About Physical Therapy
What is physical therapy?
Physical therapy is treatment provided by or under the direct supervision of a licensed physical therapist (PT). It includes the use of physical agents to treat pain, discomfort – such as numbness and tingling, disability, and dysfunction.
Examples of the types of treatment are:
- Exercises – to strengthen or lengthen muscles and to reduce unwanted muscle activity or to increase or decrease muscle tone to a more normal level.
- Therapeutic Activities – to improve balance, coordination, dexterity, walking and transfers.
- Procedures – treatments where the therapist or licensed PTA mobilizes, manipulates, or massages joints or tissues. Other treatments attempt to encourage more activity in under working muscles or nerves. We try to inhibit activity in spastic muscles.
- Modalities – the use of equipment that produce electrical currents, sound waves, light, heat, cold, traction, and pressure. Other equipment can be utilized to provide the benefits associated with the use of water and paraffin wax.
The treatment and services provided are determined by evaluation and testing done prior to their implementation. Re-evaluations and ongoing assessments help the therapist determine whether patients are responding as anticipated. The treatment plan established for each case or problem contains short and long term goals with estimated time frames for their completion.
Who is a physical therapist?
A physical therapist (PT) is a health care provider, licensed by the state, to treat individuals with disability, dysfunction, and/or pain. Licenses are renewed every two years based on satisfactory completion of continuing education requirements.
A PT receives a degree in physical therapy from a Physical Therapy School, which is almost always a College or Department of a University Medical School. A PT may have as their terminal degree a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctorate. Over the years the level of education required to be a licensed PT has increased. Even with a Doctorate, a PT is not a Medical Doctor. There are specialties in physical therapy, and advanced certification exams for those who wish to be known as a clinical specialist.
Physical therapists work closely with physicians (medical doctors and surgeons), podiatrists (foot doctors) and dentists. We develop treatment plans based on our own observations, assessments, and evaluations as well as the referring doctor’s input and suggestions.
While currently not required by Maryland Law, a prescription or referral from a medical doctor, podiatrist, dentist, or ophthalmologist is preferred. This indicates a certain level of interest and involvement by another healthcare provider who presumably has additional knowledge and expertise. This additional knowledge of the patient and their problem(s) is often invaluable in supplementing the therapist’s specific rehab knowledge and our broader, less in depth knowledge, of medicine. A prescription is a requirement for Medicare patients and in many managed care plans.
A.T.C. is the designation for a Certified Athletic Trainer (although actually stands for Athletic Trainer, Certified). Athletic trainers are allied health professionals that are responsible for the prevention, evaluation, management, and rehabilitation of athletic injuries.
A physical therapist assistant (PTA) is a graduate of a community college program receiving an Associate’s Degree. Successful completion of a national certification exam with a passing score entitles one to use the initials PTA and apply for state licensure. The attainment of the license allows the PTA to practice limited physical therapy under the supervision of a physical therapist. PTAs may legally perform all of the typical physical therapy treatments and are only limited in the fact that they can not evaluate/diagnosis the problem. Their services are covered by insurance in the same manner as those performed by the physical therapist.
The history of physical therapy.
Physical Therapists, once known as Reconstruction Aides, formed the American Women’s Physical Therapeutic Association in 1921 with an initial membership of 274. Reconstruction Aides were individuals who helped the soldiers of World War I recover from their injuries and return to civilian life.
In the late 1930’s, the Association changed its name to the American Physiotherapy Association, admitted men, and the membership totals approached nearly one thousand.
With the start of World War II and a national polio epidemic in the 1940’s, physical therapists were in greater demand than ever before. The Association’s membership swelled to 8000 and the number of training programs in the US increased from 16 to 39.
In the late 1940’s the Association adopted its current name the American Physical Therapy Association, hired its first full-time staff members and opened its headquarters in New York City. By the early 60’s, APTA membership reached almost 15,000 and the number of educational programs grew to 52. Now headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the APTA has over 75,000 members and accredits 180 academic institutions offering physical therapy education programs and 236 institutions offering physical therapist assistant programs.
Prior to the 1950’s physical therapists were registered after completing their training. In the 1960’s they became eligible for licensure by each state after completing 4 years of college, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree, and passing a national certification exam. In the late 1970’s the “1990 Plan” was adopted by the APTA. This Plan suggested the minimum level of education required to take the certification exam be increased to a Master’s Degree by 1990. Recently, the “2020 Plan” was passed by the governing board of the APTA. It encourages educational programs to move toward granting, upon completion of the appropriate additional requirements, a Doctoral Level Degree. Many institutions currently offer doctorate degrees of varying complexity known by the designations DPT, DScPT, and t-DPT for example.
Reference: APTA website www.apta.org.