Sirkin and his brand new equipment, the Optojump Next, which uses LED lights to measure your performance between the bars.

Photo Credit: Alex Birsh

Sirkin wanted Tricare to be spacious, and he got his wish at 460 Old Post Road.

Photo Credit: Alex Birsh

BEDFORD, N.Y.—When driving on Old Post Road in Bedford, it may be difficult to see Tricare Physical Therapy. Comfortably tucked behind the parking lot, Mark Sirkin’s brand new therapy office could be considered in a slightly inconvenient location. But for Sirkin, who resides in Mount Kisco, he found the spot to be perfect. 

“It was important to me that the location is on the first floor, has available parking and handicap access,” Sirkin said. “If you just had surgery for something, you don’t want to have to negotiate stairs, or park down the street. So that was a big deal.” 

Sirkin’s practice was opened on Jan. 1, not waiting long in the New Year to begin what he believes as a rarity in the Bedford area. “I want to make sure to try and get out there, and let people know I’m here,” he explained, “because there really isn’t much else around here in terms of physical therapy and rehabilitation.”

Sirkin is a graduate of Ithaca College and the New York Medical College in Valhalla, and practiced for nearly a decade in Stamford with orthopedic surgeons. It was his wife, who grew up in Bedford, who knew about the location because of her local roots. He was pleased with not only the first floor location, but also the spacious interior.

“I wanted it to be big, that way I have the room to do everything I need to do with you. Whether you're an athlete, or someone who’s looking to get back to day-to-day stuff,” he said. “The simplest thing is gait analysis. But I need to have room to see you walk. If we’re in a small room, you’re taking three steps and turning around. That’s not enough.” 

He decided to go all out in one facet of his practice, with the purchase of the state-of-the-art Optojump Next, a gadget that professional teams use to gauge athletes' performance. Through it’s two bars and the LED lights that run between them, it reads nearly everything he needs to see how much you can handle.

“So maybe you’ve sprained an ankle. I’ll have you do simple tests, then I get the objective data from it and then you’ll have therapy,” he explained. “Then after a few weeks I’ll put you back in and give you the same group of tests. If you’re better or worse, it’s going to show it.”

Despite the high price tag from Italy, the machine and every other piece of equipment was worth it, he says, because they all contribute to what the customer ultimately is looking for.

“We’re a results-driven practice. You come here to get better. So you want to see progress,” Sirkin said. “And that’s one objective way to show you are not only getting better, but here is how much you are getting better over time.”