Physical Therapists

Aaron Willis is a Santa Monica native who received his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California in 2000. Prior to that he completed his undergraduate work at UC Davis, earning a BS degree in Exercise Science with an emphasis in Biomechanics. While at Davis, he worked with the intercollegiate teams as a student athletic trainer, going on to become a Certified Athletic Trainer in 1996 before entering graduate school at USC.

He founded Playa Physical Therapy in 2004 with the goal of providing the highest quality Physical Therapy care for the community. As part of that commitment, he and his staff do not delegate the overseeing of patient care to aides and/or assistants, but instead only see patients personally, one on one, each and every visit throughout the course of care. He feels this maximizes the benefit possible at each visit by allowing the therapist to directly assess what is most necessary to do, whether it be hands on work, exercise, or other treatment modalities, to help patients achieve their goals. This has proven to be effective in reducing the number of visits required, building effective working relationships with patients, and earning the respect of local physicians for the consistently high quality of care.

One of the exciting advantages of this new and larger facility is that it offers him the opportunity to provide a wider array of services. Along with an expanded Pilates program, he is able to offer Massage as well as Individual and Group Fitness Training with some of the most experienced and talented professionals in the area.

Aaron, his wife Therese, and their two children live in Redondo Beach.

Nate’s interest in this field began early on while taking a sports medicine class in high school and went on to complete his BS degree in Sports Medicine at Pepperdine University. Various work and personal experiences along the way, including injuries of his own, is what spurred him to pursue physical therapy as a career. He later completed his doctorate in physical therapy at Marymount University in Virginia.

His treatment approach involves a comprehensive whole body assessment which helps get to the root cause of the issue and then tailors treatment that is specific to each patient. This typically involves manual therapy and exercises that focus on mobility, flexibility, strength, and motor control. Courses that have influenced his treatment approach include DNS (Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization), SFMA (Selective Functional Movement Assessment), Maitland manual therapy, and Myofascial Trigger Point release. His goal for each patient is to help them develop an awareness of their own body and self-care strategies so that they could maintain a pain-free life.

In his free time he enjoys biking, running, basketball, and exploring LA.

Molly is a Minneapolis, Minnesota native. She attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she received both her undergraduate degree in Exercise Physiology and her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Molly’s appreciation for physical therapy began when she was a patient herself after tearing her ACL playing high school basketball.

Molly’s treatment style values treating the whole body as a system through the use of strengthening, mobility interventions and hands-on techniques to improve patient pain, function and quality of life. She loves to empower her patients with exercise programs that are tailored to the individual, providing tools to help them self-manage outside of the clinic and after discharge. Molly is certified by the American Institute of balance in treatment of vestibular dysfunction and concussion management.

In her free time Molly enjoys exercising, playing pickle ball, taking pottery classes and spending time with friends.

Emily Popoff is a Los Angeles native who earned her Bachelor’s of Arts degree with a double major in History and Pre-Medical Studies from the University of Notre Dame in 2008. While there, she studied a semester in London, where she interned with a physiotherapist at a school for children with mental and physical disabilities, which led to her interest in pursuing physical therapy as a career. After graduation, Emily spent two years mentoring at-risk youth as a member of AmeriCorps in Southern California. She then attended the University of Southern California and earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2013.

Emily employs a whole-body evaluative approach to develop individualized therapy programs for her patients that include movement analysis, exercise, neuromuscular re-education, and manual therapy to help her patients achieve their goals. Through her work and continuing education, she has developed an interest in diagnoses of the spine, ribs, and sacroiliac regions, and has worked extensively with athletes and performing artists, including dancers, singers, and musicians.

In her spare time, Emily enjoys exercising, reading, going to the beach, attending live theater and concerts, and rooting on her beloved Fighting Irish.

Adili Rikondja is a Los Angeles native who earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from Xavier University of Louisiana and a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California. Her journey to pursuing physical therapy began after receiving treatment following an ankle injury, during high school volleyball training. This recovery allowed her to compete at a collegiate level and become inspired by the rehabilitation process. She has always been fascinated by the brain-body connection and her holistic treatment approach consists of evaluating whole body systems to establish treatment plans.

She believes in working with her clients collaboratively to create a tailored treatment plan to reach their specific goals. She has experience in treating the neurologic, orthopedic, geriatric, and sports populations.

When she is not in the clinic, she loves to stay active through dancing, roller-skating, and weightlifting. She also enjoys cooking for her friends and family, and organizing service opportunities for medically underserved communities.