https://www.forbes.com/health/body/what-is-physical-therapy/
Table of Contents
What Is Physical Therapy?
Types of Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy Benefits
What Happens During a Physical Therapy Session?
How Do I Know If I Need Physical Therapy?
Approximately 2.4 billion people worldwide require some form of rehabilitation due to a health condition or injury[1]. Physical therapy is a commonly recommended non-opioid rehabilitation strategy that may help people manage conditions or injuries affecting their daily lives.
But what exactly is physical therapy? In short, physical therapy helps restore sensory and motor abilities in people with acute and chronic illnesses and pain. Read on to learn more about this field, from deciding what type of physical therapy may best meet your unique needs to how much physical therapy might cost.
What Is Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy primarily treats various orthopedic conditions, such as sports injuries or other musculoskeletal conditions, according to Stanford Medicine[2]. It may be indicated in a wide range of cases, from addressing a high schooler’s sports-related injury to helping a patient manage motor and sensory symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Furthermore, physical therapy can treat both acute and chronic pain. Acute pain is sudden and usually accompanies an injury while chronic pain lasts for at least three months.
Regardless of the type or origin of pain a patient experiences, physical therapy is a rehabilitative treatment option that might encourage healing and mobility and potentially prevent more serious injuries down the line.
What Kind of Qualifications Do Physical Therapists Need?
The health care professionals who deliver physical therapy are called physical therapists. If your doctor has referred you to physical therapy, it’s important to verify a therapist’s qualifications before beginning treatment.
To become a qualified physical therapist, a person must complete a doctor of physical therapy (DPT) program from a university accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. Usually, a student has a bachelor’s degree in a related field before pursuing their doctorate.
Along with learning in a classroom setting, 20% of three-year DPT programs involve clinical experience to ensure physical therapists are confident in patient care as they enter the field. In the last semester of a physical therapy program, a university will administer the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE). Once students pass, they can apply to a state physical therapy board to be licensed to work as a physical therapist in the U.S. upon graduation.
Some students might also choose to complete a one-year post-graduate residency or fellowship to specialize in a specific type of physical therapy, such as orthopedic or geriatric physical therapy. While this additional year isn’t a requirement, physical therapists who complete it can then opt to become board certified in their specialty. They don’t need to be board certified to focus their practice around a specific type of physical therapy.
Physical therapists are qualified to treat a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions. “If we found 100 people at a shopping center who have a nerve, muscle or joint problem, perhaps 5% of them would be a candidate for surgery right now. The other 95% need evaluation and treatment. What people don’t know is that an orthopedic surgeon is not appropriate to help the other 95%, but physical therapists are,” explains Mary Kay Hannah, president of the American Physical Therapy Association’s North Carolina chapter and an assistant professor of physical therapy at Elon University.
Types of Physical Therapy
While some physical therapists treat all types of pain, over 30,000 practitioners in the U.S. are board-certified specialists. The most common types of physical therapy include:
Orthopedic physical therapy, which improves muscle and tissue function to help manage pain and improve patient mobility in a wide variety of chronic pain or joint mobilization conditions.
Pediatric physical therapy, which is physical therapy for kids, says Lalitha Bhowani-McSorely, a physiotherapist and owner of Brentwood Physiotherapy Clinic in Calgary, Canada (the term “physiotherapist” is commonly used in place of “physical therapist” in Canada and other countries, according to Dr. Bhowani-McSorely). Pediatric physical therapists often create fun activities for younger patients, though the treatment options are often similar to other types of physical therapy, she adds.
Geriatric physical therapy, which helps older adults maintain strength and balance and treats conditions more common among the aging population, such as broken bones and arthritis.
Pelvic floor physical therapy, which helps rehabilitate muscles involved in urinary, bowel and sexual function. Often patients come in with damaged muscles from childbirth, menopause or surgery.
Sports physical therapy. Athletes of all ages and levels suffer injuries during practice, games and competitions. This type of physical therapy helps treat sports- and exercise-related injuries and provides patients with resources to prevent future pain.
Acute care physical therapy, which helps hospitalized patients regain enough mobility to return home safely or transfer to an in-patient rehabilitation center.
Physical Therapy Benefits
Physical therapy provides a variety of benefits and very few risks, according to Dr. Bhowani-McSorely. “In almost all cases, the benefits of physical therapy outweigh the risks,” she adds.
Research shows that patients can experience many benefits from physical therapy, and while results vary from one case to another, such benefits may include:
Decreases in short-term and long-term pain and disability
Weight loss and improved mobility for those living with obesity (activity-based physical therapy, strength-training exercises monitored by a physical therapist, works best for this condition)
A reduced need for surgery and medication to treat a variety of physical conditions
Improved strength, balance and coordination
Access to strategies to prevent further injuries and chronic pain and live an overall healthier lifestyle
Mobility assistance in emergency situations for patients with musculoskeletal disorders
In certain situations, alternative intervention strategies, such as surgery and medication, may provide comparable benefits, but researchers say physical therapy often poses less risk to patients[3].
Physical Therapy Risks
While physical therapy often carries fewer risks than other treatment options, it’s not risk-free. If a physical therapist isn’t properly educated or doesn’t provide an efficient or accurate treatment, pain could worsen rather than improve after a physical therapy session.
In very rare cases, a physical therapist might misdiagnose a patient’s cause of pain, such as not recognizing or noticing a fracture on imaging tests, and therefore provide the wrong treatment. Most of these risks are minimal and can be mitigated by seeing a qualified professional.
Even when working with a qualified physical therapist, it may be normal to feel sore or overwhelmed after treatment, says Dr. Bhowani-McSorely. “Most patients can expect to be a little sore after physical therapy.” The soreness often comes from working and strengthening targeted muscles, similar to what you might feel after a hard workout.
Emotional side effects may arise following a physical therapy session as well. “[Patients] also might find themselves overwhelmed with the treatment timeline or protocol. A good physical therapist will help patients through this process,” adds Dr. Bhowani-McSorely.
What Happens During a Physical Therapy Session?
During your first session, a physical therapist completes an assessment of your injury and, using their assessment and your medical history, diagnoses the injury and creates a comprehensive treatment plan, according to Dr. Hannah. “The therapist takes you through a variety of different tests, such as pain scales, range-of-movement tests and a workplace examination (which involves examining the workplace and if a patient can safely perform in it),” explains Dr. Bhowani-McSorely. “This information allows your physical therapist to create a detailed treatment plan [with the goal of getting] you back to ‘normal’ as fast as we can.”
Treatment plans often combine in-office treatment and out-of-office exercises patients perform at home. “For most outpatient orthopedic complaints, manual therapy and exercise are generally the best treatment options,” says Dr. Hannah, “After each in-office treatment session, a physical therapist usually retests the injury to see if there’s any improvement before teaching a patient some mobility exercises they can do at home.”
The length of treatment may vary, though most typical musculoskeletal injuries take six to eight weeks to heal, says Dr. Bhowani-McSorely. The number of recommended sessions per week may vary as well, depending on the severity of the injury and what your health insurance plan covers, she adds.
How Do I Know If I Need Physical Therapy?
If you experience any of the following symptoms, physical therapy might be beneficial:
A physical injury that limits your mobility
Joint, muscle or nerve pain that started on its own
Balance problems
Dizziness or weakness
Inability to return to activity following a surgical procedure or prolonged illness
While a health care provider might refer you to physical therapy, patients in the U.S. can seek out physical therapy services directly without a referral, thanks to direct access laws. However, individual state laws and your health insurance provider’s referral requirements can affect the availability of this option.
“The number one thing that nobody knows is that physical therapists can see patients without referral, [which is] known as ‘direct access,’” explains Dr. Hannah. “We are not technicians who follow a plan that a physician makes. Instead, we have three years of training to perform evaluation and diagnosis in order to prepare a treatment plan for each individual.”
Where Can I Get Physical Therapy?
Many patients are treated at physical therapy private practices. Depending on the situation, a patient might also be able to receive physical therapy within a hospital system or an emergency department.
When looking for a physical therapist, consider their qualifications, including whether they’re board-certified in a speciality and a good fit personality-wise, says Dr. Bhowani-McSorely. Since it’s a time-intensive—and sometimes an emotionally intense—process, you want to make sure you can trust and easily communicate with your provider, she adds.
How Much Does Physical Therapy Cost?
The treatment cost differs from practice to practice and often depends on what your insurance covers. Without any insurance, a single session cost could range from $75 to $350, with $150 being the average cost of a typical physical therapy session.
Most insurance companies in the U.S. cover about 50% of the cost, bringing the price down to about $20 to $55 per session. However, some companies only cover these costs after you meet your annual deductible. If you’re curious how much physical therapy would cost you, check with your insurance provider to see what your specific plan covers.
