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 long drives, the yard work, the deadlifts, or a full 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.
Sitting or driving pain Your back builds a dull ache during desk days or long drives +
If changing position helps only briefly, we look at how your back and hips tolerate sustained positions and what happens when you finally get moving again.
Pain with lifting It catches during a lift, or aches after a long day on your feet +
We assess how you produce and tolerate force, not just whether one lifting position looks “perfect.” The goal is to make the task feel capable and repeatable again.
Morning stiffness The first part of the morning is the hardest +
Morning stiffness can reflect several different patterns. We look at how long it lasts, what eases it, and how the rest of the day affects your symptoms.
Leg pain or sciatica Pain, tingling, or numbness travels into your glute or leg +
Symptoms traveling away from the back need a careful assessment. We look at nerve sensitivity, strength, movement, and the positions that change what you feel.
A back that keeps flaring It settles down, then one small movement seems to set it off again +
Recurring flares can leave you avoiding more each time. We help you understand the pattern and rebuild the capacity and confidence that never fully returned.
Recovery after back surgery You have been cleared, but you do not feel ready for everything yet +
Medical clearance is an important milestone, not always the end of rehab. We rebuild the motion, strength, and tolerance your work, training, and life require.
Low back pain can show up in different ways. Understanding why yours keeps getting in the way starts with identifying your specific pattern.
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 back and hips move, how much load you can handle, how well you control it, and what you need it to do in real life.
Spine & 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 back is ready for the demands you want back.
How our approach is supported by current guidelines +
There is no single best exercise for every back. Current guidelines support the same core principles we work from: look at your symptoms, movement, strength, tolerance, habits, and goals, then build a plan you can progress and use outside the clinic.
Understand the presentation
Back pain with stiffness, leg symptoms, recurring flares, or lifting limits may need different starting points.
Stay active and build capacity
The goal is not to protect the back forever. It is to restore what you need to live, train, and work.
Make progress repeatable
Education, graded exercise, and a plan you can follow between visits matter more than a temporary change alone.
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.
- Low Back Pain Clinical Practice Guideline, 2021 · George et al., JOSPT
- Exercise for Chronic Low Back Pain, 2021 · Hayden et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
- Individualized Walking and Education (WalkBack), 2024 · Pocovi et al., The Lancet
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 sitting through a long drive, getting through a full day on your feet, 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 back can move.
02
Restore
Get the spine and hip motion you need back.
03
Activate
Rebuild the muscle around the spine and hips.
04
Coordinate
Use that strength in real movement.
05
Endure
Repeat good movement without breaking down.
06
Strengthen
Build meaningful trunk 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 low back 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 low back pain
Straight answers
The questions people ask first
Do I need a referral to start physical therapy for low back 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 low back 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 an 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 back is feeling calmer.
Do you treat backs after surgery? +
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 a disc or arthritis finding mean exercise will make my back worse? +
Not necessarily. Disc and arthritis findings are common on imaging in people without pain, and the right amount and type of exercise helps many people stay active. The important part is matching the plan to what your back 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 Low Back 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
