http://Nina.functionalpatterns.com/

FP Nina Chou, 2600 Barnard Way, Santa Monica, CA (2025)

04/03/2025

2 year progress from June 2019- June 2021

“As a basketball referee, I am running up and down hardwood floors making sudden sprints, turns and stops. Before starting FP, I would feel super run down after every game. My hips felt extremely tight, my lower back would lock up and my knee pain would get triggered for days. I also had really tight and compressed shoulders that would pop every time I tried to rotate them. After training with Nina, I noticed a significant difference before, during and after games. Not only did I feel more agile and lighter on my feet, but I could run faster and harder. The best part was afterwards my body would not ache and hurt the way it used to prior to training with FP. With the insane amount of air plane travel I have to endure along with weekly back to back games, I thought my body would continue to experience chronic pain. However since I continue to implement FP on my own, not only has this helped my recovery after games but I don’t experience chronic pain anymore. This training method is truly in a league of its own and has been an incredible journey of learning and understanding the needs of my body.”

Before:
❌ Level 7 knee pain
❌ Level 8 lower back pain
❌ Level 8 hip pain
❌ Kyphosis
❌ Lordosis
❌ Anterior pelvic shift
❌ Lacking core function
❌ Ribcage and lumbar spine compression
❌ Humerus stuck in hyperextension

After:
✅ 0 knee pain
✅ 0 lower back pain
✅ 0 hip pain
✅ Visible functioning core tensions
✅ Improved joint stacking
✅ Ribcage and spinal decompression
✅ Improved symmetry of upper to lower body
✅ Improved leg tensions and joint positioning
✅ Defined neck and jawline

02/03/2025

“Before starting FP I wore a back brace for 2 yrs from ages 12-14. Initially there was a huge difference but once I got rid of it, everything went down hill again as my posture and degree of curvature went back to the same position before the brace.

I had level 6-7 lumbar/sacrum pain which is now a zero. My hips always felt out of place and unbalanced with the rest of my body. I constantly had the urge to pop my hips to alleviate the discomfort. This urge is now a thing of the past.

Not only that but my middle/ upper back used to hurt a lot as well - around a level 8 on the pain scale which is now down to a zero. Any time I would lean or sit against something it would feel very uncomfortable. I also had lots of knots around my neck area causing discomfort and stiffness.

Post FP i’ve noticed a tremendous difference, within my overall physique and posture as well. I feel like I have more control over my body, increased mobility and strength and the best part is I am completely pain free.

I have also noticed a huge change in my everyday activities, such as simple functions like walking, sitting, driving, almost anything really. Everything just feels easier”

We initially trained for 9 months starting Nov 29, 2022 through August 2023. After a 7 month hiatus resumed training for another 5 months from April-August 2024. Took another 1 month break and resumed training for a little over 2 months from Oct 25 - Jan 5th. Outside of our sessions, did zero FP on her own, not even during the big breaks, so it was cool to see her consistently make forward progress when resuming from the breaks.

Being a plant based eater the last several years from around ages 16-23 made it challenging to hold tension during the exercises & would fry out 45 minutes into the session. It took a few months for her to start consuming 1 serving of meat per week. By our second year she was up to a maximum of 2-3 servings per week. With just that small increase it made a huge difference in her ability to hold tension and was able to push through the end of an hour session 🙌

12/19/2024

Stop stretching. Do and MyoFascial release instead.

www.FunctionalPatterns.com for more info

11/29/2024

6 month progress result & testimonial:

“I tore my meniscus for the 2nd time in June 2019. The 1st time around, in Dec 2018, I had a good attitude about it. I thought this would be the thing that forces me to really focus on my health & help me in the long run. I stopped lifting heavy, incorporating stretching & yoga figuring this was the way to stay fit as I got older.
When the 2nd one happened, I was just about ready to give up. I had been doing the MoveU program religiously, going to yoga 2xs a week, stretching for 30mins a day...& it happened again. I was worried that at 30 years old, I would be physically limited the rest of my life. Doctors and trainers were telling me I should just spend all my time focusing on strengthening my legs with squats & lunges. I was lost. I was depressed.
Luckily, a friend convinced me to look into Functional Patterns. It actually made sense to me instantly. The human body was built to walk, run, & throw - any training that doesn’t respect this is making you dysfunctional. Duh. I was still skeptical, so on the same day that I scheduled my intro session with Nina, I also met with a Physical Therapist. In both sessions they did a gait analysis - they watched me walk. The PT told me I looked great & that with a couple months of doing these exercises I’d be back to it. Nina told me I had a lot of issues and it’s going to take some serious work to correct them…I never went back to the PT. The work I have done with Nina has been one of the most transformational experiences in my life. Not only did we rebuild my body, it’s had a tremendous impact on my mind. My posture is better. I sprint at least 4x a week. I’m rarely ever in pain. I feel more athletic. I feel taller. I’m less stressed. I’m more confident. I’m someone who pushes myself, but I would not even have gotten close without Nina. She knew when to push and when to pull. She was able to explain concepts and movement in a way that made sense. I know that without the 2 knee injuries I probably wouldn’t have found and committed to doing FP, the only advice I have for others is not to wait until after the surgery to learn how to move correctly”.

11/27/2024

“I came to Nina to address my scoliotic spine and movement compensations causing much discomfort in my life. After seeking out both physical therapy and chiropractic care to resolve my pain & dysfunctions nothing provided long lasting relief nor reprogrammed my body improving nearly every function like did in a 1 month time span. In just a few short weeks I felt my body like never before and was able to return to running after a long hiatus. Nina’s attention to detail enabled me to find new connections in my body, better contact to the ground, improve my breathing, as I felt my body continue to lengthen & decompress after each session.”
Postural changes include lumbar & ribcage decompression. Decreased scapular winging, lateral pelvic shift, anterior pelvic shift & tilt.

Previous physical therapy approaches to address his scapular winging & upper back pain consisted of variations of scapular retraction exercises to “strengthen his back muscles” only to reinforce his over-retracted scapulas and further institute a lateral compression of his ribcage and completely shutting off the function of his lat where it could not provide the suspension of his ribs off his hips but instead a compressive force on each foot strike ingraining even more faulty mechanics, more back compression ultimately forcing this avid runner to stop running. If your training or physical therapy is isolating functions of muscles that don’t enhance the functions of your muscles as they pertain to the human gait cycle, you bet you’ll be in a world of hurt when you try to perform “human functions” especially running. Had he not found FP he would have continued down the endless road of PT with no resolve.

11/26/2024

8 month progress result. Chronic low back/hip & sciatic pain to pain free. Traditional lifting for the last several years led to severe compressions disabling him from running, to now being able to sprint and sling on a regular basis.

10/07/2024

1 year scoliosis progress. The after is a result of 3 months doing 1 on 1 private training + 9 months of solo training without a practitioner utilizing the exercise protocols learned during private training.

“Diagnosed with severe scoliosis at 14, I was told by every doctor I met that surgery was my only option. My curvature was too advanced for a back brace. Despite their consensus, I intuitively knew there was a more natural approach to reverse my scoliosis. For years, I tirelessly searched for alternative methods, but none, including yoga and the Schroth method, yielded any significant results.

The pain I experienced was intense, ranking between 8 to 10 on a scale of 1-10 during everyday activities like laundry or sitting upright. Relief only came when lying down or standing without engaging muscles (adopting poor posture due to scoliosis). My health suffered greatly, leaving me constantly fatigued and impacting my work ethic. Standing for a typical 6-hour work shift made me stiff, achy, and excessively sore the following day, requiring over 12 hours of sleep for recovery.

One day while scrolling through Instagram, the algorithm presented me with Functional Patterns’ page. Intrigued, I watched a few of their videos, and something clicked. The concepts they presented resonated with me, and I immediately reached out to

From our first session, I knew I had found the missing piece to my scoliosis puzzle. I trained with Nina twice a week for three months in September 2022, followed by nine months of independent practice, incorporating only the exercises she taught me into my daily routine. In September 2023, I resumed in-studio training with Nina, marking a journey that has spanned over a year.

Western medicine had painted a bleak picture, declaring my deformity irreversible. Today, I stand as a testament to the transformative power of Functional Patterns. Finding Nina at FP has been a blessing. When I look in the mirror, I witness the remarkable transformation – my hips, ribs, and even my glutes are visibly aligning. It’s nothing short of a miracle. And the cherry on top of it all is that I am no longer in pain.”

10/04/2024

From chronic pain to pain free.

1 year & 4 months result progress training from Oct 4, 2022 - Feb 12, 2024

At the start she was dealing with level 6 neck/shoulder pain and level 8 chronic low back pain and is now pain free. Although we have been training over a year, her chronic pain was resolved within the first couple of months due to a strict adherence to the Movement Elimination Protocol, utilizing the 10 week online course and practicing her homework on her own time outside of our sessions.

“Before I came to FP, I had recurrent lower back pain and neck/shoulder pain. I considered myself pretty active, doing HIIT, traditional strength training, stretching and yoga. But I’d still have pain, and always relied on monthly massages to ease the pain and muscle tensions. After consistently doing FP for the last year, my body is pain free. I feel stronger, more integrated and confident. My coordination, sleep and digestion had gotten so much better. I still have a lot to improve but that’s what makes this journey exciting. When I practice FP I am understanding my body and how everything is connected. It just makes sense. “
~

FP Nina Chou

04/03/2025

02/03/2025

12/19/2024

11/29/2024

11/27/2024

11/26/2024

10/07/2024

10/04/2024

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