Dr. Joe is joined by Dr. Zak Gabor, one of the founders of The Level Up Initiative as well as CALU which are one in the same regarding platforms bent on trying to make positive change in the rehab career field, focusing on growth mindset, critical thinking and...
Physical Therapist:
Dr. CJ DePalma, PT, CSCS, CF-L1
Meet Dr. CJ DePalma, PT And Owner

Dr. CJ DePalma, PT is the owner of The Movement Dr. and native to the Pensacola, FL area, which is where the physical therapy clinic is located. CJ and his practice have become known as The Best of Bay Best Physical Therapy.
He specializes in chronic pain management and rehabilitation through a unique approach of education, evidence, and movement.
He has experience treating the general population, youth athletes, CrossFitters, CrossFit Games Athletes, olympic lifters, strongman athletes, professional athletes of various sports, and more from chronic pain issues, struggling with daily activities, to back-to-sport injury rehabilitation.
Beyond physical therapy, and treating his patients for their pain and injuries, CJ is extremely passionate about keeping these aches and pains away and helping his clients reach their health and fitness goals.
He loves working with people who are ready to set goals and partner with him to crush them!
Whether you want to run your first 5k, get your first muscle-up, get better at CrossFit, or be a competitive athlete, CJ is the man for the job. He works with athletes of all ages and experience levels, from youth, recreational, amateur, and professional.
Working with CJ, you can be sure you will have a balanced program that will help you progress to your goals without getting injured.
CJ works with his clients and patients at the physical therapy clinic in Pensacola, FL, as well as remotely/virtually. He has had incredible results with his treatment and coaching model with patients and clients all around the world.
CJ’s Story Behind The Movement Dr.
“Rethink Your Rehab”
“The Movement Dr. began because while in school, I was unhappy with my clinical rotations and what I saw in traditional Outpatient Physical Therapy. The requirement to see multiple patients at a time while sitting in front of a computer screen doing notes made me feel like I was handcuffed into providing subpar care.
I had a vision of a movement-based approach to treat everyone and all pathologies, with an emphasis on patient independence, and education. I give the patient the information and tools they need to get better on their own. By doing so, we see each other less often and have quicker results.
You will never walk into my clinic and be told to stop activity. Here we modify everything so we can keep moving.”
-Dr. CJ DePalma, PT


Unfortunately, many healthcare providers rely on outdated methods that simply do not follow the evidence. These practitioners make patients become reliant on methods that seem to be “quick fixes” but are not really fixes at all.
CJ uses treatment methods that have evidence behind them and he stays up to date on all of the latest studies around pain and rehabilitation. He educates his patients about how bodies and pain work, so they have realistic expectations, are more confident, and more independent.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of fear-mongering and unnecessary language used by healthcare providers that actually can hinder the results for patients. CJ is honest and realistic with his patients, known for improving his patients’ outlook on their recovery, helping avoid unnecessary surgery, and providing lasting results.
Physical Therapy & Training Resources By Dr. CJ DePalma, PT
TMD’s Podcast | Golden Nuggets: Episode 12 – Across The Continuum
Drs. Joe and CJ guest appear on the Modern Pain Care Podcast with Dr. Mark Kargela to talk about the lack of intelligent exercise programming in the rehab and allied health world and what we are going to do to facilitate change. We discuss our new 12 week mentorship...
TMD’s Podcast | Golden Nuggets: Episode 11 – Dr. Michael Mash – Should clinicians be strength coaches?
Drs. Joe and CJ are graced by the presence of one of the absolute OG instagram PTs, Dr. Michael Mash! Dr. Michael Mash is Owner of Barbell Rehab an online and in person continuing education successfully teaching clinicians and fitness professionals how to...
TMD’s Podcast | Golden Nuggets: Episode 10 – Ben Dziwulski – Owner of WODprep
Drs. Joe and CJ sit down with professional bass fisherman and semi decent Crossfitter Ben Dziwulski! He owns WODprep which is a Crossfit content creation and coaching platform that aids beginners in getting past the intimidating looks of Crossfit and jumping...
TMD’s Podcast | Golden Nuggets: Episode 8 – Dr. Derek Miles – Injury: What it do?
Drs. Joe and CJ ask Dr. Derek Miles some of the hardest hitting questions to date! What is injury? Can we even define it? How do we go about intervening on it? Can we tell when someone is going to get injured? Whats the best type of knife for releasing fascia away...
TMD’s Podcast | Golden Nuggets: Episode 7 – Ben Cormack – Pain and Patient Centered Care
Drs. Joe and CJ are graced by Ben Cormack in which they tackle the difficult questions about pain, how to approach patient care as a #wokePT, what self efficacy is and is not, feeling better and value based patient goals.Ben Cormack is founder and CEO...
TMD’s Podcast | Golden Nuggets: Episode 6 – Dr. Cody Misuraca – Corrective Exercise: Bologna?
Drs. Joe and CJ have Dr. Cody Misuraca back on to chat about corrective exercise! What it is, what its not, what holes exist in its use and what way we can critically think about exercise application, movement and pain/symptomsDr. Cody Misuraca is head coach...
TMD’s Podcast | Golden Nuggets: Episode 5 – Claire Zai – Women’s Fitness and Health Considerations
Drs. Joe and CJ ask Claire Zai of Barbell Medicine questions and get in depth answers about women's health in the fitness, pregnancy and menstrual cycle realms, coincidentally on National Girls and Women in Sports Day!Claire is a coach for Barbell...
TMD’s Podcast | Golden Nuggets: Episode 4 – Dr. Mark Kargela – Where do we go from here?
Drs. Joe and CJ have a round table discussion with Dr. Mark Kargela about the PT career field, how to salvage the PT world, what sort of things stand in the way of good patient care and the logistics of owning chickens in Arizona.Dr. Mark Kargela is the CEO of Modern...
TMD’s Podcast | Golden Nuggets: Episode 3 – Dr. Cody Misuraca – Resistance Training for the Older Adult
Dr. Joe chats with Dr. Cody Misuraca about resistance training for the older adult including health considerations, myths and ways to think about exercise that may help to decrease barriers and increase motivation!Dr. Cody Misuraca is head coach at Waypoint...
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Let’s discuss how we can help you with physical therapy, rehabilitation, personal training, or remote coaching!