Generic physical therapy doesn't prepare you to snatch 200 lbs, ruck 12 miles, or finish a race. Sports rehab at Solas PT is built around what your body actually has to do — not just pain-free walking. Dr. Cisneros has a strength and conditioning background, is a former CrossFit coach, and treats athletes who need to return to performance, not just function.
"My daughter has been a patient of Dr. Cisneros for two separate injuries, and we've had an amazing experience both times. He is professional, encouraging, knowledgeable, and kind. He creates a fun and positive environment that makes recovery enjoyable and motivating. I highly recommend him — especially athletes working to get back into sports."
"Andrew did a thorough assessment of my injury and explained my issues in a way I could understand. He recommended dry needling, talked me through the treatment, and I felt the work immediately. Within a couple of days I was back to full function with my training. Highly recommend if you are looking for one-on-one time with a physical therapist!"
"Dr. Cisneros is one of a kind. Not only is he excellent in making you feel better but also getting you moving like you're supposed to again. He is so kind and compassionate and just an overall good person. Do yourself a favor and book an appointment — you won't regret it one bit!"
The problem with generic PT for athletes is that it aims for the wrong target. The goal is a full return to sport at pre-injury performance — not just "you can walk without pain." That requires understanding your sport's mechanics, knowing how to progressively load tissue under training stress, and having objective criteria for when you're actually ready to go back.
Dr. Cisneros holds a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree and has a strength and conditioning background. He is a former CrossFit coach and works with athletes across multiple disciplines — from military personnel to competitive powerlifters to recreational runners. His rehab progressions match what your body actually has to do.
At Solas PT, sports rehab is not generic PT with "functional exercises" added at the end. It's built from the sport down.
Dr. Cisneros brings a strength and conditioning background to every sports rehab case — loading progressions are sport-specific, not generic
Every session is one-on-one for a full 60 minutes. No aides, no rotating staff, no 15-minute check-ins between other patients
Referrals needed. Direct access PT in Texas means same-week appointments — no waiting on a physician's order to start rehab
Dr. Cisneros works with athletes across a wide range of sports. Each brings its own mechanics, injury patterns, and return-to-sport demands.
Shoulder impingement, wrist injuries, low back pain from deadlifts and Olympic lifts, knee pain from high-rep squatting. Dr. Cisneros is a former CrossFit coach — he knows exactly what you need to return to.
Achilles tendinopathy, IT band syndrome, plantar fasciitis, stress fractures, patellar tendinopathy, and hip flexor strains. Run-specific gait analysis and progressive loading to keep you training through recovery.
Rucking injuries, overuse stress fractures, lumbar pain from load-bearing, and the repetitive demands of military fitness. Dr. Cisneros understands what "return to duty" actually requires — not just a pass on a basic fitness test.
Shoulder separations, neck strains, elbow and wrist injuries from grappling, rib contusions, knee ligament sprains. Sport-specific rehab that accounts for the dynamic demands of rolling and sparring.
Soccer, basketball, football, and volleyball athletes. ACL rehab, ankle sprains, hamstring strains, groin injuries, and rotator cuff issues — with return-to-sport criteria tied to your position's demands.
Hip and shoulder mechanics for squat, bench, and deadlift. Pec strains, bicep tendon issues, lumbar injuries, and hip impingement — rehabbed with the goal of getting back under the bar, not just walking without pain.
Sports rehabilitation follows a structured progression — from initial assessment through tissue loading to sport-specific training and return-to-competition criteria. Here's what to expect.
The first session isn't just a pain assessment — it's a full movement and performance evaluation. Dr. Cisneros assesses how you move in the patterns your sport demands: overhead position, hip hinge mechanics, single-leg loading, force production. This tells him not just what's injured, but why it got injured in the first place.
Every tissue heals on a timeline — but that timeline is driven by biology, not calendar dates. Dr. Cisneros identifies the structure involved (muscle, tendon, ligament, cartilage, nerve) and sets milestone-based goals: strength ratios, range of motion, pain-free loading thresholds. You'll know exactly what you need to achieve before you're cleared to return.
Hands-on care gets you moving faster. Joint mobilization, soft tissue work, and dry needling reduce pain, restore range of motion, and prime tissue for loading — so the strength work that follows is actually effective, not just fatiguing a guarded muscle.
You don't need to stop training — you need to load smarter. Dr. Cisneros builds a parallel training plan that modifies aggravating movements while progressively loading the injured tissue. Most athletes leave session one knowing exactly what they can still do in the gym that week.
Before you return to full competition, Dr. Cisneros runs objective return-to-sport criteria: strength symmetry testing (side-to-side >90%), functional movement quality, sport-specific performance measures. You're cleared when you've passed the tests — not when a number of weeks has elapsed.
Most PTs have never performed a snatch, a muscle-up, or a heavy barbell squat. Dr. Cisneros has — as a former CrossFit coach with a strength & conditioning background, he understands the demands, the culture, and the injury patterns, and he won't just tell you to stop doing CrossFit. See our dedicated CrossFit physical therapy page →
The goal is load modification, not elimination. Dr. Cisneros identifies what's aggravating the injury and builds a modified program around it. Most athletes keep training throughout their entire course of care.
Dr. Cisneros works with athletes at a local CrossFit affiliate. In some cases, sessions can be conducted in the gym environment — evaluating mechanics under load and coaching movement correction in the context where injury actually occurs.
Return-to-competition criteria are set based on your specific sport demands. For CrossFit athletes, that means overhead position, squat mechanics, and barbell cycling — not just "pain-free walking."
Military athletes face a different standard: return to duty, not just return to sport. The demands of rucking, tactical fitness assessments, load-bearing, and repetitive high-volume training create specific injury patterns that standard PT often misses. Dr. Cisneros understands these demands and builds rehab plans with the physical requirements of service in mind.
Lumbar stress, hip flexor overuse, knee pain, and foot/ankle issues from high-mileage load-bearing. Progressive rehab that accounts for the ruck weight and distance your duty requires.
High training volume without adequate recovery creates predictable overuse patterns. Proper diagnosis, appropriate offloading, and return-to-training criteria built around military PT standards.
Cleared for duty means meeting the ACFT, ruck standards, and duty-specific physical requirements — not just passing a pain test. Dr. Cisneros builds return criteria around what you actually have to do.
TRICARE authorization and military clinic availability can mean weeks of delay before treatment starts. At Solas PT, you book directly and are seen this week. Many service members pay out-of-pocket for the speed and quality of care.
The most dangerous moment in sports rehab is the clearance decision. Returning too early — because a calendar date passed or pain went away — is the primary driver of re-injury. At Solas PT, return to sport is criteria-based, not time-based. You need to pass the tests, not wait out the weeks.
Side-to-side strength deficit must be under 10% before return to sport. Dr. Cisneros uses manual muscle testing and functional strength assessments to measure limb symmetry — not just "does it feel strong?"
Single-leg hop tests, triple hop for distance, crossover hops — these measure explosive capacity and confidence under load. Critical for ACL rehab, but used across all lower extremity sports injuries.
You need to demonstrate the movement patterns your sport demands — overhead for CrossFit athletes, sprint mechanics for runners, cutting patterns for team sports. Pain-free walking doesn't mean sport-ready movement.
Return-to-sport confidence is a legitimate criterion. Fear of re-injury — even after physical recovery is complete — is one of the strongest predictors of poor outcomes. Dr. Cisneros addresses this directly during the return-to-sport phase.
The goal isn't clearance — it's readiness. A lot of athletes get cleared too early because a number of weeks elapsed and their pain went away. Pain-free doesn't mean ready. At Solas PT, the return-to-sport decision is made with objective data, not a calendar date.
Sports rehabilitation is physical therapy designed specifically for athletes — not just the general population. It uses sport-specific movement analysis, progressive loading protocols, and return-to-sport testing criteria to get injured athletes back to full performance, not just "functional." At Solas PT, Dr. Cisneros brings a strength and conditioning background to sports rehab, which means your rehab progressions match the actual demands of your sport.
It depends on the injury. Mild muscle strains often resolve in 2–4 weeks with proper loading. Ligament sprains typically take 4–8 weeks. Post-surgical recoveries like ACL reconstruction take 9–12 months. What sets Solas PT apart is milestone-based progression — you advance when your tissue is ready, not when your insurance authorization runs out. Dr. Cisneros gives honest timelines after your first evaluation.
In most cases, yes — and that's the goal. Solas PT uses load modification rather than elimination. Instead of telling athletes to stop everything, Dr. Cisneros identifies what's aggravating the injury, modifies your training around it, and loads the injured tissue in a controlled way that promotes healing. Most athletes leave their first session with a plan that keeps them in the gym.
CrossFit, Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, running, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and MMA, team sports (soccer, basketball, football), military fitness and rucking, and recreational athletics. Dr. Cisneros is a former CrossFit coach and understands the specific mechanics and injury patterns of each sport — this isn't generic rehab rebranded as "sports PT."
Return-to-sport testing is a battery of functional assessments that objectively measure whether an athlete is ready to return to full competition — not just pain-free movement. It includes strength symmetry testing (typically >90% side-to-side), hop tests, movement quality screens, and sport-specific performance measures. At Solas PT, we use criteria-based return-to-sport rather than time-based — you're cleared when you've passed the tests, not when a calendar date arrives.
No. Texas is a direct access state. You can book directly with Dr. Cisneros at Solas PT without a physician's referral and begin sports rehab the same week. If imaging or specialist consultation is needed, Dr. Cisneros will coordinate that — but most sports injuries can be evaluated and treated from day one.
Dr. Cisneros holds both a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and a strength and conditioning background. He works in a CrossFit gym and understands barbell mechanics, high-rep loading, Olympic lifts, and the demands of tactical fitness. He doesn't tell athletes to stop training — he designs rehab around your sport's demands. Every session is one-on-one, 60 minutes, no aides. Compare that to an insurance clinic where you see a different PT each week and share your session with three other patients.
Some insurance plans cover physical therapy, but sport-specific services like return-to-sport testing and performance-based progressions are often billed in ways that don't match insurance categories — or require prior authorization that delays care for weeks. At Solas PT, we're cash-based. You pay a transparent flat rate, there are no billing codes dictating your treatment, and you can start this week. Visit our pricing page for current rates.
Yes. ACL rehabilitation is one of the most protocol-driven and milestone-based processes in sports rehab — and one of the areas where insurance-based care falls shortest. At Solas PT, ACL rehab follows evidence-based progressions: quad and hamstring strengthening, neuromuscular retraining, hop testing, and objective return-to-sport criteria. The goal is full return to sport with appropriate limb symmetry — not just getting you to walk without a brace. See also our post-surgical rehab page for cases involving ACL reconstruction surgery.
Sports Patient · Local Guide
"Andrew was very professional, attentive, and knowledgeable. He listened to the pain I was having in my shoulder and gave me the right treatment to get me back to my rock climbing activities."
Every week you're not loading the injury properly is a week of wasted recovery time. Book a sports evaluation at Solas PT in west El Paso — same-week appointments, no referral needed.
Also read: Why Resistance Training Is the Foundation of Rehab →