Types of Physical Therapists

Physical therapy does not only deals with the treatment of disorders. A very important function of physical therapy is to give education to the patients. A simple health physician may not be able to give you the necessary details pertaining to the cause, symptoms, dysfunction and injury. He will simply give you the necessary prescriptions to prevent the injury from getting worse. A physical therapist on the other hand, is specially trained in this regard and is the person who will inform its patients about the problem faced by him and the exact method of treatment suited to the patient’s needs. The aim of physical therapy is education, prevention and correction.

The major problem which most of the patients generally face is where to find a suitable physical therapist. A specialized and highly trained physical therapist is required for providing you with the right form of treatment. A well educated and trained physiotherapist can be generally located in places like

• Outpatient clinics
• In hospitals
• In home health services providers
• Nursing homes
• Training facilities for athletes
• Schools for disabled children

A health physician or professional can recommend the patients a professional physical therapist with whom he/she has worked before. Usually health professionals are in touch with skilled physical therapists because the two are working in the same specialization and have successfully healed injuries and disorders in the past. Physical therapists can also be located by simply looking up in the telephone directory, internet or talking to various friends or members of your family. The speciality of physical therapists is that they are highly trained medics who can work with patients having disorders of different conditions. There are some physiotherapists who can treat disorders and injuries of many types where as other physical therapists specialize in a select number of fields like

• Cardiopulmonary therapy – heart and lungs
• Orthopedics – bones
• Oncology – cancer treatment
• Neurology – nervous system
• Geriatrics – health problems due to aging
• Pediatrics – health conditions of children
• Women’s health control methods

Before going to the physical therapist in person, talk to him/her and discuss the extent of your injury or problem. You must make sure tha the therapist you are consulting is specialized in your condition and its treatment. It will be useless to visit a physical therapist who has just a whim of how to treat your condition. It should be noted that a physical herapsit who has been successful in the treatment of arthritis will not be able to help a patient with a shoulder injury. Usually the prescription for the disorder is given by a doctor and in case you want to consult a physical therapist, you need special prescription form the doctor. It is also very essential to be sure that the health professional you are consulting is completely aware of the treatment given to you. The health professional or doctor should be involved in the treatment and rehabilitation methods prescribed by the physical therapist. In most cases, for a patient suffering from a musculoskeletal disorder, a spine specialist, occupational therapist and a physical therapist will all work in tandem in helping the patient in his recovery. The job of the spine specialist is to evaluate the extent of the patient’s injury and the surgical methods suted for him and the time of the surgery.

The spine specialist is the one who will recommend the physical therapist as well as the occupational therapist. The spine specialist also gives a prescription for the physical therapist which includes the diagnosis of the disorder, the duration and treatment. The rehabilitation process devised by the physical therapist is based on the prescription written by the physician. A treatment method is also developed in order to meet the goals of the patient’s recovery and the plan is then brought into play. The physiotherapist is the one responsible solely for the designing of an exercise program for the treatment and healing of the injury or disorder. He will evaluate the program at different stages and check whether the desired goals are being accomplished or not. The treatment procedure may include different types of programs like pain management program, strengthening of muscles and conditioning and flexibility program. The methods of treatment may also include specific rehabilitation methods and exercise programs along with treatment and monitoring methods like ultrasound, paraffin, electric imulation, ice, home exercise program, soft tissue massage, joint mobilization, moist heat and iontophoresis.