A full hour, one-on-one
Every visit is an hour with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. No aides, no rushed table time, no bouncing between machines.
Sound familiar?
You’ve tried some things but it still hurts.
Maybe you’ve rested it, stretched it, foam rolled it, had an injection, or already tried physical therapy. Some of it may have helped for a while.
Then you went back to the stairs, the runs, the squats, or a long day on your feet, and it started bothering you again. Now you’re somewhere between managing it and slowly doing less, without a clear sense of what actually needs to change.
That’s the part we care about.
Who we help
If any of this sounds like you
These are some of the patterns we see most often.
Front-of-knee pain Stairs, squats, or getting out of a chair make the knee ache +
Pain around the kneecap is often influenced by how the hip, knee, and foot share force. We look beyond the painful spot to find the limiting piece.
Knee pain with running It feels fine at first, then builds as the miles add up +
Running pain often appears when training demand rises faster than strength, control, or tissue tolerance. We assess both the runner and the training plan.
Pain along the outside The outside of the knee gets sharp or tight during a run +
Side-of-knee pain can behave differently from kneecap pain. We look at where it starts, what makes it build, and how the leg controls repeated loading.
A stiff or achy knee It stiffens after sitting or aches during longer walks +
Arthritis may be part of the picture, but it does not tell us everything about your function. Strength, mobility, balance, and activity tolerance can still change.
Swelling or giving way The knee catches, swells, or does not feel trustworthy +
These symptoms deserve a closer assessment. We look at the injury history, motion, strength, control, and whether another medical evaluation is appropriate.
Recovery after knee surgery You are cleared, but not back to the things that matter yet +
After an arthroscopy, ligament procedure, or replacement, we move beyond basic recovery to rebuild the strength and function your life actually requires.
The knee often shows where load is landing, but not always why. We assess the knee and the system around it before deciding what needs to change.
What’s different
The process only works if the care supports it
A plan is only as good as the care running it. These three things are how we deliver it.
Benchmarks before progressions
You move forward by clearing the standards tied to your goals, not simply because another week passed on the calendar.
Always in your pocket
Your plan, your progressions, and a line to your clinician live in the EVO app, so you are never guessing between sessions.
First, we understand
We measure before we build
Where it hurts matters. It just does not tell us enough. Before we build your plan, we look at how your knee, hip, and foot move, how much load the knee can handle, how well you control it, and what you need it to do in real life.
Knee & hip mobility
Strength & capacity
Balance & control
Daily demands
Your goals
These measures give us a starting point. We return to them throughout rehab to decide what needs work, when to progress, and whether your knee is ready for the demands you want back.
How our approach is supported by current guidelines +
Knee pain can be influenced by what the hip, knee, foot, and training plan are asking the body to handle. Current guidelines support the same core principles we work from: find the limiting pieces, build them, and test whether the change carries over.
Find the driver
Front-of-knee pain, arthritis, tendon pain, and post-operative limitations are not interchangeable.
Build the whole chain
Knee capacity depends on local strength as well as hip, foot, movement, and training demands.
Progress and measure
Exercise type, dose, adherence, symptoms, and functional change all inform the next step.
That is the logic behind EVO’s 10-step process: establish the starting point, build the qualities that are missing, and earn the next level through measurable progress.
- Patellofemoral Pain Clinical Practice Guideline, 2019 · Willy et al., JOSPT
- Patellofemoral Pain Consensus Statement, 2018 · Collins et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Best-Practice Exercise for Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis, 2023 · Holden et al., Osteoarthritis and Cartilage
Then comes the plan
We build for the demands of your life
Your assessment shows where you start. The demands of your life show where you finish, whether that is getting down a flight of stairs, getting through a long day, or getting back under a heavy bar. The ten steps are the path between, each one building the fitness needed to get you there.
01
Regulate
Calm pain and irritation so the knee can move.
02
Restore
Get the knee motion you need back.
03
Activate
Rebuild the muscle around the knee.
04
Coordinate
Use that strength in real movement.
05
Endure
Repeat good movement without breaking down.
06
Strengthen
Build meaningful knee and full-body strength.
07
Absorb
Control landing, impact, and deceleration.
08
Produce
Build force, speed, and power.
09
Integrate
Handle fatigue, change, and the unexpected.
10
Perform
Return to life or sport—and stay there.
The people in your corner
A Doctor of Physical Therapy, every session
Dr. TJ Martino, PT, DPT, CSCS
Founder · Physical Therapist
TJ started as a strength coach before earning his doctorate in physical therapy. For more than 15 years, he has worked with active adults, runners, lifters, and professional and Olympic athletes.
That background shapes how we approach knee pain at EVO. We look beyond where it hurts to understand what you need to move, train, and get back to the things that matter to you.
In their words
What progress can look like
★★★★★
“He has helped me through injuries that I had been battling with other PTs for years. His approach is about fixing the root of the problem for a sustainable long-term solution. I love that I’m no longer in pain.”
Lindsay D.
Years of recurring injuries
★★★★★
“I went to several traditional PT places, but EVO’s route was the best for me. They found the root cause of my injury cycle. A few months later, I’m finally back to living life pain-free.”
Grace M.
Recurring injuries
★★★★★
“His treatment lets me keep a vigorous work schedule and still train safely. He coordinates with my trainer so my program is right for me and I can hit my goals.”
Joanne Z.
Patient & member
★★★★★ 5.0 on Google
Read more reviews on Google →
From our team
More on knee pain
Straight answers
The questions people ask first
Do I need a referral to start physical therapy for knee pain? +
In most cases, no. New Jersey allows direct access to physical therapy, which means you can usually begin without seeing another provider first. Some insurance plans have their own requirements, and we will help you understand those before you start.
How long does knee rehabilitation usually take? +
It depends on what is contributing to the symptoms, how long it has been going on, and what you are trying to return to. We do not put everyone on the same timeline. Your evaluation establishes the starting point, and measured checkpoints show when you are ready to progress.
I already had a cortisone injection or an MRI. Is physical therapy still worth it? +
It can be. An injection may reduce symptoms, and imaging tells us about structure, but neither rebuilds strength or activity tolerance. Physical therapy can help address those qualities while the knee is feeling calmer.
Do you treat knees after a replacement or arthroscopy? +
Yes. We work within the surgeon’s precautions and then progressively rebuild mobility, strength, walking capacity, and the activities you want to return to.
Does arthritis mean exercise will make my knee worse? +
Not necessarily. The right amount and type of exercise helps many people with knee arthritis stay active. The important part is matching the plan to what your knee currently tolerates and progressing from there.
What to expect
Getting started with us is simple
1
A conversation
A complimentary discovery call to hear what is going on, what you have tried, and whether we are the right fit.
2
An evaluation
A full 60-to-90-minute assessment to establish your starting point and what needs attention first.
3
Your plan, in motion
One-on-one treatment and a progressive plan built around the demands of your life.
On the house
The free six-week Knee Reset
A six-week program inside the EVO Health App, with guided sessions and a real clinician to message when you get stuck. Start on your own, at your own pace. Tell us where to send it.
- ✓A clear place to start without another generic PDF
- ✓Day-by-day guidance inside the EVO Health App
- ✓A real EVO clinician available when you need help
