About Us

• Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist
• Certified Movement Links Specialists
• Functional Range Assessment Specialist
• Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist
• Functional Range Release Practitioner

Dr. Rao’s educational and career paths were driven by 2 simple questions:

1. What did he want to study, which led to an Exercise Science degree from USC in 1999.
2. What did he want to do for the rest of his life, which was to help and care for others, and found Physical Therapy to be the medium in which allowed him to do that. In 2002 he received his Doctor of Physical Therapy from USC.

On January 4, 2004, he opened Pasadena Physical Therapy as a destination where patients could experience the true power of manual medicine and the body’s own ability to heal itself when properly guided.  The clinic was also designed to be a learning environment for everyone who walks through its doors:  patients, fellow PTs, students, aides, volunteers and all others involved.

Today, he is proud of what Pasadena Physical Therapy, PC, has become:

• A professional clinic that puts the needs of the patient (and not the insurance companies) first and foremost
• a professional clinic that is a key member in Pasadena’s healthcare community
• a professional clinic that promises to provide its patients with the highest standards of care in specific manual therapy, exercise prescription, and most importantly, RESULTS

Dr. Rao is one of the few orthopedic clinical specialists (OCS) in the country (about 7% of all PTs earn that distinction), and he and his staff provide the most skilled, most comprehensive physical therapy services in the area.

A San Gabriel Valley native who attended local schools, and has strong ties to this wonderful community, Dr. Rao is committed to hiring and maintaining only the most qualified staff available so that Pasadena will continue to be taken care by these professionals.

 Dr. Rao’s Clinical Approach

“I do not chase symptoms (WHATs) but rather treat the person (WHO) and the underlying cause(s) (WHYs) of their symptoms. In my 17 years of practice I have found that a comprehensive approach will lead to the best results of healing the person, and not just curing the ailment.

 As a lifelong student, I do not follow one particular approach as dogma, and will happily admit that my toolbox is an amalgamation of the Functional Range Systems (FRS), Postural Restoration Institute (PRI), and Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) approaches.

 I am very grateful for all the difficult, complex, or rare conditions that have presented in our clinic, for the difficult questions that patients, students, and fellow PTs have asked, for they have all made me both a better clinician and a better person.”

In his free time, Dr. Rao enjoys the game of golf and spending time with his wife Onelia and their sons Benjamin and Jonathan.–