EMBODIED PT

Personalized Physical Therapy for every body and everybody

GET IN TOUCH

Meet Rafaela, your PT

Rafaela is a San Francisco native who grew up in a household of two rehabilitation physicians. From early childhood, she was exposed to medicine and had a fascination with the human body and its ability to heal itself. After physical therapy helped her fully recover from various sports injuries, she became hooked. She is a California-licensed physical therapist who received her training at the London teaching hospital, St. George's University (NPI 1073232864). She also received her massage therapy certificate from the London School of Massage and holds a certification in pilates mat rehabilitation through the Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute. She has also attended manual therapy based continuing education courses through the Barral Institute and Institute of Physical Arts. She relies on her multidimensional qualifications to provide the most tailored and effective treatment plans possible.

She also has extensive knowledge with the hypermobile / hEDS population. For several years, she worked at the leading Bay Area hypermobile physical therapy clinic, formally known as Healthwell Physical Therapy. Her in-depth understanding of the Muldowney Protocol, and training from expert Mindy Marantz, has allowed her to help a wide spectrum of hypermobile/hEDS patients significantly reduce pain and prevent injury. She believes that patient education through multimedia resources, targeted stabilization exercises and safe manual therapy are critical for achieving a better quality of life.

When she isn't working, you will either find her spending time with her family/friends, hiking the trails of Marin, surfing, attending pilates classes or cooking up a feast.

The Foundations of Her Practice

As every body and everybody is different, so too are Rafaela’s treatment plans. Prior to any treatment, she dedicates time to get to know her patient by gathering a full patient history, and performing a full-body assessment (even on telehealth!). She relies on a multifaceted approach to provide the most curated and customized care possible. The combination of targeted hands-on manual therapy, patient education, and tailored, evolving exercise prescriptions are the foundation of her treatment approach. Any type of manual therapy without reinforcement of muscle activation and augmented strength does not lead to lasting change. Setbacks occur without proper education regarding injury prevention or how to move safely. It is therefore imperative that manual therapy, patient education, and exercise prescription are practiced together, not independently.  


Rafaela believes in 1:1 sessions, and never uses aides or assistants. For her, success means helping patients achieve their goals in the fastest, safest timeframe possible.. Whether she is guiding you on how to progress an exercise, or how to perform a muscle release using a lemon or a foam roller, she firmly believes in giving her patients the tools they need to thrive and prevent re-injury. As she tells her patients, “My door is always open, but it’s when you no longer need to walk through it that I know we’ve succeeded.” 


Treatments can include but are not limited to the following:

Fascia release, fascia mobility, cupping, soft tissue massage, deep tissue massage, trigger point release, joint mobilizations though Mulligan, Maitland and IPA techniques, pilates mat exercise rehabilitation, manual traction, passive nerve flossing, diaphragm lift, Muldowney protocol based exercises for hypermobile patients, cryotherapy, manual lymphatic drainage techniques, strain / counter strain.

Example pathologies she treats:

  • Disc injuries / degenerative disc disease

  • Stenosis

  • Osteoarthritis

  • Chronic pain

  • Repetitive strain injuries

  • Pre-operative rehabilitation, post-operative rehabilitation (ie ACL, TKA, THA, rotator cuff repairs)

  • Hypermobility and hEDS management

  • POTS

  • Sciatica

  • Rotator cuff injuries

  • Runner's knee

  • Muscle strains/sprains

  • Ligament tears

  • Tendonitis

  • Nerve impingement,

  • Fibromyalgia

  • Muscle imbalances

  • Gait deviations

  • Cervicalgia

  • Fractures

  • And more!

Patient Reviews

“Rafaela has been an absolute lifesaver! I was referred to Rafaela by my provider at One Medical after struggling with persistent neck and shoulder pain. Rafaela's expertise and dedication to getting to the root cause of my pain have been invaluable. She has taken the time to thoroughly understand my condition and develop a tailored treatment plan. Through her guidance and the exercises she prescribed, I've been able to significantly reduce my discomfort and am well on my way to strengthen my body”

“Rafaela has helped me immensely with long term, somewhat complex pain issues that are the fallout from many very active years with undiagnosed hypermobility. I've been to so many practitioners over the years (LA, east bay, north bay, and the City) and this is honestly the first time ever I've had enough improvement to give me the hope needed to maintain motivation to continue on this path”

“Rafaela is amazing. When my back was in dire straits, she helped me find relief with exercises and sitting/standing/horizontal positions. She is empathetic and compassionate, and it's clear she really cares about her patients. I would recommend Rafaela to anyone needing physical therapy!"

“In all my years, I have never encountered a better PT than Rafaela. She demonstrates an encyclopedic knowledge of musculoskeletal conditions and pathologies as well as a variety of approaches to address them. I came to Rafaela with only the most generally descriptive referral for back and leg pain and she was resolute in her commitment to determine the root cause and fashion appropriate exercises to resolve my issue. She combined compassion with professionalism and was ceaselessly creative in her approach to my therapy.”

"Very professional service provided by Rafaela Perkins. She spends the time to fully understand the issues and I am assured the treatment plan is one developed for my specific needs."

"As someone who has struggled with chronic pain due to joint hypermobility, it has been super challenging to find a specialist who truly understands this condition. Rafaela is a shining star in this area and has helped me immensely.”

“Rafaela is amazing. She has a gentle approach to addressing the body. She is very attentive and detailed. I have gone to her for a neck issue and a hip issue. I am pain free and stronger after going to her."

"Rafaela Perkins has been a tremendous physical therapist for me the past year helping me first to recover from an ankle injury so I could get back to running and playing soccer and more recently to help me pre-hab for ACL reconstruction and to recover from said ACL repair. She makes sure we use every single minute of our sessions productively be it hands on work in the acute healing phase or pushing me to safely test my limits and progress in the more active re-strengthening phase. I really appreciate the knowledge, focus and skill she contributes to my healing process.”

Frequently asked questions

  • I do not accept any insurance. I accept payments via credit card, cash or check.

  • Initial Evaluations are $225. Follow-up appointments are $165.

  • Initial Evaluations are 1 hour and follow-up appointments are 45 minutes

  • Yes! Telehealth is always an option for initial evaluations or follow-up appointments.

  • No, doctor’s referrals are not required.

  • Cancellations made less than one business day prior to appointment will be charged 50% of the full fee.

Still have questions?

Please reach out!