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     As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 16, 2001

                                                       Registration No. 333-____
================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                   ----------

                                    FORM S-8
                          REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                           U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc.
            ---------------------------------------------------------
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

                                     Nevada
       ------------------------------------------------------------------
         (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

                                   76-0364866
                ------------------------------------------------
                      (I.R.S. employer identification no.)

              3040 Post Oak, Blvd., Suite 222, Houston, Texas 77056
              -----------------------------------------------------
               (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

                           U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc.
                         1999 Employee Stock Option Plan
              -----------------------------------------------------
                            (Full title of the plan)

                   J. Michael Mullin, Chief Financial Officer
                           U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc.
                         3040 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 222
                              Houston, Texas 77056
                ------------------------------------------------
                     (Name and address of agent for service)

                                 (713) 297-7000
       ------------------------------------------------------------------
          (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                                    Copy to:

                               Eddy J. Rogers, Jr.
                      Mayor, Day, Caldwell & Keeton, L.L.P.
                            700 Louisiana, Suite 1900
                            Houston, Texas 77002-2778
                                 (713) 225-7000

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE


==========================================================================================================================
Title of securities              Amount to be         Proposed maximum           Proposed maximum           Amount of
  to be registered                registered      offering price per share   aggregate offering price   registration fee
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                            
Common Stock,
par value $.01 per share           300,000               $16.105(1)               $4,831,500(1)             $1,207.88
==========================================================================================================================


         (1) Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the registration fee,
in accordance with Rule 457(h), on the basis of the price of the securities of
the same class, as determined in accordance with Rule 457 (c) , using the
average of the high and low prices reported on the Nasdaq Stock Market for the
Common Stock on August 13, 2001.





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                                     PART I


              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

           The documents containing the information specified in Part I will be
sent or given to employees as specified by Rule 428(b)(1). In accordance with
the instructions to Part I of Form S-8, such documents will not be filed with
the Commission either as part of this registration statement or as prospectuses
or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424.


                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

         U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (the "Registrant") hereby incorporates by
reference into this registration statement the following documents:

         (a) The Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended
             December 31, 2000;

         (b) The Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
             ended March 31, 2001;

         (c) The Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
             ended June 30, 2001;

         (d) The description of the Registrant's common stock contained in the
             Registrant's Form 8-A filed with the Securities and Exchange
             Commission on May 7, 1992; and

         (e) All documents filed by the Registrant subsequent to the date hereof
             pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, and 15(d) of the Securities
             Exchange Act of 1934, prior to the filing of a post-effective
             amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been
             sold or which deregisters all securities remaining unsold.

ITEM 4.  DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES.

           A description of the Registrant's common stock, par value $0.01 per
share, is incorporated by reference under Item 3.




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ITEM 5.  INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL.

         Eddy J. Rogers, Jr., a partner at Mayor, Day, Caldwell & Keeton,
L.L.P., is a director of the Registrant and has received options to purchase
45,000 shares of the Registrant's common stock.

ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

         (a) Article EIGHT of the Registrant's Articles of Incorporation is set
forth as Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended June 30, 2001 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
August 14, 2001 and is incorporated herein by reference.

         (b) Sections 78.751 and 78.752 of the General Corporation Law of the
State of Nevada, entitled "Indemnification of officers, directors, employees and
agents; advancement of expenses" and "Insurance and other financial arrangements
against liability of directors, officers, employees and agents", respectively,
are set forth as Exhibit 28.2 to the Registrant's Form S-8 Registration
Statement (Registration No. 33-63446) filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on May 27, 1993 and are incorporated herein by reference.

         (c) The Registrant has in effect a policy of liability insurance
covering its directors and officers.

           Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers, and controlling
persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise,
the Registrant has been advised that, in the opinion of the Securities and
Exchange Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed
in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the
Registrant of the expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or
controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action,
suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person
in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless
in the opinion of counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent,
submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such
indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will
be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

ITEM 7.  EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED.

         Not applicable.




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ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS.

  Exhibit
  Number                                Description
  ------                                -----------

    4               1999 Employee Stock Option Plan
                    (filed as an exhibit to the Company's Form 10-K for the
                    year ended December 31, 1999 and incorporated herein by
                    reference)

    5               Opinion of Mayor, Day, Caldwell & Keeton, L.L.P.

   23.1             Consent of KPMG LLP

   23.2             Consent of Ernst & Young LLP

   23.3             Consent of Mayor, Day, Caldwell & Keeton, L.L.P.
                    (See Exhibit 5)

ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS.

         (a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

             (i)  To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
                  made, a post-effective amendment to this registration
                  statement:

                  (i)      To include any prospectus required by Section
                           10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

                  (ii)     To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events
                           arising after the effective date of the registration
                           statement (or the most recent post-effective
                           amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
                           aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the
                           information set forth in the registration statement.
                           Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or
                           decrease in volume of securities offered (if the
                           total dollar value of securities offered would not
                           exceed that which was registered) and any deviation
                           from the low or high end of the estimated maximum
                           offering range may be reflected in the form of
                           prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule
                           424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume
                           and price represent no more than a 20% change in the
                           maximum aggregate offering price



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                           set forth in the "Calculation of Registration Fee"
                           table in the effective registration statement;

                  (iii)    To include any material information with respect to
                           the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in
                           the registration statement or any material change to
                           such information in the registration statement.

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the
registration statement is on Form S-3 or Form S-8, and the information required
to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in
periodic reports filed by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement.

             (2)  That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
                  Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment
                  shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to
                  the securities offered therein, and the offering of such
                  securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
                  fide offering thereof.

             (3)  To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
                  amendment any of the securities being registered which remain
                  unsold at the termination of the offering.

         (b)      The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for
                  purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act
                  of 1933, each filing of the Registrant's annual report
                  pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
                  Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee
                  benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the
                  Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by
                  reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be
                  a new registration statement relating to the securities
                  offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that
                  time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering
                  thereof.

         (c)      The undertaking concerning indemnification is set forth under
                  the response to Item 6.



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                                   SIGNATURES

       Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration
statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Houston, State of Texas, on this 16th day of August,
2001.

                                    U.S. PHYSICAL THERAPY, INC.



                                    By:     /s/ Roy W. Spradlin
                                       -----------------------------------------
                                    Roy W. Spradlin
                                    Chairman of the Board, President and Chief
                                    Executive Officer
                                    (Principal Executive Officer)

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities and on the date indicated.



SIGNATURE                                        TITLE                              DATE
                                                                              

/s/ Roy W. Spradlin                     Chairman of the Board,                        August 16, 2001
------------------------------------    President, Chief Executive                ------------------------
Roy W. Spradlin                         Officer
                                        (Principal Executive Officer)



/s/ J. Michael Mullin                   Chief Financial Officer                        August 16, 2001
------------------------------------    (Principal Financial and                  -------------------------
J. Michael Mullin                       Accounting Officer)






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SIGNATURE                                        TITLE                            DATE
                                                                            

/s/ Daniel C. Arnold                                                                 August 16, 2001
------------------------------------             Director                         ------------------------
Daniel C. Arnold


/s/ Mark J. Brookner                            Vice Chairman of                      August 16, 2001
------------------------------------              the Board                       ------------------------
Mark J. Brookner


/s/ Bruce D. Broussard                                                                August 16, 2001
------------------------------------             Director                         ------------------------
Bruce D. Broussard


------------------------------------             Director                         ------------------------
James B. Hoover


/s/ Marlin W. Johnston                                                                August 16, 2001
------------------------------------             Director                         ------------------------
Marlin W. Johnston


------------------------------------             Director                         ------------------------
J. Livingston Kosberg


/s/ Eddy J. Rogers, Jr.                                                               August 16, 2001
------------------------------------             Director                         ------------------------
Eddy J. Rogers, Jr.


------------------------------------             Director                         ------------------------
Albert L. Rosen



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                                  EXHIBIT INDEX



 Exhibit
 Number                                 Description
 ------                                 -----------
                        
    4                      1999 Employee Stock Option Plan
                           (filed as an exhibit to the Company's Form 10-K for
                           the year ended December
                           31, 1999 and incorporated herein by reference)

    5                      Opinion of Mayor, Day, Caldwell & Keeton, L.L.P.

   23.1                    Consent of KPMG LLP

   23.2                    Consent of Ernst & Young, LLP

   23.3                    Consent of Mayor, Day, Caldwell & Keeton, L.L.P.
                           (See Exhibit 5)





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