A Physiotherapist (or PT) is a medical professional who treats the diseases and injuries of muscles, soft tissues, and joints through different physical methods. These methods include body massage, exercise, rehabilitation techniques, and mediations.

You have often seen that when an athlete gets injured, a person with a bag on his shoulder rushes towards him. That person is called a physiotherapist.

The field in which a physiotherapist deal is called physiotherapy. It is one of those allied health professions that focuses on improving injury through diagnosis, physical examination, rehabilitation, counseling, and health promotion.

If we look back in history, we find that physiotherapy is one of the oldest fields. Famous names like Hippocrates and Galen are considered one of the oldest physiotherapists, dated around 460 BC. The trend of modernization in this field was started by the end of the 19thcentury.

Physical therapists or physiotherapists mainly focus on non-surgical options of treatment. However, surgery can be performed when it is inevitable. People having issues like back pain, muscle contraction, joint pain, or asthma can seek the help of a physiotherapist.

What are the responsibilities?

A physical therapist treats diseases or disabilities that impede the ability of a person to move and perform functional tasks in everyday life. With the help of different techniques and strategies, he or she focuses on the improvement of the lifestyle of the people.

Here is a list of the indication in which a physiotherapist can help:

Neurological disorders: These are the disorders that affect the human nervous system, including the brain. Disorders like Parkinson’s disease, Guillain-Barre syndrome (a disorder that damages the nerves), and stroke are considered neurological disorders.

Cardiovascular indications: Blood vessels or heart-related indications. Chest pain and chronic heart diseases are all cardiovascular diseases.

Neuromusculoskeletal diseases: The diseases that affect the muscles due to the impaired neuromuscular joints are called neuromuscular diseases. These diseases include back pain, arthritis, and muscular dystrophies.

Respiratory disorders: These are lungs and airways-related conditions. For example; asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD).

Psoriatic injuries: Injuries of joints, tendons and ligaments.

Sport-related injuries: For example, bruises, strains, tears, and fractures.

Bone-related problems (orthopedic): Disorders like osteoporosis are bone-related problems.

Accidents and other injuries involve the deformities of muscles, joints and bones.

Counseling and advice on the issues that affect the lives of every person on daily basis.

Apart from these indications, a PT can improve the lifestyle of a person by targeting the deformities in postures, bone-joints, and addressing issues like aging, weight, injury and other influencing environmental factors.

Working of a Physiotherapist

A physiotherapist employs various techniques while treating a patient. Some of the strategies are given below:

Whole-body treatment (Holistic approach): Physiotherapists make use of the whole-body process. They treat not only physiological issues of the people but also psychological, emotional, and anatomical problems.

Exercise: Manual exercises are designed specifically for every person by a PT. This approach has greater chances than general exercises.

Physical activity sessions: A PT knows the pain points of the patient and targets them through private physical activity sessions.

Hydrotherapy: Use of water to treat human diseases. Water has thermal properties. It exerts pressure and stimulates cold and hot receptors of the body. In this way, it promotes healing.

Acupuncture: Use of needles to treat human diseases. Needles are shrilled at the points where they can stimulate the nervous system. This technique is used to address the issues related to the head, like a migraine.

Manual therapy: It is a technique in which a PT uses his/her hands to diagnose fractures, immobility, deformities and treat them. This practice is pretty helpful in relieving body pains, relaxation of muscles, and improving blood circulation.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS): In this technique, small devices of low voltage are used. These devices release bursts of low voltage to block the stimulation of pain.

Education and training:

The curriculum and the syllabus of a physiotherapist focus more on clinical cases and practice. To carry out their practice, physiotherapists must have to earn a license or doctorate in physical therapy.

The average tenure of the program is three to five years depending upon the conditions of the institute. The first two years focus on basic subjects like anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, microbiology, and pathology.

The final year focuses more on clinical case studies. Subjects like neuroscience, biomechanics, and behavioral sciences have been taught in the last year.

Theoretical or classwork counts for 80% of the marks. In comparison, the practical work, including clinical practice, weighs around 20 % of the total marks.

In the US, the degree of a physical therapist is affiliated with Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.

After completing a degree, a physiotherapist can either open his/her clinic or specialize in other areas.

Areas of Specialization In Physical Therapy:

Post-graduation in physical therapy plus residency in the related field has a vast body of knowledge and scope. This can give a boost to your career.

Here is the list of some areas in which a physiotherapist can do specialization:

Paediatrics: Study in this field gives specialization in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of injuries related to young children. This field also deals with congenital disabilities, cognitive disabilities, and improvement of coordination, strength, and motor skills.

Geriatric: Old age brings many issues related to bones and joints. Geriatric physiotherapists work on the diagnosis and treatment of these issues. Arthritis, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s disease are those age-related disorders that a physiotherapist deals with.

Neurology: Problems related to nerves and the nervous system are taught in neurology. Neurological disorders can affect the cognitive and behavioral movements of people.

Cardiopulmonary: Disorders like chest pain or diseases like asthma/COPD are dealt with in cardiac and pulmonary physiotherapy. A cardiopulmonary physiotherapist conducts post-heart attack rehabilitation sessions and provides counseling to improve lifestyle.

Intensive care unit (ICU): People, who have been suffered from severe injuries and accidents, are admitted to the ICU. These injures can affect behavioral movements, gait and posture. Rehabilitation sessions are conducted by physiotherapists to correct these critical illnesses.

Orthopedics/Musculoskeletal: Study of musculoskeletal injuries, their diagnosis, and treatment. Physiotherapists deals with fractures, strains, bruises, and bone-related injuries.

Sports/Athletes Physiotherapy: Specialization in this field has a large scope. Sports physiotherapist deals with the sport-related injuries. This is a high-paying niche.

Oncology: An oncology physiotherapist does not treat any diseases, but he helps in managing them. These diseases include both malignant and non-malignant disorders. Strategies focus on the utilization of tools that encourage patients to live a longer life.

Women’s health: The specialization in this field deals with the issues related to the health of women. A physiotherapist focuses on improving women health by resolving diseases of the female reproductive system like pelvic pain, constipation, post-partum periods, abnormality in periods, and pelvic floor dysfunction.

Physiotherapist Vs. Other Medical Professionals: What are the Differences?

Physiotherapist vs. chiropractor:

A physiotherapist and a chiropractor have many similar techniques as they both treat musculoskeletal problems. Yet, they have some apparent differences.

Let us find out why a physiotherapist differs from a chiropractor:

Physiotherapist vs. doctor:

A physiotherapist differs from an MBBS doctor in the following aspects:

Scope of a physiotherapist:

A physiotherapist aims to refine and raise the standard of the people. Physiotherapy is a respected field, and a physical therapist can make a good salary if he has deep and decent knowledge in his field.

Career opportunities are available for a physiotherapist in the following areas:

• Hospitals
• Schools
• Private clinic
• Playground parks
• Homes
• Education
• Surgical departments
• Research department
• Sports fields
• Athletic camps
• Rehabilitation centers
• Workplaces