Betina Bain, PT, DPT

Betina received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from University of California, Irvine in 1988. It was her experiences as a dance educator along with the kinesiology curriculum she experienced at UCI that inspired her to become a physical therapist. She received her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from California State University, Long Beach in 1992, Board certification in Orthopaedics in 2005 and Doctor of Physical Therapy from Chapman University in 2015. Her paradigm for practice is largely shaped by continuing education in Australian Manual Therapy including a yearlong course at Kaiser in 1996.

A back injury which restricted her ability to dance led to a committed personal practice of Pilates for fitness. She has studied and taught Pilates for over 25 years and incorporates the Pilates method into rehabilitation as well as teaching group reformer classes.

Betina has been part of the Movement Works Physical Therapy team since 2000 and took over ownership of the practice in 2021. In addition to her work in the practice, she served as the onsite physical therapist for the UC Irvine dance department from 2015 to 2020.  She is proud to carry on in a practice that values the joy of movement and personal connection as the guiding principles to promote good health to the community.

Betina enjoys spending time in nature especially hiking and skiing and has a regular yoga practice. She is an avid reader of fiction and enjoys travel, theatre, bookstores, and art museums.

Heather Lien, PT, MPT

Heather Lien has been practicing in outpatient orthopaedic physical therapy since 2006. She graduated in 2003 from California State University, Long Beach with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, option in Exercise Science and went on to earn her Master of Physical Therapy in 2006. She has continued her education, including course work in Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM), cupping, and kinesiology taping. She has completed 2, year-long orthopaedic movement seminars with emphasis on manual therapy to the spine and extremities. Heather is also a certified clinical instructor.

As a physical therapist, she incorporates manual therapy with a customized treatment program for individuals of all ages and abilities. She encourages her patients to be independent and proactive with their lifestyle to promote longevity and well-being.

In her spare time, Heather enjoys gardening, working out at the gym, and spending time with her husband and two boys.

Jill Aversa, PT

Jill Aversa was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and attended the University of Florida in Gainesville where she received a Bachelor of Science degree with High Honors in Business Administration.

Living an active lifestyle that included long distance running, cycling and gym workouts, Jill developed a repetitive motion injury which led to receiving physical therapy treatment. After realizing that her passion was in rehabilitative care, she eventually received a Bachelor of Science degree, Magna Cum Laude from the University of California, Long Beach in 1996.

Jill’s experience has been primarily in outpatient orthopedic settings, and she combines manual therapy with therapeutic exercise to help patients recover and return to their pre-injury lives.  Manual therapy techniques include soft tissue mobilization, myofascial release, muscle energy techniques and joint mobilization. Her background includes a certification with Polestar Pilates and courses with the Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute (APPI). She particularly enjoys incorporating Pilates into her rehabilitative programs as well as empowering and educating her patients.

Outside of work, Jill enjoys traveling locally and abroad, playing ukulele, gardening, working out, and dancing West Coast Swing.

Mia Nguyen, PT, DPT, OCS

Mia was born and raised in Long Beach, California. After graduating from Los Alamitos High school, she continued her basketball career at Cypress College before transferring to Waldorf University in Forest City, Iowa to attain a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and finish out her collegiate basketball career. She returned to Southern California to attend Azusa Pacific University and graduated with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy, ending the program with a physical therapy mission trip to Kenya.

Mia experienced the effects of physical therapy by returning to collegiate level basketball after knee surgery and understands the rehabilitation process from the patient’s perspective. She is an Orthopaedic Certified Specialist and certified clinical instructor and has been practicing in Outpatient Orthopaedics since 2017. She takes a holistic approach in treating patients with neuromusculoskeletal disorders. Nutrition, supplementation and lifestyle counseling along with manual therapy techniques and custom exercise programs allow her patients to achieve their goals. Mia has a love for learning and continues to add tools to her toolkit to have a wide variety of treatment options to provide individualized care.

Her interests include traveling, reading, journaling, paddle boarding, hiking, camping, and spending quality time with her husband, son and two dogs.

Ramji Pasricha, DPT,

Ramji is a Southern California native. She holds a Doctorate of Physical Therapy
from Azusa Pacific University and a Bachelors of Science from UC Berkeley.
After multiple injuries prevented her from her passion to dance, she sought out mentorship and training in rehabilitation. Her experience and dedication to self-healing led her to become a physical therapist. 

Ramji is a certified Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist and Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization Exercise 1 Specialist. She employs a very integrative approach to care, taking the time to understand her patients needs, assessing all the factors that influence biomechanics and pain perception.

In her free time, she enjoys freediving in the ocean, playing spikeball at the beach, spending time in nature, adventuring to new places, and learning new styles of dance.

Richard Stuelpnagel, PT, MA, MPT, GDAMT, FAAOMT

Richard and Mary Stuelpnagel opened Movement Works Physical Therapy in Long Beach in 2000. Their vision was to create an open, warm, friendly healing environment that focused on manual therapy and movement therapy. They named it Movement Works because appropriately applied therapeutic movement harnesses the power of the body to heal itself.

Richard’s background includes earning a Master’s degree in Physical Therapy from University of Southern California, a Graduate Diploma in Advanced Manual Therapy from the University of South Australia, a Master’s degree in Exercise Science from California State University, Los Angeles and numerous certifications including Fellowship of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Therapy and board certification as an Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist.

He retired from patient care in 2021 and currently serves at Movement Works Physical Therapy as a senior advisor.

Tena Miller, Office Manager