Services
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy treats pain and movement problems without drugs or surgery. A therapist works out why a joint hurts or a movement fails, then builds a plan — hands-on treatment, loading, and retraining — to change it. In all three states we practice in, you can usually start without a doctor's referral.
Why SportsCare
Why patients choose SportsCare
64 clinics, so care fits around your life
Start near your office and finish near your home. Because it is one practice, your records and your plan move with you — you do not restart with a stranger.
Treating this region since 1997
Nearly three decades of outpatient orthopedic care across New Jersey, New York and Florida — long enough to have treated the same injuries in the same towns many times over.
We tell you when something is not working
Treating for years without change is not a plan. If you are not progressing, we say so and help you get the right opinion — the 30-day direct access checkpoint exists for exactly that reason.
Do you need a referral?
Usually not. All three states we practice in allow direct access, meaning you can be evaluated and treated by a physical therapist without seeing a physician first. The rules differ in the detail, and they all run on a 30-day clock.
- New Jersey
- Treatment without a referralUp to 30 days
- The condition attachedIf you have not made reasonable progress in 30 days, we refer you on
- New York
- Treatment without a referral10 visits or 30 days, whichever comes first
- The condition attachedThe treating therapist must have at least three years of practice
- Florida
- Treatment without a referralUp to 30 days
- The condition attachedBeyond 30 days, a practitioner of record reviews and signs the plan
Your insurance may want one anyway
This is the part that catches people out. State law and your insurance plan are two separate things. A plan can require a physician referral for reimbursement even in a state where the law does not require one to be treated.
Call the clinic with your insurance card before your first visit. The front desk verifies your benefits and tells you whether your specific plan needs a referral — which is a far better outcome than finding out afterward.
What happens at your first visit
History
What happened, what makes it worse, what you have already tried, and — the question that shapes everything else — what you are trying to get back to. Walking the dog and returning to competitive soccer are different targets.
Physical examination
Movement, strength, joint mobility, and specific tests for the structures we suspect. This is where a working diagnosis comes from, and where we screen for anything that belongs with a physician instead.
Explanation
You should leave understanding what we think is happening and why. If you cannot explain your problem to someone else after the visit, we have not done this part properly.
Starting treatment
Most people begin treatment the same day, and leave with something to do at home. The home program is not an afterthought — for most conditions it drives more of the outcome than the clinic sessions do.
What we treat
Every SportsCare clinic provides outpatient orthopedic and sports physical therapy. That covers the great majority of what walks through the door: back and neck pain, joint pain, sprains and strains, tendon problems, arthritis, recovery after orthopedic surgery, sports injuries, and work-related injuries.
Specialty programs — aquatic therapy, vestibular rehabilitation, hand therapy, pelvic health — run at specific locations rather than all of them. The service pages list where.
How long it takes
Honestly, it depends, and anyone quoting a fixed number before examining you is guessing. A straightforward ankle sprain may take a handful of visits. Recovery after a joint replacement or a significant tendon repair is measured in months and follows a surgical protocol.
What is more useful than a number is a checkpoint. You should notice something changing within the first few weeks — less pain, more range, easier stairs. If nothing has moved by then, the plan needs revisiting or you need a different opinion, and we will say so. State direct access rules build in exactly that check at 30 days.
When to see a doctor first
Physical therapists are trained to screen for problems that are not musculoskeletal, and to refer them on. Some signs should go straight to a physician or an emergency department rather than to us.
FAQ
Common questions
- Do I need a referral to see a physical therapist?
- In New Jersey, New York and Florida you can generally be treated without a physician referral for up to 30 days — in New York, 10 visits or 30 days, whichever comes first. Your insurance plan may still require a referral for coverage, which is separate from state law. Call your clinic with your insurance card to confirm before your first visit.
- What should I wear and bring?
- Wear clothing you can move in and that allows access to the area being treated — shorts for a knee, a vest or loose t-shirt for a shoulder. Bring your insurance card, a photo ID, any imaging reports or surgical notes you have, and a list of your medications.
- Does physical therapy hurt?
- Some treatment produces temporary discomfort, and working near the edge of what a painful joint tolerates is often necessary to make progress. It should not be an ordeal. Tell your therapist what you are feeling — the plan is calibrated to it, and pain that lingers for days afterward means the dose was wrong.
- How many visits will I need?
- It depends on the condition, how long you have had it, and what you are returning to. Rather than a fixed number, expect a checkpoint: you should see meaningful change within the first few weeks, and if you do not, the plan should change or you should be referred for another opinion.
- Can physical therapy help me avoid surgery?
- For some conditions it is a genuine alternative and for others it is preparation for an operation you are going to need. Which of those applies depends on your diagnosis, and it is a conversation to have with both your therapist and your surgeon rather than a promise any clinic should make in advance.
Sources
The clinical claims on this page are drawn from the following. Where the evidence is limited, we say so above rather than round it up.
- 1.New York State Physical Therapy: Frequently Asked Practice Questions — New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions
- 2.Chapter 486, Florida Statutes — Physical Therapy Practice — The Florida Senate
- 3.Physical Therapy Direct Access Laws by State — GetPT
Talk to a therapist about physical therapy
Availability varies by clinic. Call the location nearest you and the front desk will tell you whether it is offered there and whether it suits your condition — or reach our main office at (973) 887-9000.
64 clinics across New Jersey, New York and Florida.