If you've ever been injured in a car accident or hurt yourself significantly while playing a sport, there's a good chance you have seen a physical therapist. Physical therapy is a type of rehabilitative health treatment program that focuses on helping patients reduce pain and regain or improve their physical abilities, such as walking or using a specific muscle.
Reasons for Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is designed to help relieve a wide range of physical problems. These problems can include -- but are not limited to -- accident recovery, stroke recovery, knee pain, back pain, sprains, strains, osteoporosis, arthritis, fractures and overuse injuries. Each physical therapy appointment is geared specifically toward your problem using a wide variety of treatments and equipment.
Benefits
Physical therapy can reduce inflammation from injuries, which in turn can help affected areas heal. Physical therapy can also increase range of motion of affected joints, as well as strengthen affected muscle groups. In conditions involving chronic pain, physical therapy can also help with pain management.
Types
Depending on your injury or ailment, your therapist may use one or many different exercise or techniques to help improve your quality of life. These can include stretching or massage to reduce stress and tightness in muscles and connective tissue; cryotherapy or iontophoresis to decrease inflammation; or Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation -- known as TENS -- for pain management. Therapists use a wide variety of tools to perform treatments. For example, treatments may be performed in the water to reduce the effects of your weight on your joints.
Physical Therapist Qualifications
Physical therapy is a lucrative field with a wide range of open employment opportunities. However, it is also a specialized medical field, which means additional school is needed beyond a bachelor's degree. Physical therapists have at least a master's degree, but typically a clinical doctorate degree as well, such as a Doctor of Physical Therapy, or DPT. Therapists also take a national certification exam before being allowed to practice, which ensures that practitioners deeply understand the field before practicing on their own. On top of that, states also require licensure in whatever state the therapist chooses to practice.
