To assess the frequency with which patients at an orthopedic physical therapy clinic specializing in sports medicine experience clinically meaningful psychological distress, 200 consecutive patients were administered a standardized measure of psychopathology. Patients varied in terms of diagnosis, stage of rehabilitation, and level of athletic involvement. The physical therapist and athletic trainer responsible for the rehabilitation of a patient rated a patient's behavior during rehabilitation sessions. Approximately 19% of patients reported a clinical level of psychological distress. Most patients demonstrated few overt signs of a maladaptive psychological response to injury. The physical therapist or athletic trainer rating was not significantly correlated with a patient's self‐reported psychological distress. It was concluded that psychological distress occurs infrequently among patients at a sports medicine clinic, but with sufficient regularity to warrant concern.