due to board the plane to Africa to compete, I developed chondromalasia and a torn QL muscle in my back. Sometimes ‘stuff happens’ in the gym in spite of our best efforts to avoid injury. With what seemed like a miracle to me, she was able to assess the soft tissue implications and help me work thru everything so I was able to go on to compete!
Years later, I still look to Dianna keep me tuned up and to help me with the ailments that come from my varied training schedule. I feel blessed to know her and have her in my corner.
3rd Place Inaugural World's Strongest Woman Competition
Having known her for over twenty years, I’m extremely familiar with Dianna’s vast scope and range of knowledge not only as a healer, but as a person, as well.
Surfing, painting, and working construction have all, in a variety of ways, caused injuries to my body throughout the years and Dianna has consistently and miraculously managed to rid me of the pulsating pain, arduous stiffness and the relentless knots, tension strains, and "tweaked" elements of my body, from the twisted wrist to the pulled neck.
Her amazing wisdom regarding the human body and its muscle-to-muscle inner workings is nothing short of awe-inspiring, her abilities to remove the pain and injury from your body are rare. Dianna is a genuine miracle-worker in her field, as well as an outstanding individual on this earth!
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
First and foremost, my friend and Sports Massage Therapist Dianna Linden, without whom my Achilles tendon and I would not have made it 20 feet out of the water, let alone another 138.2 miles.
I can tell you from experience that Dianna Linden, the sports massage therapist that I have seen for 8 months or so now, is simply the best there is at massage and injury recovery/prevention.
In training for Ironman Coeur d’Alene I encountered injuries in both of my Achilles tendons and through consistent (often painful, but worth it) deep transverse friction massage I managed to turn in a great race. I tried different chiropractors but none of them could hold a candle to Dianna.
She is a human MRI, the best I have ever worked with. I highly recommend her.
Oceanside Half Ironman, 70.3, 3/2007 5:21
Ensenada 70.3 6/2007 5:05
Coeur d’Alene Ironman 6/2007 11:49
Clearwater 70.3 World Championship 11/07 4:50
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Santa Barbara Long Course Triathlon Post Post Mortem
Now here comes the more suprising part - the morning after.
I go into each race prepared for a day long of pain that comes the next morning. There was never a time i didn't have a full day spent in bed after a long race. Within 2 hrs after the race, I got a massage, which enabled me to walk again. I simply walked into the door limping and walked out skipping. I was still quite tired…
When I finally got up around 8am to start the [next] day, I paused. I paused to check if this was for real - this meaning feeling...ok...like any other day! My shoulders weren't burning, my ankles were sore from the race but not burning as if they were being ground by sandpaper as in my usual flare-ups. My head was clear, I was smiling. I just lived through a miracle, i think. I cannot believe to this day how well i have been feeling since the race. But i'm LOVING it....
...Of course all of these milestones don't come without help from others. I would like to thank the following people in my life that got me through the tough times and helped me improve my mind and body (in no specific order)...
Dianna Linden, my genius, compassionate and AMAZING sports massage therapist and friend: she was instrumental in enabling my muscles to get looser and therefore stronger. it is because of her that my muscles were able to recover as fast as it did after a quick little massage post-race. It was because of her i became more aware of my body, my muscles and also my mindset.
Dianna! (Fri.8/29/08)
I did it! :) Can't wait to see you again!!! YOU KNOW YOU HAD A HUGE PART IN MAKING THIS HAPPEN FOR ME….THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH. You are a gift in my life that was brought to me to help me get through one of the toughest times of my life. Thank you for helping me achieve my goal and I look forward to even a deeper and greater friendship …
See you soon!
Love,
To Di
Thanks for helping me make it to the TU.
Couldn’t have made it without you.
All my best,
TitoRaymond
2004 Team Universe
NPC Bodybuilding National Figure Championships
Prior to seeing Dianna I thought my tennis career was over. I was starting to feel like an old man. I could hardly move. I had recurrent tennis elbow and chronic issues with my low back, abs, hip flexors, hamstrings and calves.
Dianna's bodywork and rehab recommendations transformed my body.
I've gained 15# of muscle. I'm more explosive, flexible and powerful. I feel like I'm 15 years younger.
She's brought back my love of tennis once again.
Life is tennis and all else is waiting!
Angel Abreu
Ranked in the top 5 in singles in So. Cal. in several senior age divisions.
Bronze Ball @ Clay Court Nationals in the 40's
Ranked 7th in the nation in doubles in the 35's....
Hard training athletes need far more than just a generic massage. They need a highly skilled body worker with a personalized approach. There is no better fit than Dianna Linden.
I have been getting "tune-ups" from Dianna for many years and have happily sent her referrals from my customer base. Dianna has the rare combination of intuition, talents, and tons of experience that pays off big time for the client.
Many times I have walked into Dianna's place feeling worn out with injuries only to walk out ninety minutes later feeling like a million bucks. Stuff we do in life, especially training, builds up scar tissue. Dianna knows exactly how to break it down and get your muscles working better than ever. When you have too much scar tissue built up you feel like you are training with breaks on. Dianna helps get the breaks off and gets you moving again. 
In addition to being a better athlete, you will simply feel a lot better. I cannot recommend Dianna's services enough.
Mike Mahler,
Author of "The Aggressive Strength Solution For Size And Strength"
"Dianna Linden has a unique combination of talents: deep intuitive understanding, profound spiritual insight and an extensive and thorough knowledge of anatomy and physiology. She brings all these to bear in her body work.
In my work I am continually reminded of how much misery is caused by acute and chronic injury to soft tissue, muscle and joints and how little Western medicine has to offer the patient with such complaints as back pain, rotator cuff injury and repetitive strain trauma. That is why, when I see patients who have these conditions, I send them to the one person whom I know can help them Dianna."
"Dianna Linden has literally saved my ass more times than I can possibly recount. For twenty years I have been amazed by her skill, sensitivity, and knowledge of bodies.
Her broad interdisciplinary mastery of a wide variety of body work disciplines, and her ability to come up with solutions that fit the case at hand rather than applying a fixed set of skills, make her a priceless resource."
– Stephen Nachmanovitch, Ph.D.
Dear Dianna,
Thanks for rubbing us in all the right places!
We couldn’t have been as successful without you!
Los Angeles Lifting Club
“There are no limits”
Joe & Nance Avigliano
Shea Aubuchon, Onn Basson, Morgan Bugby, Stephen Faulk, Matt Levy, Spencer Levy, Angela Martinez, Scott Villiquette, Nichelle Whitfield, Herb
“Thanks for fixing my aching back 12/04” Steve Miller
“Thanks for the help, Di! 556# squat, bw 131”
(2002 No. Am. Powerlifting Championships, Red Deer, Alberta CA)
“I wouldn’t have made it to the Hall of Fame without you!
Strength and Honor,”
Di we really did it this time!!
I went for my yearly check with Dr Ehrhart. He informed me that I had one of the 3 worse sets of knees he’s surgically replaced in 25 years of doing knee replacements. (Musta been those 11 marathons I ran after 29 years (4500 matches) in the WWF, ya think?!!)
He also told me I had about the best recovery. No one else has squatted below 90, w/270# on the bar. These quads are the best set of ‘fluffy’(as you like to call em) well toned steaks he’s ever felt, post surgery. The scar tissue work you taught me just blew him away, how good they looked. 4 inches of those 10 ½” scars have pretty much disappeared on both legs.
To celebrate I just ran up the equivalent of the Empire State Building on the stairs of my mom’s apt in NYC. 104 stories x 4 in 21 min. 2 steps at a time. Not bad for a 59 yr old, only 15 months from 2 full knee replacements, including kneecaps! I’m planning to scale the Eiffel Tower next year.
It took Dr Ehrhart 5 hours under the knife to scrape all the arthritic junk out of these knees. I remember they were swollen to 3+x their normal size when we first started flushing em out in the 5th week. It was your diligent work and guidance that made this level of recovery possible.
Bravo. Thank you so much.
“Wildman” Jack Armstrong,
aka “The Shiek” (Jan. 2007)
PS: I’ve been doing 2 mile runs on the rubber track at the college twice a week even though you don’t want me to.
I first met Dianna Linden at a certification seminar I was teaching for the International Sports Sciences Association in Santa Barbara, California in 1996. Dianna stood out to me because she asked great questions– some of the best I’ve ever encountered during my years of experience as a presenter. I found it refreshing to encounter a student who actually challenged me, despite having no formal experience as an exercise professional.
Since that time, Dianna and I have formed a close professional relationship, working together with a variety of athletes, from World-class to regional level in several different sporting disciplines.
One of the most important things I’ve learned from Dianna, and something I hope to get across to my reading audience, is that massage therapists, much like any other class of professionals, vary greatly across ranks. I often joke that her fingertips have little brains of their own– she has an astounding ability to immediately locate damaged tissue, and then, using a wide range of techniques and therapeutic modalities, heal, or at the very least, improve the condition of that tissue."
Charles I. Staley, B.Sc., MSS
Staley Training Systems
Conditioning Specialist, Author, Lecturer, Consultant
Dianna is the most competent and thorough sports massage therapist in Southern California (and probably the entire country). She is able to assess and optimize the time it takes to heal from overuse injuries. Her knowledge of exercise enables her to skillfully advise clients on the proper progression of exercises, weight progressions to facilitate optimal recovery and help prevent re-injury.
Active recovery is a priority so that lifters can keep lifting, runners can keep running and athletes can keep training. Well applied massage is a valuable component of active recovery.
I would not hesitate to highly recommend the most elite of athletes to Dianna, whether they are professionals or amateur Olympic/World Champion athletes. She is simply the reason why I can still lift today.
Todd E. Bostrom
Author of “Z Last Book You’ll Ever Need On Strength Training”