New Patient? Start Here
What to expect, what to bring, and how to prepare ➔
718-255-6229
Call to schedule or ask a question
4341 52nd St, Woodside, NY 11377
Monday–Friday 9 AM–7 PM
Our Story
A Practice Built From a Dream, Service, & Persistence
CT Physical Therapy Care did not begin as a business idea first. It began as a dream to serve, to build a better life, and to use physical therapy as a way to help people feel cared for.
Dr. Chester Jay R. Tolentino, PT, DPT, was born and raised in Maitum, Sarangani, in the Philippines. His mother was a teacher, his father was a policeman, and his first lessons came from home: reading, discipline, faith, confidence, and the desire to keep learning.
As a young student, Dr. Chester first thought about becoming an engineer because he loved mathematics. But his mother saw a different future. She encouraged him to consider healthcare and physical therapy as a path toward a better life and a future in the United States.
That dream stayed with him through hardship, loss, delay, and uncertainty. He graduated in physical therapy in 1997, later came to the United States in 2007, and started his own physical therapy clinic in January 2013 with a strong belief:
Care should be personal, thoughtful, and service-driven.
Today, CT Physical Therapy Care continues that mission in Woodside, Queens
The Founder’s Vision
Why Dr. Chester Built This Practice
Dr. Chester s story is not only about becoming a physical therapist. It is about becoming the kind of clinician and business owner who listens, learns, serves, and keeps building.
He learned early that success is not only about money or status. It is about becoming the right person, serving people well, and building something that helps families and communities. That belief still guides the practice today.
Our patients are not just body parts, diagnoses, or insurance cases. They are people with work, family, fear, goals, pain, and responsibilities. We want every patient to feel that someone is listening, someone is thinking, and someone is helping them understand the next step.
The most important part of healing is to feel that you are taken care of.
— Chester Jay R. Tolentino, PT, DPT
Our Philosophy
Listen first. Guide clearly. Treat with care.
CT Physical Therapy Care is built on a simple care philosophy: listen first, explain clearly, treat with care, and guide the next step. Patients should not feel rushed, ignored, or lost inside their own care.
We listen before we treat
Pain can be confusing. Patients need time to explain what happened, what they feel, what they fear, and what they want to return to. A good evaluation starts with your story.
We explain in plain language
Patients should not feel lost inside their own care. We explain what we see, what we are working on, and why the next step matters. You should understand your plan, not just follow instructions without knowing why.
We match care to the patients stage
Not every patient needs the same intensity. Some patients need protection and calming. Others need motion, strength, balance, work training, sport preparation, or higher-level conditioning. Your evaluation helps determine where you should begin.
We treat the whole person, not just the painful area
The painful area matters, but the whole movement system matters too. When one area cannot do its job well, another area may work too hard. That is why your therapist may look beyond the painful area.
We serve before we sell
Our mission is to help patients improve function, feel cared for, and return to life with more confidence. Profit matters for keeping a practice sustainable, but service must lead the practice.
We believe in clear guidance
We want patients to feel respected from the first call to the last visit. Care should feel structured, not random with a plan that matches where your body is right now
The Diamond Kinetic Approach
A clearer way to understand movement
CT Physical Therapy Care uses the Diamond Kinetic Architecture to organize care around how the body moves and shares load. The simple model is:
Ground➔ Foundation➔ Pillar➔ Expression
This means we look at how the body connects from the feet and legs, through the hips and trunk, into the spine, shoulders, arms, hands, and balance system. When one area does not share load well, another area may compensate.
That is why the painful area is important, but it may not be the only area we need to understand.
Think of your body like a team. If one teammate stops doing their job, another teammate may work too hard. Over time, that can create overload, irritation, and recurring pain patterns.
Helpful Links
Ground
How the body contacts the environment
Foundation
Foot · Ankle · Knee · Hip
Pillar
Pelvis · Spine · Trunk · Neck
Expression
Shoulder · Elbow · Wrist · Hand
Level of Care
Your care should match where your body is now
Physical therapy should not feel random. That is why CT Physical Therapy Care uses a Level of Care roadmap. Your Level of Care helps guide the right intensity at the right time.
L1 · Protective
For high irritability, guarding, swelling, recent injury, or symptoms that need calming first.
L2 · Gentle
For restoring motion, confidence, and control without forcing the body too fast.
L3 · Progressive
For building strength, tolerance, balance, and functional capacity when the body is ready.
L4 · Enhance
For higher-level performance, work, sport, recreation, and resilience
The Diamond CARES Standard
Our clinic culture should be felt from the first call to the last visit.
We want patients to experience care that is warm, structured, and respectful. The Diamond CARES Standard guides how we want care to feel.
C
Compassion
We listen to the story before we rush to the treatment.
A
Authority
We use clinical reasoning, education, and a clear system to guide care.
R
Resilience
We help patients build beyond short-term relief when their body is ready
E
Empathy
We remember that pain affects work, family, sleep, mood, confidence, and daily life.
S
Service
We help reduce friction with scheduling, insurance questions, paperwork, and next steps.
Your Care Experience
What patients can expect from our care experience
Your first visit is not just about what hurts. It is about understanding your starting point.
STEP 1
We listen
We ask what happened, what changed, what you feel, what you avoid, and what you want to return to.
STEP 2
We evaluate
We look at movement, strength, function, irritability, symptoms, and how your body may be sharing load.
STEP 3
We identify your starting Level of Care
Your plan should match your stage, not someone else’s.
STEP 4
We choose the right care pathway
Your plan may include manual therapy, pain relief technology, restorative movement, strengthening, balance, functional training, or sport and work preparation when appropriate.
STEP 5
We progress when your body is ready
As you improve, your care may move from calming and protection toward strength, function, confidence, and resilience.
Helpful Links
Who We Help
What brings patients to CT Physical Therapy Care?
Patients come to us for many reasons. You do not need to know your diagnosis before starting. You can start with what hurts, what happened, or what you feel
- Pain
- Stiffness
- Weakness
- Swelling
- Numbness or tingling
- Difficulty walking
- Difficulty reaching or lifting
- Difficulty bending or climbing stairs
- Injury after a car accident
- Work-related injury
- Sports injury
- Post-surgical rehab
- Balance problems
- Fall concerns
- Trouble returning to daily life with confidence
Pain or injury by body area
Start with the region that hurts.
Symptoms you cannot explain yet
Start with what you feel: tingling, numbness, swelling, weakness, stiffness, instability, burning, clicking, catching, or locking.
Car accident / No-Fault
For pain or symptoms after a crash.
Work injury / Workers Comp
For job-related pain, lifting injuries, falls, repetitive strain, or return-to-work needs
Sports injury
For athletes and active patients who want to return safely.
Post-surgical rehab
For recovery after orthopedic surgery.
Balance and fall prevention
For dizziness, walking difficulty, fall risk, or balance concerns.
CT Physical Therapy Care
4341 52nd St, Woodside, NY 11377
Monday–Friday 9 AM–7 PM
718-255-6229
Call to schedule or ask a question
Monday Friday
9:00 AM–7:00 PM
Our Team
Meet the people behind the care
A strong system matters, but patients are cared for by people. Our team is here to listen, guide, encourage, and help you understand your care plan. If you want to learn more about Dr. Chester and the CT Physical Therapy Care team, visit our Team page.
Before Your First Visit
Starting care should feel simple
Before your first visit, our team can help you understand what to bring, what forms may be needed, and whether your insurance, referral, authorization, No Fault claim, or Workers Comp claim requires extra information.
New Patients
What to expect, what to bring, forms, and first-visit help.
Insurance
Accepted plans, verification, authorization, No-Fault, Workers Comp, Medicare, commercial insurance, managed Medicaid, and self-pay questions.
Verify Insurance
For benefit, authorization, and plan questions.
What to Bring
For ID, insurance cards, prescriptions, claim paperwork, and visit preparation.
Trust
Trust is built through experience & outcomes
Trust is built in two ways: how patients feel during care, and how care is organized toward progress. Reviews and results help patients understand both.
Reviews and results do not guarantee the same outcome for every patient. Your evaluation helps determine the right plan for you.
Patient Reviews
Reviews show how patients describe kindness, listening, professionalism, environment, and care experience.
Results / Patient Journeys
Results and patient journeys show how care may be structured from evaluation to progress markers.
Frequently Asked Questions
About CT Physical Therapy Care: FAQ
Common questions about our practice, philosophy, and how to get started.