(MONTEREY, CA)—Monterey Spine & Joint (MSJ) will offer a series of free sports physical exam events for local community student athletes starting on Saturday, June 10th at its 11,000 square foot Physical Therapy Clinic at Ryan Ranch – South Campus 21 Lower Ragsdale Drive, Monterey, CA. These exams will help student athletes prepare for the upcoming school year. MSJ’s Sports Medicine Physicians Dr. Anderson, Dr. MC Howard, Dr. Gularte, Dr. Patibanda, Dr. Bernstein and Dr. Farac will be the attending physicians for these physicals.
“We believe in supporting the health and well-being of student-athletes in our community, and this initiative is part of our commitment to their overall athletic success,” said Jason Wilfong, CEO, Monterey Spine & Joint. “Exams are not only required for team sport participation, but they are also a good idea. The goal of the exam is to pick up on any physical situation that could potentially cause injury during the sports season. We want to catch it early and prevent an injury before it occurs.”
There will be a series of five scheduled student athlete exam events during this summer. The exam dates are Saturdays 06/10, 06/24, 07/15, 07/29 and 08/05. Each will run for three to four hours. Exams are open to student athletes in all academia sports teams in the area – as long as they have a sports physical form. It is estimated that this will offer over 1000 exam slots to student athletes in the community.
Previously MSJ has worked directly with several school and sport programs to offer hundreds of free physicals, however this is the first year that MSJ is opening this program up to the general public. To allow for more flexibility and convenience in scheduling, instead of holding sign-ups for specific schools on designated days, they are offering five different dates for athletes to choose from. Athletes will need to bring their sports physical form with them when they arrive.
To sign up for a specific date, check here. All slots of filled!
Monterey Spine & Joint’s Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Samera Kasim is featured in the May 2023 “Women’s Health” issue of Health Matters, published by the Monterey Herald. Click here to read about who inspired her to pursue a career in orthopedic medicine, why she joined MSJ nearly ten years ago, and how she gives back to our community.
Monterey Spine & Joint Hires Dr. Nico Gularte to Meet Growing Service Demands
Local Specialty Care facility celebrates 15th Anniversary while expanding staff for the future

MONTEREY, CA- Monterey Spine & Joint (MSJ), which provides an exceptional medical array of musculoskeletal and neurosurgical care and injury treatment service to the Monterey Bay community, is growing its staff to meet increasing medical service demand and referrals. Dr. Nicolas Gularte, a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R)and regenerative medicine specialist, will join the Monterey office in August.
“We are excited to announce the addition of Dr. Gularte to Monterey Spine & Joint”, said Jason Wilfong, CEO of Monterey Spine & Joint. “As a native of the central coast, Dr. Gularte returns home and brings outstanding clinical education, experience, and, most importantly, a passion and commitment to patient care. We are pleased to have Dr. Gularte join the family at MSJ, and he will enhance our ability to continue to provide the best quality community-based care.”
Dr. Gularte is a graduate of the York school in Monterey and the University of California at Santa Cruz, he completed a Masters in Biomedical Science and medical school at A.T. Still University. He completed his PM&R residency at Casa Colina Hospital in Pomona, California and fellowship training at the Bodor Clinic in Napa, California.
Dr. Gularte’s experience also enhances the regenerative medicine services introduced earlier this year at MSJ. To meet the growing service demand another Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation doctor and a Sports Medicine Surgeon have been hired and will start this Fall. This will allow more new patients to be accepted and shorter wait times.
MSJ is also celebrating its 15th anniversary and reflecting on its growth over that time. The increase in business is a result of the strong reputation and prestige they’ve established, especially since the addition of their MRI, Physical Therapy and Urgent Care facilities, making them the largest orthopedic network in the area.
In recent years, the average number of referrals has varied greatly by specialty. Orthopedic and PM&R average over 600 referrals per physician per year. In 2021, orthopedic hand saw a 23% increase with 2,000 referrals. With the addition of 4 new physicians, including PM&R, orthopedic hand, and Sports Medicine, MSJ projects it will be able to handle over 3,000 additional referrals per year.
About Dr. Gularte
Dr. Nicholas Gularte is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) physician with fellowship training in fluoroscopic and ultrasound guided interventional spine and sports medicine with an emphasis in orthobiologics. He uses a spectrum of non operative, minimally-invasive techniques from osteopathic manipulation to regenerative medicine to improve function and quality of life.
Dr. Gularte is a native of the central coast from Gonzales, California. Having graduated from York school in Monterey and University of California at Santa Cruz, he completed a Masters in Biomedical Science and medical school at A.T. Still University. He completed his PM&R residency at Casa Colina Hospital in Pomona, California and fellowship training at the Bodor Clinic in Napa, California.
He offers a range of treatments including ultrasound guided peripheral joint and spine injections, fluoroscopically guided spine injections including epidurals and radiofrequency ablation, spasticity management, along with electrodiagnostic studies. He offers platelet rich plasma (PRP), platelet lysate, bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) and adipose derived orthobiologic therapies.
In his free time Dr. Gularte enjoys trail running in Ventana wilderness, hiking and trips to the aquarium with his daughters, kayaking, antique automotive restoration, and making his own pasta.