Joseph P. Carroll, PT, MS, SCS
GHF's Sports Medicine Expert

Sports Injury Specialist

Joe Carroll has 20 years experience in evaluating and treating orthopedic and sports injuries. He has rehabilitated athletes of all levels: professionals, Olympic Gold medallists, collegiate and interscholastic players, and weekend warriors, particularly runners and golfers.

Joe holds a BS in Physical Therapy from Boston University's Sargent College of Allied Health Professions and an MS in Health Services Management from Lesley College in Cambridge, MA. Joe is currently president and director of Cape Cod Rehabilitation Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy with offices in three Massachusetts locations. He is the founder of the FitPlan, a division of Cape Cod Rehab that specializes in sports performance enhancement, medical exercise prescription, and wellness. The FitPlan web site currently includes sports performance enhancement programs, personal training, and sports medicine coverage of athletic events.

Joe speaks regularly at professional meetings on injury prevention, flexibility and strength training, and safe and healthy running. For example, he has presented papers to local and regional chapters of the Professional Golfers Association, at area hospitals, and to gatherings of youth sports coaches and road racing clubs. Joe’s sports medicine teachings are published quarterly in The Cape Coaches Report, which can be found at www.fitplan.com. Recent titles include "Strength Training for Runners: The Home Program," "Little League Elbow," "ACL Injuries," and "Figure Skating Injuries."

Physical Therapist for all levels, including Olympians

Joe is often called upon to work at sports venues, from the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 to the World Junior Baseball Championships in 1995 to the United States Figure Skating Championships in 2001. Each summer, he works for the Cape Cod Baseball League, the premier summer college baseball in the country.

At the Olympic Village, he worked with Chinese Volleyball players, Yugoslavian water polo players, track athletes from Great Britain and Antigua, and wrestlers from New Zealand, among many others. His Olympic experience was of great value during the World Junior Baseball Championships. In addition to being in charge of medical care, Joe recruited volunteers including interpreters and hosts for the visiting teams. Joe also assisted Team Norway during the Women's World Cup in 1999 when they trained on Cape Cod and played in Boston.

A Balanced Approach to Injury Recovery

Certified by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties as a Sports Clinical Specialist since 1990, Joe brings a gentle intensity to his physical therapy work, employing manual techniques to mobilize joints and soft tissue, and recommending exercise that emphasizes total body conditioning, flexibility, strength, and balance.

Joe's treatment approach incorporates the teachings of several master therapists and physicians including Igor Burdenko, Russian Doctor of Sports Medicine; George Davies and Lynn Wallace, Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapists from Wisconsin and Ohio respectively; Lyle Micheli, MD, Director of Boston's Children Hospital Sports Medicine Division; and Arnold Scheller MD, Boston Celtics and Pro-Sports Orthopedics, Boston, MA. This approach is designed to help his clients return to as full a function as possible while minimizing recurrence of injury or pain.

Personal Fitness Program

Joe's own fitness program consists of running 25 miles per week year-round, increasing or decreasing the mileage depending on whether he is training for a half or full marathon. He incorporates hill work and speed work when training for longer races. He does weight work twice a week and does stair master or elliptical trainer to supplement his running when weather conditions bring him inside. He varies his workout with swimming for flexibility and mountain biking on the conservation land near his home. Joe also plays shortstop on his company's softball team in the spring and summer. He is a 3-time Boston Marathon finisher.

Joe Carroll on Getting Active

Participation is the key, and no amount of physical activity is too little. I believe in physical fitness and sports as a way to improve our quality of life, both mentally and physically. In dealing with injury, the body has amazing recuperative powers, especially when we believe in ourselves and when we see ourselves achieving our goals. I see examples every day of people overcoming great odds and doing things someone has told them they will never be able to do again.

Contacting Joe Carroll

Joe welcomes questions from GHF members. For those having difficulty in their rehabilitation, he will be happy to review your rehab program and make suggestions on self-help or help you formulate questions to ask your medical provider. And be sure to visit his web site at www.fitplan.com.