A message from Alyssa

Thank you for your interest in physical therapy. If you've made it this far, you must be trying your best to find the perfect physical therapist for you. I'd like to share some information about myself in the hope that it will help you decide if I can be a good resource for you.

I started taking gymnastics as a young child and have been in love with performing, observing, and teaching body movement ever since. When it came time to choose a career, I pursued physical therapy because I wanted to be a health professional who helps people improve their mobility using evidenced-based techniques and a deep knowledge of anatomy, biomechanics, physiology, and neuromuscular re-education. I see my role as a physical therapist as one who educates the public about injury prevention, assists people in reaching their goals after injury, and guides people in improving their performance post-rehabilitation.

I grew up in the Bay Area. I went to elementary and high school in San Jose and graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in American Studies. I received a Master’s and Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the UCSF / SFSU joint program in Physical Therapy.

I treat a variety of patients. One population I love working with is people who haven't had previous success with physical therapy. I strive to give these patients a positive experience and, if PT isn’t the right solution for them, I help them find resources that can better serve them. My areas of expertise are pediatric sports and dance rehabilitation, gymnastics medicine, and women’s health.

My treatment style is a combination of manual therapy and Pilates-based therapeutic exercise. I use analysis of movement to guide manual therapy and exercise prescription. I view physical therapy as a collaborative process between the therapist, the patient, and the rest of the patient's movement team including physicians, coaches, and family. I am an educator at heart and I always empower my patients with the knowledge of how to prevent future injuries through awareness of habitual movements that may be contributing to pain.

I have intimate knowledge on the demands placed on dancers, gymnasts, and snowboarders. I was a competitive gymnast, a gymnastics coach, and a gymnastics mom. I to take dance classes whenever time allows and in the winter you can find me on the slopes. I have focused the majority of my continuing education on ways to best serve these populations. I am a Board Certified Sports Clinical Specialist and a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher with comprehensive training thru Polestar Pilates. I am the co-founder of gymSAFE, a non-profit organization established in 2015, which is dedicated to decreasing gymnastics related injuries and I am one of the founding board members of the Gymnastics Medicine non-profit. I am also a PSIA-AASI Level 1 Certified Snowboarding Instructor.

In 2020, I co-founded Papaya Health with my best friend from physical therapy school, Tanya Goodrich. Papaya Health strives to increase access to critical women’s health information from the perspective of a physical therapist. In 2023, Papaya Health evolved to become a mother-daughter podcast addressing young women’s health concerns. The podcast is called Papaya Talk.

In addition to treatment at the clinic, I see patients at dance studios, backstage, and at their sport training facilities. I work with professional performers backstage through Neurotour at shows such as Hamilton, Rent, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Memphis, Anything Goes, Book of Mormon, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

I share my knowledge to the greater medical community in a variety of ways. I have been a guest speaker at UCSF teaching the 3rd year physical therapy students about treatment strategies for gymnasts and dancers since 2016. In 2017, I helped create the Healthy Gymnast Symposium and gymSAFE on Tour which is an annual multidisciplinary workshop addressing the health of gymnasts. I was an adjunct professor position at Notre Dame de Namur University teaching Multicultural Issues in Health Care and Pilates. I've been involved in research regarding the treatment of hyperkyphosis in the aging population, exercise prescription in the youth population, and the use of sport specific movement screens to prevent sports injuries. I’ve presented research at the Female Athlete Conference, the Health Wellness and Society Conference, the Gymnastics Medicine Symposium, and the Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine Conference .

I am passionate about providing opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy movement, stay fit, and become knowledgeable about injury prevention. To this end, I have developed dance and gymnastics classes specifically for kids with special needs as well as Groove Fit - a dance-based fitness class. I travel throughout the Bay Area and abroad to teach these classes.

I am proud to be able to offer services in both English and Spanish.

I opened On the Move in 2013 in a 400 square foot room which was part of a volleyball gym (Paye’s Place). Since the beginning, the goal has been to offer a mind-opening Physical Therapy experience by creating an environment where talented practitioners are supported to showcase their skills. Since then, we’ve grown to fill 3600 square feet with Physical Therapy, Pilates, Fitness Classes, and Personal Training. As we continue to evolve, I invite you to check out our services. It would be a privilege to be your trusted resource for rehabilitation, movement, and fitness expertise.

You can reach me directly at alyssa@onthemovephysio.com

I love to keep learning. You can find my list of continuing education below.

Awards

Conferences, Certificates, and Continuing Education

  • American Red Cross Emergency Medical Responder, 2015-present

  • Evidence Based Nutrition, 2021

  • PAMA and ACSM Essentials of Performing Arts Medicine Allied Health Practitioner, 2019

  • Tai Chi for Arthritis for Fall Prevention Instructor Course, 2019

  • Northeast District Advanced Concepts in Strength and Conditioning, 2019

  • Neurotour: Backstage Injury Prevention and Management Course, 2019

  • Mulligan Technique - Upper Quarter, 2019

  • Harvard Gymnastics Medicine 2019: Current Concepts and Future Directions

  • International Olympic Committee Sports Physiotherapy Diploma, 2018

  • Westside Dance’s Dance Medicine Practicum (foot/ankle), 2017

  • Oov Fundamentals, 2017

  • Grimaldi Dynamic Stabilization of the Hip and Pelvis, 2017

  • The Harkness Center Clinical Expertise and Evidence in Dance Medicine 2016

  • Mulligan Technique- Lower Quarter, 2016 and 2021

  • Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization Course A, 2016

  • The Ballet Blog 3 day intensive Dance Teacher and Health Professionals workshop, 2015

  • Institute of Physical Art, FM1 2015

  • Gymnastics rEvolution through SHIFT/Hyrbrid Perspective, 2015

  • Scolio-Pilates, 2015

  • CoreAlign Essentials for Rehabilitation Professionals, 2015

  • UCSF Level 1 Running Mechanics, 2014

  • Polestar Pilates Comprehensive Training / Rehabilitation, 2013

  • Myofascial Decompression using the cupping technique, 2012

  • APTA Spanish For Physical Therapists for Effective Communication, 2012

My conference favorites:

American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023)

Pilates Method Alliance Annual Meeting (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021)

Pilates on Tour - Rehab Summit (2015, 2016, 2017)

International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (2013, 2015)

Healthy Gymnast Symposium (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)

International Sports Medicine and Sports Science Conference (2017)

Team Concept Conference (2018, 2019)

Gymnastics Medicine Conference (2019, 2021, 2022)

Next

Dr. Keiko Imazumi-Tang