Function First Physical Therapy

New York, United States

4.6

Closed now

14 reviews

By Appointment Only

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 212-691-4833
Website:
functionfirstpt.com
Address:
119 W 23rd St, New York, NY, 10011
b/t 7th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas
Chelsea
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
280 ft23rd Street (F,M,PATH)
660 ft23rd Street (1)
0.2 miChristina's
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Bussiness info

By Appointment Only
Yes
Accepts Insurance
Yes

Today

Today 8:00 am – 7:30 pm
Closed now
Local time (New York) 6:14 AM Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Business hours

Monday 8:00 am – 7:30 pm
Tuesday 7:00 am – 7:30 pm
Wednesday 8:00 am – 7:30 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 7:30 pm
Friday 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Our highly skilled manual therapists combine traditional physical therapy techniques, alternative philosophies, and sound evidence-​based research to decrease pain and restore normal motion and strength. We then focus on teaching the patient proper postures, body mechanics, and home exercises, while developing strategies to prevent re-​occurrences.

Our goal and passion is to help each and every patient improve efficient movement and function using the latest techniques and research, followed by patient education and an individualized home program. We are committed as a team to provide an exceptional customer service experience that exceeds your expectations from the clinical aspect to administrative details.

We also offer:

— Licensed massage therapy

— Pilates

— Gyrotonic

through Mackall Studio, Inc.

History

Established in 2001.

Function First Physical Therapy P.C., a 100% physical therapist owned private orthopedic practice, has been returning patients to their full function of everyday demands and sports performance for over 12 years in the Flatiron/​Chelsea section of Manhattan. We would like to personally thank all of our current/​former patients and referring physicians for spreading the word and allowing us the privilege to continue to serve our community. Our highly skilled rehabilitation specialists combine traditional physical therapy techniques, alternative philosophies, and sound evidence-​based research to eliminate pain, improve function and meet your maximal potential. We offer one-​on-​one sessions and pride ourselves on educating each patient on their condition while teaching a thorough, individualized home exercise program to equip them with strategies for the future.

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14 reviews of Function First Physical Therapy

No registration required
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
I am SO very grateful I finally found this place. I went to 4 other crappy places in the city before I finally found Joe Spallone. I’ve been to him for my knee, hip and my mid back. If you’re looking for a functional manual therapist he is the best. Not only is he great at what he does, he’s probably the coolest guy ever. His staff is amazing. The space is open and bright. The vibe is very relaxed and welcoming. I really enjoy going to physical therapy here. I can’t thank him enough. I highly recommend!
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
I came to functional PT for a sprain in my (inner) right ankle. Kerry was great. She guided me each week to do different exercises and was very thorough with instructions. She was very observant in my behavior and my capabilities and was encouraging when I was struggling with a certain movement or exercise.
I enjoyed this facility, it was clean, bright and airy. Everyone was friendly and I would recommend it.
Place rating: 5
Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, NY
Just finished PT for both my calf and my back. My orthopedist was concerned that PT might not be enough for my back and felt I might be headed for surgery. Just 5 weeks with Kerry and I’m feeling good as new! Highly recommended.
Place rating: 5
Hoboken, NY
I am currently being treated here, by Joe Spallone specifically. Prior to coming to Function First, I was being treated by a well-​liked physical therapy clinic in Hoboken, NJ. I had not realized the low level of treatment I was receiving for MONTHS until I came to see Joe at Function First. It quite literally is like the High School baseball vs the Major Leagues — no comparison.
I came in with neck and shoulder pain, pretty bad, and he started treating my lower body and back! I was very confused at first, almost skeptical, but quickly realized he was treating my neck and shoulder issues as a FULL BODY issue, not just the injured area. Two weeks into treatment, my neck is improving, my lower body feeling stronger than ever, and look forward to continued healing at this clinic. Highly recommended.
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
Helen and Joe are highly skilled and play good music selections while they worked on me. Over the years they’ve worked on different injuries, and Joe makes sure his PTs provide highest quality service. They always begin with a thorough evaluation of the injury and your personal goals. They give honest and realistic feedback. Most recently Helen treated my «frozen shoulder» with highly informed massage, stretching, as well as teaching me exercises she carefully supervises. She also measures my progress visually and weekly with a goniometer, an instrument for measuring range of joint motion. yes, they do have a 24 hour cancellation policy which I do not mind. They serve people who give them the respect they deserve and are willing to pay them for their time. Consequently, I arrive at the appointed time and get served within 5 minutes. I like that way of doing business. They are not rigid about this either. I’m a good consistent customer so they might extend privileges my way, but I if I’m running late for my noon appointment and call in advance to reschedule same-​day, they will give me a later time aND look out for a cancellation in my preferred time slot that day. I appreciate all they’ve done for me and their way of doing business! I cannot speak highly enough of this place for PT or sports medicine.
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
I had a great experience with Helen. I saw her for about 6 months after a bad dislocation, break and subsequent shoulder surgery. She is definitely one of the reasons (plus my own hard work!) that my shoulder is back to basically normal range of movement! She is thoughtful, skilled and very deeply educated on the body. She gave me great exercises to do and as I regained mobility she updated and changed them to address areas that still needed work. She definitely has healing hands and I always left feeling great. She wasn’t afraid to push my body and me to get to faster healing.
The office staff are friendly and accommodating too. I missed an appointment by accident once (I thought I had a different time) and they were totally fine about it and didn’t charge me.
The only bad thing is the elevators in the building are super slow :)
Place rating: 2
Manhattan, NY
Do not go here unless you are certain you will never have to cancel an appt. w/​in 24 hrs. I called 5 hrs. in advance and was still told I would be charged a $ 45. cancelation fee. So we had to stop going in the middle of my child’s treatment.
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
Helen did an amazing job. I really enjoyed working with her and I was very happy with the service I received. From my very first appointment, I was impressed with the amount of one-​on-​one attention that she gave me, by carefully evaluating my abilities and asking lots of thoughtful questions about my condition. I had a LOT of questions and she patiently answered all of them. she immediately (and correctly) identified the source of the problem and thoroughly explained her findings so that I could understand what was happening. She was sensitive to the fact that I couldn’t afford many visits and gave me a full exercise program to do at home on my own. By my 6th visit, I was able to stretch again without the same intense pain that I was experiencing when I first started going.
Scheduling — It took 2 weeks for me to get my first appointment; they do fill up a couple weeks ahead of time so the sooner you book your appointment, the better. I guess they really are that busy, but after the initial visit I was able to get in a couple times each week.
Also worth noting — I was frequently late and even missed a couple appointments due to pure absentmindedness; the staff was more than willing to accommodate me and reschedule the missed appointment whenever possible. I do not recommend being late, as you will miss out on quality time with the therapist, but they really did their best to accommodate me every single time.
Place rating: 2
Manhattan, NY
The physical therapist I saw here, Joe, was fine, but I was rushed through my first appointment, after waiting over half an hour. He seemed crabby and impatient. Then, although my doctor wanted me to have PT 2 – 3 times per week, Joe had no availability for even ONE appointment sooner than 2 weeks from the first one. The office manager seemed to think nothing was wrong with that. I guess lots of people like Joe. I prefer better treatment.
Place rating: 5
Manhattan, NY
My wife and I have been getting physical therapy at First Function. Our physical therapist is Helen Nam D.P.T. (doctor physical therapy). Helen is carful when she treats us, keeps asking if it hurts and always smiles.
The place is airy with wide windows and the staff is very nice. I highly recommend it to anybody who needs physical therapy.
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
Function First was on the list of places recommended by my orthopedist. A little research showed that Joe Spallone had impeccable credentials. I had had physical therapy in the past but it really didn’t help. Of course I didn’t have anything to compare it to so I could not judge the quality. Now I can.
Joe is extremely well qualified and puts his knowledge to use. Every morning when I reach for a coffee filter, I quietly thank him. He has helped make a major difference in my movement. The difference between Function First and the other place is like comparing a high school production to a Broadway show. There is no comparison.
The staff is great. They were very helpful when dealing with my insurance company. I haven’t worked with any other therapist but I have seen them with other patients and they seem to be wonderful as well.
Place rating: 5
Manhattan, NY
I’ve had physical therapy over the years for injuries and post-​surgery for my feet and hips and this is the best I’ve encountered either in private or hospital settings. I had to beg my doctor to send me for treatment for my foot instead of his insistence on more surgery. Helen has worked miracles on my foot in three months increasing both the flexibility and strength. She zeroed in on the problem immediately and although I know my foot will never be 100% functional due to the loss of cartilage, I am soooo thankful for the reduction in pain and increased strength.
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
I highly recommend Function First Physical Therapy! I went to two other places in the city before FFPT and had awful experiences (therapists who didn’t remember if it was my left or right ankle, strength training when I needed flexibility, no attention, etc). 15m in at FFPT I knew I had landed at the right place — great personalized care, a nice space, and top-​notch w/​all the logistics (automatic reminder emails, on time, etc).
Joe was my main physical therapist and he was absolutely excellent — knowledgable about my problems, a lot of fun to work w/​, and did an expert job healing me. I came in laughably inflexible and in pain, and by the end I had made solid progress.
When Joe was unavailable the rest of the team filled in wonderfully.
Definitely join FFPT!
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
I first walked into Function First, well, unable to walk. Or sit. Or stand. Or move. Or do anything besides lay on my back or scream and cry in pain. I had terrible back pain after a bad fall. I remember bawling on the elevator on my way to my first appointment because it hurt so much just riding the elevator.
Function First fixed me up. After the first appointment, I was moving a tiny better, and weeks later I was moving and grooving. Even after I had a set back and relapsed into pain, my physical therapist got me quickly back on track.
The physical therapists know what they’re doing and I always felt confident that I was in good hands. They’re smart and concerned. My friend who referred me recommended Joe, but I ended up working with Rob because his schedule worked better with mine. I also had one appointment with Joe, and I can attest that they are both excellent and extremely skilled.
The entire staff is helpful, friendly and caring. They have early and late hours to fit your schedule. The office is clean and spacious, and has a relaxed atmosphere that put me at ease. They have all of the necessary equipment, including treadmills and reformers. There’s changing rooms and lockers if you’re coming from work and need to get changed. They’re accessible to the buses, trains and PATH — essential when you’re having a hard time getting around. Most importantly, they work with your health insurance to make sure you get the coverage and care you deserve.
I whole-​heartedly recommend Function First to anyone in need of physical therapy. I can’t imagine where I’d be if I hadn’t gone to Function First. Probably still laying in bed, crying and watching the Game Show Network all day.