Richard Macaltao, MS, PT (on left)

Richard began his career at Lenox Hill Hospital in the year 2000 after graduating from CUNY- Staten Island with his Master’s degree in Physical Therapy. While working at Lenox Hill he built a strong foundation in physical therapy working with patients in a multitude of settings, including out-patient orthopedics, cardiovascular, and post-operative rehabilitation. During his tenure at Lenox Hill Richard gained invaluable experience as a Senior Physical Therapist, Coordinator of Clinical Education, and as Supervisor of Out-Patient Therapy. It was through these experiences that Richard developed a passion for manual orthopedic therapy and expanded his knowledge by enrolling in advanced courses in this area, such as, Assessment and Manipulation of the Spine, and Advanced Manipulation of the upper and lower extremities held in Reykjavik, Iceland.

In his free time, Richard is an avid traveler and snowboarder. He also maintains a rigorous exercise schedule spending 4 -5 days a week in the gym weight training, and playing basketball. Having always enjoyed an active lifestyle Richard understands and incorporates practical functional activities during rehabilitation so that his patients can achieve success in meeting their goals.

Paul LaRosa, MS, PT (on right)

A native New Yorker, Paul completed his undergraduate studies at Bucknell University in 1989. He spent the next few years working as a personal trainer while attending classes at Hunter College before moving on to Columbia University’s college of Physicians and Surgeons where he received his Masters of Science in 1996. He spent the early part of his professional career at Manhattan’s Lenox Hill Hospital, where he received valuable experience in a variety of areas including; acute care, neurology and post operative open heart, and orthopedic rehabilitation. Paul was eventually promoted to supervisor of the hospital’s out patient physical therapy center. He has also completed all course work for manual therapy certification and has served as a teaching assistant for both Gross Anatomy and Orthopedics at Columbia University. More recently Paul has been a consultant to “Body Works MD” home video rehabilitation series. Upon leaving Lenox Hill Hospital in 2003, Paul teamed up with his partner Richard Macaltao to found Empire Physical Therapy and Athletic Rehabilitation P.C.

In his youth, Paul was a competitive tennis player and alpine ski racer. He has been an avid gym buff his entire life and continues to exercise on a regular basis. When he isn’t busy running a business or helping his wife raise their two young boys, Paul’s current interests include; playing weekend warrior on the gridiron with other middle age men who aren’t ready to hang up their cleats, learning to play the drums, cooking, coaching youth baseball and soccer and occasionally getting a good night’s sleep.

Empire Physical Therapy is owned and operated by two practicing physical therapists- Richard Macaltao, MS, PT (on left) and Paul LaRosa, MS, PT (on right) who began their careers at Lenox Hill Hospital. Together they have more than 20 years of experience successfully treating a wide range of orthopaedic and musculoskeletal injuries and have extensive knowledge in postoperative rehabilitation.