PT, DPT
Hiral Thakkar
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Phone Number: +1 (909) 554-0891
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Email Address : admin@carespinenj.com
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Experience
20+ Years
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Woodland Park Office
279 Browertown Road, Suite 108 Woodland Park, NJ
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East Orange Office
310 Central Avenue, Suite 104 East Orange, NJ
Availability:
Physical Therapist | Care Spine & Sports
Hiral Thakkar, PT, DPT, is a physical therapist at Care Spine & Sports with a strong interest in helping patients rebuild strength, restore movement, and confidently return to the activities that are important to them. Her approach emphasizes active rehabilitation, movement quality, progressive strengthening, and patient education, creating a treatment experience that is individualized and goal-driven.
International Foundation, U.S. Doctoral Training
Hiral began her physical therapy education in India, graduating from D. Y. Patil University in 2019 with her degree in physiotherapy. Her early education established a foundation in musculoskeletal rehabilitation, therapeutic exercise, biomechanics, neurological rehabilitation, and functional movement.
She later continued her professional education in the United States at Loma Linda University in California, where she earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. The combination of her international education and U.S.-based doctoral training provides Hiral with a broad perspective on rehabilitation while allowing her to incorporate contemporary physical therapy principles into everyday patient care.
Movement-Focused Rehabilitation
Hiral’s treatment philosophy centers on a simple principle: better movement supports better function. She looks beyond the location of a patient’s symptoms to understand how limitations in strength, mobility, coordination, endurance, and movement patterns may be affecting everyday activities.
Her treatment plans are designed to progress with the patient. Depending on the individual’s condition and goals, rehabilitation may incorporate therapeutic exercise, progressive strengthening, neuromuscular re-education, functional movement training, manual therapy, balance activities, mobility exercises, and individualized home exercise programs.
Orthopedic & Functional Physical Therapy
Hiral enjoys working with patients experiencing orthopedic and musculoskeletal conditions, including neck and low back pain, shoulder dysfunction, hip and knee conditions, joint stiffness, muscle weakness, and limitations following injury or surgery. She also works with patients recovering from motor vehicle accidents, work-related injuries, and other conditions that interfere with mobility and everyday function.
A major focus of her rehabilitation approach is helping patients bridge the gap between traditional exercises and the activities they need to perform outside the clinic. Treatment may incorporate movements that reflect walking, lifting, reaching, bending, carrying, stair negotiation, work activities, exercise, and recreational tasks.
Building Strength & Confidence
Hiral believes physical therapy should give patients more than temporary symptom relief. She wants patients to understand how their bodies move, why particular exercises are being performed, and how they can participate in their own recovery. Education is an important component of her approach, with practical strategies for movement, exercise, activity modification, and home management that can support progress beyond therapy sessions.
Collaborative Care
At Care Spine & Sports, Hiral practices within a multidisciplinary rehabilitation environment and works alongside physical therapists, occupational therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and other healthcare professionals when appropriate. This collaborative setting allows rehabilitation to remain individualized while providing access to multiple disciplines when a patient’s condition and plan of care warrant a coordinated approach.
