Intro to physical therapy

What is physical therapy?

A service that helps people restore, maintain, and improve movement and physical function.

What does a physical therapist do?

A physical therapist helps to manage pain, prevent injury or disability, and support safer, more independent participation in daily activities. They are movement experts.

What is the objective of a physical therapist?

To describe the change or capacity being addressed; a functional goal describes what the person wants or needs to do.

What does improve movement in PT mean?

Safe range, coordination, motor control, or movement efficiency.

What does improve strength in PT mean?

Rising from a chair, climbing stairs, lifting, reaching, or holding a position.

What does improve mobility and gait in PT mean?

Moving in bed, transferring, walking, using an assistive device, or navigating the environment.

What does improve balance and safety in PT mean?

Standing, turning, reaching, and moving while reducing fall reducing risk.

What does improve endurance in PT mean?

Participating in school, work, self care, exercise, or community activities for longer.

What does support participation and independence in PT mean?

Connecting therapy progress to meaningful life roles and activities.

What type of settings can PTS work in?

Outpatient clinic, hospital, inpatient rehabilitation, home health/hospice, pediatrics/school based PT, sports/athletic setting, neurological rehabilitation, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, workplace/community/wellness.

What are the roles and responsibilities of a PT?

A PT/DPT which is a doctor of physical therapy takes about 7-8 years of schooling after high school. Their responsibilities are to evaluate clients, identify goals, develop treatment plans, provide/oversee interventions, and supervises PTAs as allowed by state law.

What are the roles and responsibilities of a PTA.

A PTA which is an associate degree from an Physical Therapist Assistant takes about 2-3 years of schooling after high school. Their responsibilities are to deliver treatment activities, documents progress, communicate with supervising PT, and helps clients work towards goals.

What is the APTA?

The American Physical Therapy Association is an national organization that represent PTs and PTAs.

What is the VPTA?

The Virginia Physical Therapy Association that is a statewide organization supporting Pt professionals and students in Virginia through education, networking, advocacy, leadership, and public information.

How is PT and OT similar?

They both support independence, function, participation, and quality of life.

How is PT and OT different?

PT commonly emphasizes movement, while OT commonly emphasizes daily occupations.

Before modern rehabilitation professions, care often focused on rest, surgery, medication, custodial care, or —— charity.

Religious

The Industrial Revolution, urbanization, infectious disease, workplace injuries, and military conflict

increased the number of people living with long-term ——.

Disability

Healthcare systems needed trained workers who could help people return to home, work, school,

or —— life.

Community

Moral treatment contributed to OT by using humane care, structure, social interaction, education,

and —— activities such as crafts, gardening, music, work, games, and self-care.

Purposeful

OT grew primarily from purposeful activity and —— in mental-health care, while PT grew primarily from movement, exercise, massage, physical agents, and physical —— .

Occupation, Restoration

PT grew from therapeutic exercise, massage, ——, corrective gymnastics, electrotherapy, and physical education.

Hydrotherapy

Early physical training or physiotherapy workers often practiced under —— direction.

Medical

The American Women’s Physical Therapeutic Association was founded in —— and later became the APTA.

1921

Professional associations helped establish PT’s professional identity, shared standards, education expectations, publications, ethical conduct, and _______.

Advocacy

Polio increased the need for long-term —— and encouraged research in movement, muscle testing, respiratory care, functional outcomes, and immobility.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation remained important because vaccines reduced new infections but did not reverse the weakness, paralysis, disability, or functional —— experienced by polio survivors.

Outcomes

What were the main contributions from World War I to PT.

Established an organized reconstruction services and trained reconstruction aids.

What were the main contributions from World War II to PT.

Expanded rehabilitation, professional training, hospital systems, specialty care, and rehabilitation in medical care.

How did PT expand?

PT expanded from physical agents and movement restoration to mobility, strength, endurance, balance, pain, prevention, participation, and quality of life.

How did OT expand?

OT expanded from mental health and purposeful activity into physical rehabilitation, pediatrics, schools, hands, neurological rehabilitation, aging, mental health and community participation.

Mary McMillan helped organize American PT and advocate for education and standards; Sister Elizabeth Kenny influenced —— rehabilitation; Marguerite Sanderson helped connect physical education, women’s training, wartime physiotherapy, and formal PT ——.

Polio, Education.

The central idea is that people need more than diagnosis or bed rest; they need skilled rehabilitation that supports movement, meaningful activity, —— , participation, and quality of life.

Independence