Alexandra Rios, PT, DPT

by Lucas Pastorfield-Li

Before starting at Airrosti I legitimately thought I was facing life-long lower back pain. My therapist, Alex, immediately got me on track to recovery and after only 3 visits, I was about 90% recovered and no longer needed to come back for treatment. Alex and Airrosti’s rehab specialist, Jesse, were both incredibly thorough in their instructions and honest with their assessments. I feel grateful for their guidance in getting me back in form – soon I’ll be ready to get back on the tennis and basketball courts just in time for that Texas summer heat.

by Peter Strouthes

Dr. Rios gave me back a big part of my life. I’d been a regular runner for a long time, until my Achilles tendons started giving me trouble. It came on gradually over several years, until it got to the point that if I ran a single painful mile I’d be limping around in pain for several days afterward. During this time I went to several doctors, physical therapists, and specialists, with no improvement. The next step was going to be surgery, which I wanted to avoid. I pretty much gave up on ever running again. Decided to try Airrosti, and on my first visit I described the problem and Alex said, yeah, we can fix that. With everything I’d been through over about 20 years – yes, this was a chronic, long-term problem – I was skeptical,…+ show more but after one session I felt improvement. A couple more and I was back on the running trail. Dr. Rios really knows what she is doing. From your symptoms and her training and experience she is able to figure out what the underlying problem is. In my case she got it right the first time – surprise, it wasn’t actually the Achilles tendons. The myofascial release helps enormously – yeah, it hurts, but it’s bearable, and the more it hurts short-term, the more improvement you’ll feel later; totally worth it. But the exercises Alex and Matt will give you as homework are just as important to correct the underlying issues. Again, they were spot on. Bottom line, I’m running again, and it’s really, really great to have that back. Thanks, Alex! Since the first round of treatment a relatively small nagging problem with one ankle persisted; I held off on going back because I was afraid she wouldn’t be able to fix it. Silly me; after a few more sessions that was resolved. And then there was a shoulder injury that I was also unsure whether Airrosti could help, and she and Matt cleared that up, too. For comparison, I had a similar problem a few years ago with the other shoulder, and that took a solid two years to heal up on its own. For those keeping score, that makes her three-for-three. Dr. Rios is definitely my first choice for treatment of any kind of soft-tissue pain.

by Craig Milroy

I’ve received excellent physical therapy from Dr. Rios, and I highly recommend her as a provider for several reasons: (1) She is highly qualified: Dr. Rios got her DPT at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), which is the teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School, so the professors and practitioners there are top-notch, and I really noticed the benefit of all the extra training and experience that accompany the DPT degree. (2) She will identify the root cause and fix the problem: I initially visited Airrosti because I thought I’d injured my hamstring, and several of my soccer teammates recommended Airrosti. Dr. Rios did a thorough evaluation and discovered that the real problem was my hip flexor. She took care of it in two visits, and…+ show more I noticed an immediate and profound improvement in my speed, flexibility, and agility. A few weeks later, I sprained my toe pretty badly (gimpy walk and all that!). While she was treating the toe, Dr. Rios discovered that plantar fasciitis and residual scar tissue from an old ankle sprain were exacerbating my toe injury, so she took care of everything…the toe is happy now and I don’t need an ankle brace anymore! Based on the awesome treatments I’d received, I consulted Dr. Rios about a C5/C6 neck injury I’d sustained four years ago that was still bothering me. I’d already seen three physical therapists, three doctors, and two chiropractors, and was seriously considering surgery because I really wanted to get off the medication I’d been using to mask the pain (four years of gabapentin/Lyrica is not fun). After a few treatments, I’m finally off the medication and feeling great. (3) She is organized, ethical, and personable: Dr. Rios left me a message the day before my first appointment to make sure I was properly prepared for treatment, and always followed up to make sure the treatment and exercises were helping. At the beginning of each appointment, Dr. Rios will verify that the Airrosti treatment is helping you improve, and will change course if necessary. Both she and Matt are a lot of fun to be around, and they treated me like a person rather than as a patient, which helped me relax…this is VERY IMPORTANT because soft tissue therapy can be really uncomfortable – the Airrosti approach involves applying a lot of pressure for myofascial release and breaking up scar tissue, but only for a short period of time…the relief is worth it! Dr. Rios could probably lift a VW Bug with her thumb, but if you relax during the treatments she won’t have to use as much pressure, so RELAX (she is also a yoga instructor and can suggest breathing exercises to help you relax if you’re having a hard time). IMPORTANT NOTES FOR THE PATIENT: (a) It’s really important for you to think of Dr. Rios and Matt as PARTNERS (rather than just providers), because you REALLY need to do the homework exercises they give you to resolve your injury, so pay close attention to Matt to make sure you’re doing the exercises correctly, and then put in the work!

by Angela Haik

My story started in November of 2017. I came to Dr. Rios after almost 12 months of severe plantar fasciitis. I was getting steroid shots and using a night splint. I tried it all and nothing worked. After four visits with Dr. Rios, I am living with mild pain. I am working the program and doing my home exercises and it is getting better by the day. I just wish I would have gone here first. No more suffering. Thank you so much, Dr. Rios. I can’t say enough nice things about her and the practice. An injury is life-consuming and going to Airrosti has me back on the road to recovery.

by Patrick Perez

So, you know that song “Never Gonna Dance Again” by George Michael?? Yeah, that’s how I felt! Ha! A dance injury (bone bruise) had put me out of commission for about a year! I was having to tape my foot and go crazy on the tiger balm just to make it through a performance. The injury soon spread to my other side and this is when I went in to see Dr. Rios at Airrosti. She. Was. Brutal. (in a totally good way!!) I had been doctors and therapist for sports injury, but Dr. Rios just jumped right in after seeing what the problem was. The super deep tissue and trigger point treatment helped loosen up my leg…for the first time in months I had some mobility back!!! Dr. Rios showed me some great massage practices and strength training I could do…+ show more on my own. I was able to compete in the Camp Gladiator Games this year and I owe most of that do Dr. Rios!!! The pain is only for a moment…SHE ROCKS!!! Patrick “Pac Man” Perez Dance Performance Artist| Author| Speaker Camp Gladiator Freak

by Jordan Washington

I’ve had hip pain for several years and I immediately felt relief after one visit with Airrosti. After three visits I have no pain and they equipped me with knowledge and exercises to strengthen those areas so I can be pain free for life! Dr. Rios was attentive, patient, and kind. I always left feeling heard and understood. She is incredibly knowledgeable about how our body works and she has a desire to genuinely help you.

by Daneil Gibson

I went to Airrosti after having some intermittent lower back pain. At the time of my visit, I wasn’t in any pain, so I wasn’t sure how the treatment would go. Dr. Rios accommodated my crazy early appointment request so that I could avoid missing much work. After a couple tests she was able to pinpoint the cause of my intermittent pain. She not only found out which exact muscles were angry but also determined which muscles we’re weaker than normal, and thus causing the angry muscles to overwork. She treated the muscles and educated me on the what/why/how of everything. I went home with homework and have felt great after just one treatment! I feel silly for putting up with pain for so long… Dr. Rios is genuine, awesome, friendly, intelli…+ show moregent, easy to talk to, and communicates well. After just one visit I’ve referred all of my friends with pain to her.