About Sports Rehabilitation:
Sports Rehabilitation is an association and combination of physical therapy and sports medicine. The goal of sports rehabilitation at SportsFit Physical Therapy is to diagnose, prevent or/and treat physical, physiological and other difficulties and illnesses that may occur especially in sports and sporting activities. Regrettably, physical inactivity is growing each day, which leads towards the development of a wide variety of chronic illnesses and health-affecting difficulties like diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, coronary artery disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer, anxiety and depression, to mention just a few. Sports rehabilitation aims to improve patients' overall wellness, and treat/prevent chronic illnesses. This is accomplished through knowledge, interventions, as well as specific techniques and approaches performed throughout the rehabilitation process.Meet our Sports Rehabilitation Doctors:
J Rick Rafael, DPT, OCS, CSCS
Doctor of Physical Therapy, Board Certified Orthopedic Specialist
Owner / President
Dr. Rafael is the president and founder of SportsFit. He earned his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California. After several years working as an engineer and consultant, he decided to pursue a career in physical therapy to follow his passion for health and fitness. Dr. Rafael earned his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Mount Saint Mary’s University and completed a yearlong orthopedic residency program at Kaiser Permanente. In September 2010, he established SportsFit, a premier physical therapy clinic dedicated to providing the highest quality of care.
A Board-Certified Orthopedic Specialist, Dr. Rafael has served as a clinical instructor for several physical therapy universities and as an adjunct professor in Santa Monica College’s Movement Science Program. He has also presented at the Combined Section Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Conference on strategies for starting and growing a successful physical therapy practice.
In addition to his clinical and academic contributions, Dr. Rafael serves on the Santa Monica College Kinesiology Department's Advisory Committee, where he helps develop new certificate programs in Yoga and Pilates.
Dr. Rafael’s vision is to lead a facility dedicated to individualized, multidisciplinary, and holistic care, ensuring optimal recovery for every patient based on their unique background, goals, and condition. Under his leadership, SportsFit has proudly served thousands of patients with orthopedic and sports injuries in the Santa Monica, Marina del Rey, and West Los Angeles communities since its founding in 2010.
Rebecca Pitts, DPT, OCS
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Board Certified Orthopedic Specialist
Dr. Pitts knew from an early age that she wanted to be in medicine, shadowing family friends at hospitals and clinics, and learning how to perform basic field triage when she trained for a search and rescue group. She watched as some of her friends and family went through rehabilitation after injuries, including personal experience recovering from sports injuries. During schooling—including her Ortho based residency—she spent time researching how manual therapy affects the autonomic nervous system, non-operative treatment of small meniscal tears, and shoulder stabilization in the overhead athlete. Dr. Pitts has helped all spectrums of individuals, from those having difficulty with everyday living tasks to Olympic level athletes, and believes no issue is too small to address. She has taken further education courses for Therapeutic Taping, and is a preferred provider for utilizing the Graston Technique. She is an avid sports follower for the University of Arizona, and in her spare time she likes keeping active with outdoor activities such as running and hiking, and spending time with her family.
Treatment Philosophy:
I believe in utilizing manual therapy in conjunction with targeted exercises to decrease pain and maximize function. The main focus of treatment will be to find the source of the problem, as opposed to only looking at symptoms. This will make sure the strength and movement patterns encourage healthy maintenance after our sessions are complete.
Kyle Brown, DPT, OCS
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Board Certified Orthopedic Specialist
West LA Clinic Director
Dr. Brown grew up in the Napa Valley. He attended graduate school at Loma Linda University, earning his Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2010. In 2012, he completed a year-long orthopedic residency at Loma Linda University Medical Center, which emphasized the management of complex and chronic orthopedic problems. Immediately after residency, he completed the year-long Kaiser Permanente Sports Rehabilitation Fellowship, one of the few sports fellowships in the nation. During this fellowship, Dr. Brown received extensive mentoring and training in rehabilitating both common and complex sports injuries in order to efficiently and safely return athletes back to their desired sport. He is passionate about sports. He played high school and college basketball and is currently a semi-professional skateboarder. In his free time, Dr. Brown enjoys playing basketball, golf, skateboarding, and traveling with friends and family.
Treatment Philosophy:
I take a multi-faceted approach to patient care which combines manual therapy, movement re-education, and re-training the brain in order for each individual to reach their desired goals.
Erik Nelson, PT, MPT
Master of Physical Therapy
A California native, Erik Nelson received his Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy from Mount Saint Mary's College in 1999. Erik’s clinical experience has been focused in the realm of orthopedic and sports physical therapy, which includes a strong emphasis on manual therapy and biomechanical analysis. Erik consistently designs innovative and highly individualized programs for his patients, creating an interesting, productive, informative, and enjoyable rehabilitation and fitness regimen which carries into each individuals post recovery lifestyle.
Erik’s talent and commitment have created an enthusiastic demand for his teaching services as well. In this capacity he has served as Clinical Instructor to students from Physical Therapy graduate programs across the country. Having mentored many beginning practitioners as an instructor, Erik is widely respected among practicing clinicians and has developed strong relationships with academic and research professionals.
Erik’s passion for health and fitness is also well represented in his personal life. A prior certified ski instructor at Squaw Valley Ski Resort, Erik has not limited himself to the snow, participating in competitive soccer and water skiing. Erik’s favorite hobbies also include mountain biking, surfing, and scuba diving in addition to spending time with his wife and daughter.
Erik’s personal history of competitive and recreational sports and a variety of occupational positions prior to physical therapy has, on more than one occasion, been interrupted by his own injury and rehabilitation. Far from regretting this history of injury, Erik draws upon it daily, relating to and understanding the experiences of his patients from a very personal point of view.
Treatment Philosophy:
My approach to patient care emphasizes the identification of movement faults and utilizing pathomechanics to establish a treatment plan that combines movement retraining, therapeutic exercise, and manual therapy to empower the patient throughout the rehabilitation process.
Hal Platts, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Santa Monica Clinic Director
Dr. Hal Platts grew up in Claremont, California. Dr. Platts participated in various sports including soccer, football and basketball, in which he still plays to this day with his childhood and college friends. His love for sports was also reflected in his four year’s of coaching youth basketball while attending Claremont High School, realizing that he had a passion for helping other’s improve their athletic performance. Throughout high school and college, Dr. Platts suffered multiple knee injuries and underwent rehab, which ultimately led him to discover his passion for physical therapy. He went on to attain his B.S. in Kinesiology at San Diego State University and his Doctorate in Physical Therapy at California State University, Long Beach. Throughout his three years in PT school, Hal developed a strong interest in treating patients with orthopedic and sports injuries. In addition, Hal has had experience working with patients with neurological disorders such as stroke, brain injury, and spinal cord injury. He has an interest in manual therapy, prescribing and educating patients on therapeutic and sports related exercise, promoting overall wellness/fitness, and most importantly building a personal connection with his patients to help them achieve their goals. In addition to playing sports, Hal enjoys weightlifting, traveling, hanging out with friends/family, and exploring new food spots.
Treatment Philosophy:
I believe it is important to truly listen to my patients and connect with them on a personal level while emphasizing a holistic approach. By doing so, it allows my patients and I to develop a team relationship to best implement an individualized treatment plan to help relieve pain, optimize athletic performance, and help them reach their own personal goals.
Brandon Pham, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Dr. Brandon Pham received his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from San Diego State University in 2018. Dr. Pham is an Orange County native who developed a love for physical fitness through his childhood sports of swimming, weightlifting, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He was first introduced to physical therapy through the unfortunate means of a car accident. However, this was a blessing in disguise. As a patient, he was able to fully appreciate the work of a physical therapist which ignited his passion to help others. Ever since then, he is devoted to provide every patient with the same fun and positive rehabilitation experience that motivated him to become a physical therapist. On his free time, Dr. Pham enjoys weightlifting, mixed martial arts, photography, and spending quality time with his family and friends.
Treatment Philosophy:
I highly value developing a strong personal relationship with all my patients. I enjoy putting in the extra effort to learn about my patient’s passions and lifestyle because it allows me to create an extensive individualized plan of care. A thorough plan of care will ensure that my patient is progressing at an optimal rate in order to effectively help them reach their goals.
Kenneth Paik DPT, OCS
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Dr. Paik has over 20 years of experience in the orthopedic physical therapy field. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he interned as a student athletic trainer in the UCLA training room and worked as an aide at multiple outpatient PT clinics. He then obtained his Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree from Mount St. Mary's University and completed his Orthopedic Residency at Kaiser Permanente. He is an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) and is TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) certified in golf. Dr. Paik found his passion for rehabilitation while working at UCLA training room as a student athletic trainer. He has experienced how the power of physical therapy is able to transform lives from helping people walk after years of immobility, to helping athletes become the best that they can be, and everything in between. He loves that he can help people return to what they want to do, using manual therapy, movement science, therapeutic exercise, and getting to know the patient and their lifestyle to identify the root of the problem. Dr. Paik's primary goal is to foster a positive environment and outcome for your rehab. As an avid sports lover, Dr. Paik enjoys playing basketball, golf, attending baseball games (or any sporting event for that matter), watching all sports and spending time with his family.
Treatment Philosophy:
To provide the best patient care, my plan of care is developed by connecting with each patient to gain a comprehensive understanding of the root cause of their pain while also considering the various facets of their daily lives to discover what may be contributing to their reason for PT. With the combination of manual therapy and movement science, I provide a hands-on individualized treatment to maximize their outcome and provide them the tools to empower them in continued success after their treatment.
Tyler Schwecke, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Dr. Schwecke was born in southern California but grew up in the Seattle area. It was after he experienced firsthand the benefits of physical therapy when he developed a common knee condition at age 9 that he decided he wanted to help others realize their athletic goals and improve their quality of life through PT. He received two Bachelor’s degrees in Kinesiology and German Language from Western Washington University in 2016. Tyler grew up playing soccer and running track and cross country and would go on to run competitively at Western Washington University. After working as a Rehabilitation Technician for three years, he attended Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles and was awarded his Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree in 2022. Tyler enjoys hiking, running, strength training, soccer, badminton, and riding his motorcycle. He enjoys working with individuals motivated to return to an active lifestyle, with an extra emphasis on ACL rehabilitation and lower extremity injuries.
Treatment Philosophy:
I believe in discussing all factors relevant to an individual's current limitations, guiding them through returning to exercise, and empowering them to return to previously challenging or painful activities. My goal is to create an individualized treatment approach, which includes functional movements and structured exercise progressions in order to progress individuals back into activities they enjoy.
Mitch Neal, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Growing up in the Columbia River George of Oregon, Dr. Neal was raised to have a passion for outdoor sports and recreation. His interest in the practice of physical therapy was sparked after high school knee injuries gave him a crash course in orthopedic rehab. It was many years later that those positive experiences working with a PT inspired him to pursue work in this field. While completing his BS degree in kinesiology from California State University, Northridge, Dr. Neal developed a fascination with human anatomy and the biomechanics of movement. He continued at CSUN to obtain his Doctor of Physical therapy degree. While at CSUN he received additional training in Pilates instruction and had the opportunity to perform research examining the effects of concussion on dynamic visual acuity for NCAA athletes. Mitch has a diverse array of interests and enjoys creating music on the guitar, playing basketball, surfing, and skiing with his wife.
Treatment Philosophy:
I believe in taking time to listen to my patients, placing strong value in learning each person’s story, concerns, and goals. This is the foundation that every meaningful PT relationship needs and is essential in creating a rehab space in which my patients can thrive. I like to think of myself as tour guide for your recovery; your body is designed to heal, and much of what I do is simply providing guidance and assistance to optimize your healing journey. Finally, I believe that while injury and pain can dampen one's spirit, movement and human kindness can lift it. I hope to provide a safe, encouraging, and hopefully fun, physical therapy experience.
Daniel Berhe, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Born and raised in San Diego, CA, Dr. Berhe is a proud Southern California native. He earned his Bachelor's degree from UC Santa Cruz before pursuing his Doctorate at Samuel Merritt University. With a background in competitive soccer and basketball, Dr. Berhe developed a deep appreciation for athletic performance and rehabilitation. Having personally overcome multiple knee injuries, he is driven by a passion for helping individuals not only return to high-level sports but also exceed their previous capabilities. His approach focuses on optimizing both physical and mental performances, empowering patients to achieve long-term success in their athletic and active lifestyles.
Treatment Philosophy:
At the core of my treatment philosophy is a commitment to maximizing patient care by restoring and enhancing function beyond prior levels. I believe in an individualized, patient-centered approach that integrates strength training, neuromuscular reeducation, and manual therapy to optimize recovery and performance. My ultimate goal is to foster long-term health, prevent future injury, and help each patient achieve their fullest potential.
Lucas Lewandowski, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Dr. Lewandowski is a dedicated and compassionate physical therapist with a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification, specializing in rehabilitation, injury prevention, and athletic performance. Originally from Chicago, Dr. Lewandowski has always had a passion for sports, which led to a deep interest in physical therapy and helping people of all ages reach their goals.
A proud graduate of Western University of Health Sciences in Oregon, Dr. Lewandowski combines clinical expertise with a love for athletics, drawing on firsthand experience in sports such as basketball, baseball, football, and golf. Whether working with athletes, individuals recovering from injury, or clients of all ages, he uses a personalized approach to create and implement treatment plans that promote mobility, strength, and overall wellness.
Outside of work, Dr. Lewandowski enjoys staying active and competitive in golf, basketball, weightlifting, and cherishes quality time with his wife and dog. His commitment to both his own health and that of his patients drives him to continually seek innovative ways to support rehabilitation, enhance performance, and inspire a lifelong love of movement.
Treatment Philosophy:
I combine my clinical expertise, the latest research, and a deep passion for helping others to deliver a holistic approach to physical therapy. By focusing on strength and mobility while making the process enjoyable, I ensure that patients stay motivated and achieve their goals.
Desiree Tadwilliams, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Dr. Tadwilliams is a Southern California native who enjoyed an active upbringing filled with organized team sports of soccer, basketball, and volleyball, along with impromptu adventures in camping, hiking, and traveling with her family. Desiree is fond of her time spent out-of-state, earning a Bachelor of Science in Movement Science from Texas Christian University and a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Arcadia University in Pennsylvania. During her undergraduate years, her core values of approaching life with curiosity, compassion, and collaboration found a home in the physical therapy field, as those values and the career align with utilizing physical activity as a tool for engaging with the world. Desiree developed a special interest in treating musculoskeletal injuries throughout her clinical experiences and finds great fulfillment in fostering comradeship with her patients in this setting.
When she's not treating, you can find Desiree treating the gym like a playground, outdoors enjoying the view, or trying the next new thing that piqued her curiosity. Desiree's ideal combination is a heaping spoonful of all three, plus including her loved ones in the fun.
Treatment Philosophy:
I dedicate my practice to being an attentive listener who uses the knowledge and skills I have gained to give my patients the tools they need to become confident participants in their activities. I know I have achieved my goals when my patients achieve theirs, and I know I have superseded my goals when my patients start setting the next ones.
Ghadi Helou, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Dr. Ghadi Helou grew up in Lebanon and pursued his education in Boston at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, where he earned his Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Dr. Helou has a lifelong passion for sports and weightlifting, having played soccer and skied since the age of four, as well as lifting weights since high school. His soccer career highlights include signing as a semi-professional player at the age of 15 and competing at the Division 1 level in both high school and college.
Dr. Helou specializes in working with athletes and bodybuilders to overcome pain, address muscle imbalance, and enhance their performance. He is dedicated to helping individuals safely return to their sport, lift heavy, and achieve their full potential.
Outside of work, Dr. Helou enjoys weightlifting at the gym, playing and watching soccer, and relaxing with video games.
Treatment Philosophy:
I prioritize understanding what matters most to each patient and identifying the factors limiting their progress. By addressing these deficits and tailoring a plan that aligns with their goals, I use a combination of targeted exercise prescription and hands-on manual therapy to help patients recover and perform at their best.
Al Castanon, CPI
Certified Pilates Instructor
Al is a certified Pilates instructor and certified personal trainer with 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industry. Al received his Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from California State University of Fullerton in 2002. He received his personal training certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) in 2008 and was certified with the American Sports & Fitness Association in 2010. Al then went on to receive his Pilates Reformer certification with the David Barton Studio in 2014. He has an extensive background and experience working in a Physical Therapy setting and treating the sports and orthopedic patient population. In addition, Hal has worked with various types of clients to assist with sports rehabilitation, corrective exercises, spine mobility, manual stretching, balance, and strength training.
Treatment Philosophy:
I am passionate about providing people with the most beneficial training I can. I enjoy keeping it fun and also challenging while ensuring a feel-good experience that is curated to your special needs.
