About
JC ZegarraDC, CCSP
Sports chiropractor. Seventeen years at the table: Puerto Rico, Durham, the Dominican Republic, Southern California, and now Tampa.
A Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician, Dr. JC does most of his work with his hands. He treats in English and Spanish, in Tampa and on the road where his athletes train.
Licensed
Florida · California
Languages
English · Español
Certification
CCSP
In practice since
2009
In his words
Pain is rarely simple. There is almost always a story behind it.
Even a clear injury, such as a fall, a collision or a sprain, lands on a body, and a life, that already have a history. Past injuries and how they healed, earlier experiences with pain, how you train, eat and sleep, the stress you carry and the people around you: all of it shapes how tissue takes load, how pain is felt, and where the body eventually gives. So I start by listening. Your account of what happened, what you've tried and what you want from your body is the first part of the assessment, not a formality before it.
Then I look for the pattern. Structure dictates function, so I assess and test what I can feel and see: how each joint is positioned and moves, where motion has been lost, and how the tissue around it responds. My treatment is hands-on, using joint work, soft-tissue and fascial techniques, and it aims to restore that structure so that training and rehabilitation have something sound to build on.
I don't practice "do as you're told" care. A plan works when you understand it and it fits your life, so we build it together. That includes the parts that happen away from the table: sleep, stress, recovery and how you train.
— JC Zegarra, DC, CCSP
An explanation
What we find, in plain language, before and after treatment.
Specific treatment
Matched to your assessment, not a routine.
A shared plan
A clear reason for each next step, and for when you no longer need us.
Coordination
With your coaches, trainers and doctors, with your permission.
Path
Seventeen years, four places, one way of working.
Each move added something: private practice, international sport, his own clinic, and nearly a decade inside integrated medical systems.
2009
Durham, North Carolina
Triangle Chiropractic — Co-owner, 2009–2013
2012
Dominican Republic
SportsLab Latin America — Co-founder and clinic director, 2012–2014
2014
Southern California
SportsLab SoCal — Founder, 2014–2026. His private practice, run alongside his health-system role, and where he worked with professional athletes
2017
Southern California
Providence St. Joseph Health, then Hoag Medical Group — Lead Physical Medicine Provider, within an integrated medical system, 2017–2026
2026
Tampa, Florida
SportsLab Florida
Inside the medical system
Nearly a decade inside integrated medical systems.
From 2017 to 2026 Dr. JC was the lead physical medicine provider at a clinic run first by Providence St. Joseph Health and then by Hoag Medical Group, working day to day alongside primary care, physical therapy, acupuncture, behavioral health and health coaching. That work still shapes how he practices.
Knowing the limits
He recognizes when a problem isn't his to treat, and knows who to send you to.
Speaking the same language
His notes and referrals are written the way physicians and therapists expect, so everyone treating you works from the same information.
Using what's relevant
When imaging, test results or your medical history bear on the problem, they become part of his clinical reasoning.
Lineage
The people he learned from.
How Dr. JC treats came from a few specific clinicians. They're named here because their work is the foundation of his.
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Mentor
Keith Pyne, DC
The foundation of how Dr. JC treats and explains his work. From Dr. Pyne he learned to read compensation patterns across the kinetic chain, and to treat manual care as precise input to the nervous system rather than force applied to a sore spot. He trained with Dr. Pyne at SportsLab NYC and SportsLab Latin America from 2012 to 2014.
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Mentor
Guy Voyer, DO
The late French osteopath and educator, creator of ELDOA™ and SomaTherapy. His teaching in fascial anatomy and osteopathic technique remains the source of the specific fascial work in Dr. JC's hands-on care. Dr. JC studied with Dr. Voyer through his courses and by shadowing him while at SportsLab NYC, from 2012 to 2014.
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Mentor & collaborator
Ben Velazquez
Ben and Dr. Pyne worked as a pair for years: Dr. Pyne on the table, Ben on the floor. Dr. JC learned alongside them both. In Tampa, he and Ben have rebuilt that partnership: patients move between Ben's corrective exercise and ELDOA™ work and Dr. JC's treatment on one plan.
Athletes
Professional athletes, and the ones still on their way.
Dr. JC has worked with athletes from the NFL, NHL, MLB, MiLB, UFC, Supercross and Motocross, as well as professional golfers. Much of his practice is also youth, high-school, collegiate and adult athletes, and a developing athlete gets the same assessment and the same attention as a professional.
NFL · NHL · MLB · MiLB · UFC · Supercross · Motocross · Pro golf
Care for athletesRoots
From Puerto Rico to Tampa, in two languages.
Dr. JC was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and he lived and practiced in the Dominican Republic before moving to California. Spanish is the language he grew up in. For Spanish-speaking athletes and families, that means the whole visit, from the history to the plan, happens in the language you think in. He continues to work with athletes in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Education & credentials
Doctor of Chiropractic
National University of Health Sciences, summa cum laude, 2008
Undergraduate
University of California, Santa Barbara, B.S. Physiology, 2003
Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician
American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians (ACBSP), 2017
Licensure
Florida · California
Postgraduate training
SomaTherapy (Guy Voyer, DO) · Titleist Performance Institute (TPI), Medical Level 2 · Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner (CKTP)
Questions
Do I need a referral?
No. In Florida you can see a chiropractic physician directly. If you're already working with a doctor or therapist, Dr. JC is glad to coordinate with them.
Why isn't SportsLab Florida in-network with insurance?
Paying directly lets the length of your visit and your treatment follow what you need, not what a plan approves. Payment is due at each visit by debit or credit card, and HSA and FSA cards are accepted. On request, we can provide a superbill you can submit to your plan for possible out-of-network reimbursement.
Do you see patients in Spanish?
Yes. The whole visit, from your history to your plan, can be in Spanish. The booking portal is in Spanish too: choose the language in its bottom-left corner.
Do you work with my doctor or physical therapist?
Yes, with your permission. Dr. JC shares what he finds and what he's treating, so everyone involved works from the same information.
Do you only see professional athletes?
No. Professional athletes are part of the practice, not all of it. Dr. JC also sees youth, high-school, collegiate and adult athletes, and active adults who want to keep moving well.
If you'd like to start with an assessment, book an initial visit. If you're a coach or clinician thinking of referring someone, we'd like to hear from you.