The occupation of physical therapy has been around for centuries. Throughout time it has evolved greatly as a medical practice and an area of study. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2012, there were 204,200 physical therapists employed throughout the United States of America. Physical therapy first became apparent as a needed occupation when the polio epidemic occurred in the United States in 1916. This epidemic along with the injury of millions of soldiers in 1917 when the first world war struck lead to the uprising of physical therapy. The occupation steadily continued to grow as World War II came and passed. In 1946 Congress approved the Hill Burton Act which led to the construction of hospitals across the country to increase public access to health care facilities. These events ultimately resulted in increasing hospital based practice for physical therapists and furthermore increasing the demand for physical therapist services. As an occupation in the medical field, physical therapists have a very long strenuous list of duties. That list includes working with patients with limited use of their bodies due to injury or disability and improving mobility while reducing pain. Physical therapists provide care to people of all ages who have functional problems such as sprains, strains, fractures, arthritis, amputations, stroke, cerebral palsy, other injuries relating to sports, other injuries relating to work, other neurological disorders, and various other conditions. Some ways that physical therapist go about reducing pain levels of their patients is by using exercises, stretching, hands on therapy, and special equipment that is designed to help increase their mobility, prevent further injury, and smooth out the... ... middle of paper ... ...fied to assist people overcome disabilities from chronic illness and injuries sustained from sports, an accident, or any other type of calamity. What people are not usually aware of is that a physical therapist can help with an overall health and wellness program which will support longevity and keep patients from developing future injuries and health problems. Physical therapy is one of the fastest successful occupations growing in the Unites States of America. It is unlike any other occupation in the medical field. Physical therapists care for patients of all ages who have functional problems and disorders. They work to increase a patient’s mobility, prevent further injury, and stabilize the progress of a patients’ health and wellness. The occupation of physical therapy is a very crucial and highly demanded job and will continue to expand in the future.
In 2012 nearly 205,000 people were employed as a physical therapist in the United States. The average salary of a physical therapist in 2012 was $79,860 per year. The number of jobs is estimated to grow 36% from 2012-2022. This job of physical therapy involves many and very important tasks to fulfill the needs of their patients. It requires many different educational requirements and you must have strong people skills.
My journey to pursue an education in physical therapy actually originates from my early childhood. I endured a very impoverished upbringing and my family’s socioeconomic status was below the poverty line. At a very young age, money became the central issue of my life. I found myself worrying about mortgages, health bills, and grocery money. As I grew older, I vowed to myself that I would not endure my family’s financial burdens into my adulthood. I knew the best way to accomplish this was by obtaining a college degree and having a professional career. However, I was unsure what career I wanted to pursue. I experimented with many different career ideas, but during my sophomore, I discovered my passion and skill for physical medicine. For my
Physical therapists are healthcare workers who help diagnose and treat people of all ages who have conditions that limit their ability to perform everyday activities. They treat a wide variety of people; from babies to elderly people but mostly athletes. They help individuals in need by first examining them and then by developing a treatment method to either restore function, prevent loss of mobility, or even enhance mobility. Physical therapists can work in a variety of locations like hospitals, schools, fitness facilities, and nursing homes. To be a physical therapist you must be able to work with a variety of people and be comfortable around them. You must be detail-oriented, enjoy working with people, and have good hand skills. Physical
What is physical therapy anyway? According to Merrium-Webster.com, “The treatment of disease, injury, or disability by physical and mechanical means (as massage, regulated exercise, water, light, heat, and electricity).” Physical therapy is “A branch of rehabilitative medicine aimed at helping patients maintain, recover or improve their physical abilities” (Nordqvist). Sports physical therapists don’t only treat injured athletes, but also patients who have muscle pains, back pains and bad posture (Sportsinjuryclinic.com). People whose movement is impaired by a number of factors such as aging and disease also benefit from physical therapy (Nordqvist). In order to give these patients what they need, students must go to school to become physical therapists.
As a future physical therapist, it will be my job to identify areas of weakness or loss and then work with the client to create specific exercises that can improve movement and overall quality of life. It will also be my job to establish short term goals for the patient to reach for at each session, as well as a long term goal for the duration of the therapy.
Physical therapy exercises improve the ability of our body parts that have been affected by diseases or injury. For example, arthritis is a very long-term condition that causes stiff and painful joints. Physical therapy can help to keep the affected joints mobile and will strengthen different surrounding muscles. Various Physiotherapists may work in hospitals or private practices or for social
According to MS Choices, physical therapist plan and prepare physical treatments for patients to improve functioning, relieve pain, and prevent dysfunctiong. I find this information interesting because I want to know how they help to improve their patient’s physical selves. Physical therapists have many different working conditions such as spending a majority of their time on foot and being able to lift and move patients (MS Choices). To pursue a career in physical therapy it is required to be fit for the duties of a therapist. There are many related occupations that are similar to physical therapist. For example, athletic trainers, occupational therapist, PTA’s, and recreational therapist have a likes in rehabbing patients (Occupational Outlook Handbook). After concluding my research on what a physical therapist does and the working conditions, I next began to discover information about the employment outlook of physical
Physical Therapists (PTs), or physiotherapists, provide services that aim to restore the patient to full mobility with little to no effort that have suffered from injuries or disease. PTs work closely with patients and clients to promote, restore, and maintain their overall health and wellness for fitness and more active lifestyles. Patients may i...
Physical therapists play a very important and multifaceted role in health promotion of all individuals. Education may be one of the most important aspects of this role. Most patients are only allotted a set number of therapy sessions before insurance companies will no longer pay for the service. This limited time frame may not be long enough to fully rehabilitate or benefit the patient in a long term manner. Therefore, it is imperative that the therapists provide patients with the resources to be able to continue the therapeutic process on their own. Physical therapists could be described as experts on movement and its health benefits, as well as possible harm caused by different types of movement. This knowledge can be passed on to promote
I believe that the physical therapy occupation is a very intense everyday career. Physical therapy helps patients who have had an illness or have been injured, recover to their normal lives. Physical therapy can also prevent recurring problems and prevent permanent damage that can affect someone for the rest of their lives. Many physical therapists use a variety of techniques to relieve their patients from pain, such as strengthening muscles, endurance, flexibility, endurance or coordination. Many patients find that after a surgery when their muscles are tight that physical therapists offer riding a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill. To reduce swelling, most physical therapists use hot or cold packs, stem treatments,
Physical therapists help patients with neck or back injuries, sprains, fractures, strains, arthritis, amputations, and injuries related to work or sports. Physical therapists must use many different methods depending on what their patients issue is. Once a physical
Physical therapy can offer relief and improve the mobility of patients suffering from a variety of conditions, ranging from back and neck pain to broken bones, carpal tunnel syndrome, and developmental disabilities. Whereas medications merely mask the pain, physical therapists get to the root of the issue, increasing flexibility and strength over time while working to enhance quality of life. Below, the experts at O’Fallon Pain Relief Associates detail several key benefits of physical therapy.
Physical therapy is a fun and exciting healthcare profession that helps people. It is all about helping other people who have problems with their body, muscles, joints and other parts of their body. Patients includes accident victims and individuals with disabling conditions such as low back pain, arthritis, heart disease, fractures, head injuries, and cerebral palsy. Physical therapy will perform an evaluation of your problem or difficulty. They evaluate your problem by performing tests and measures to assess the problem. These tests includes muscle strength, joint motion, sensory and neurological, coordination, balance, observation, palpation, flexibility, postural screening, movement analysis, and special tests are designed for a particular problem. Next, they develop a treatment plan and goals and then manage the appropriate treatment to aid in recovery of a problem or dysfunction. Physical therapists are able to treat their patients by using many different treatments depending on the type of injury. Some of the treatments are electrical stimulation, hot and cold packs, infrared and ultrasound to reduce swelling or relieve pain. These treatments are used to help decrease pain and increase movement and function. Therapeutic exercises instructions will help restore strength, movement, balance, or skill as a guide towards full functional recovery. Physical therapy provides "hands on techniques" like massage or joint mobilizations skills to restore joint motion or increase soft tissue flexibility. They will focus on basic skills such as getting out of bed, walking safely with crutches or a walker, moving specific joints and muscles of the body. Physical therapists treatment includes patient education to teach them how to deal with a current problem and how to prevent the problem in the future. Such documentation is used to track the patient's progress, and identify areas requiring more or less attention. They encourage patients to use their own muscles. Their main goal is to improve how an individual functions at work and home.
Physical therapy is a way to treat diseases and injuries without surgery or drugs. Physical therapists treat your condition and ease your pain using treatments that have stood the test of time along with the latest technology. We can help you recover after illness, injuries, or surgery. We can also help with many chronic conditions, such as COPD, asthma, or arthritis.
Physical therapists are health care professionals that provide therapeutic services to their patients who have temporary or chronic physical conditions that were caused from injury or disease. Physical therapist also provided therapeutic services to patients after they have gone through surgery to help them gain back mobility and manage their pain. They can also work in preventive care by promoting healthy life styles and instructing individual patients or groups on preventing injury by using exercises that stretch and strengthen muscles. To help their patients try to recover they use massage techniques, wellness plans, and different types of equipment. When a physical therapist sees a patient for the very first time they must do an examination, evaluation, diagnosis, and then put together a physical intervention to start the rehabilitation process. They also work as a team with other health care professionals to help with their patients needs. Physical therapist can really make a difference in their patient’s lives by not only providing therapeutic services but also encouraging and motivating them so they can get better. The main goals of physical therapist are to help their patients retain or gain back lost physical mobility, eliminate or reduce pain, increase productivity and help promote a healthy life style so patients can have a better quality of life and become more independent.