Revealed: Are Physical Therapists Doctors?

Photo by Jesper Aggergaard

Just what does a physical therapist do?

Are physical therapists doctors?

You’re not the only one who wonders these things, and what kinds of things a physical therapist can do.

Read on to answer your questions about physical therapists and what they can do.

Are Physical Therapists Doctors?

Yes and no.

The 2020 Vision of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the goal for physical therapists is to get, or be on their way to getting, a Doctorate of Physiotherapy (DPT).

Physical therapists with a DPT can be called doctors, but they aren’t medical doctors, so they can’t write prescriptions and aren’t medical physicians. Even though physical therapists aren’t doctors, they are specialists in the field of physical treatment.

Physical therapists who got their training before 2020 don’t have to get a DPT. This doesn’t make them any less qualified than current physical therapists. There are some things that physical therapists can do those medical doctors can’t do. These include the following:

• An assessment of your movement and posture to determine and prevent your risk of injury
• Figure out the best workout for your body type, including exercises for your unique issues or exercise routines
• Speed up your rate of recovery from physical injury and muscle tiredness, using different types of compression devices and massage
• Introduce new stretches and posture adjustments to fix any ongoing issues

Different Fields of Physical Therapy

A physical therapist’s working environment varies from person to person. Some may have their practice, work with a medical doctor to give their special expertise, or with other physical therapists in different fields of physical therapy.

Orthopedic

The orthopedic field of physical therapy aims to bring back the use of joints, tendons, ligaments, and bones. The most common type of injury these physical therapists come from athletes.

Treatment for orthopedic physical therapy uses stretching, strength training, exercises that build a patient’s endurance, hot and cold packs, ultrasounds, stimulating muscles with electrical pulses, and moving patients’ joints. The goal of this specialization is restoration.

Geriatric

Geriatric physical therapy is for the movement of older adults, takes care of senior citizens or those with physical disorders. Physical therapy for this special field usually treats arthritis, cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, replacement of joints, and balance disorders. The goal of this special field is to bring back the use of and consideration for physical limitations, pain reduction, and increasing physical fitness and mobility.

Neurological

The neurological specialization aims to relieve the difficulties of neurological conditions. These conditions include Alzheimer’s disease, brain injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, spinal injury, and stroke. The goal of this treatment is to grow as much independent motor function as possible for patients.

Adaptation is the goal of this specialization. Physical therapists teach patients to learn to live with impairments in vision, balance, movement, and muscle loss in everyday life.

Cardiovascular/Pulmonary

The goal of this specialization is mostly to accommodate patients with conditions like heart attacks, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pulmonary fibrosis. Physical therapists try to build patient endurance and work on their ability to function on their own.

Pediatric

The pediatric specialization of physical therapy is for the developmental needs of infants, toddlers, children, and teenagers. Physical therapists try to figure out the types of things that make it hard for movement early on to prevent any long-term effects.

The most common types of conditions and injuries include:

• Birth defects
• Developmental delays
• Genetic disorders
• Head trauma
• Limb deficiencies
• Muscle diseases
• Orthopedic disabilities

Physical therapists deal with these problems with exercise to reduce pain, build strength and motion, improve motor skills, and work on balance and flexibility.

The variance in the fields of physical therapy offers many benefits for treatment. These benefits are available in many settings.

Where to Find Physical Therapists

Physical therapist working environments vary by specialization and level of expertise. The following are different practice settings where you might find a physical therapist working in since most of them work outside of hospitals.

Acute Care

A practice setting for people who were admitted to the hospital for a short time for illness, surgery, or accident or trauma recovery. Acute care aims to discharge someone as soon as their condition is stable. Various specialists work here.

Rehab

Rehabilitation in physical therapy happens in a hospital and for sub-acute, or less intensive, care. Rehabilitative physical therapy is for people who need focused therapy for several hours a day or a certain physical injury with less focused therapy. Various specialists work here.

Extended Care

Extended care settings include nursing homes. These facilities are for elderly patients in long-term nursing care. Geriatric specialists are the primary physical therapists on-site.

Outpatient Clinic

Outpatient clinics are also known as private practices. Orthopedic specialists usually work here, treating neuromuscular injuries.

School

Primarily, pediatric specialists in physical therapy work here. This may be for students, particularly for athletes in educational environments.

Wellness

These sorts of settings are typically for preventive healthcare and those who aim for a healthy lifestyle. These can be anywhere but are often in a fitness center or athletic facility.

Home Health

Home health takes place in a client’s home. Most patients are elderly, often leading to geriatric specialists. Home health might be in any setting where the patient can receive care (i.e. senior living facility, caretaker’s home).

Hospice

Hospices are mostly focused on settings of home health or extended care. This setting is largely for pain management of patients in the final stages of life.

Workplace

Various workplaces may hire physical therapists. Various specialists may be on-demand, depending on the type of work performed.

Government

Various settings and branches of the government offer physical therapy. The most common source of physical therapy treatment is through the Veteran’s Health Administration, Department of Defense, and Indian Health Service.

Research

Those physical therapists not working in the above settings do have the choice of working in research. Research means growing the evidence base other physical therapists use to treat people.

Why Physical Therapy?

You might not need to look for a physical therapist right away, but that doesn’t mean you won’t benefit from one of the specialists mentioned above. Now that you know that physical therapists aren’t doctors, you understand how the different fields of physical therapy help everyone. Be sure to check out our other posts for more information on physical therapy.

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