Physical therapy

Physical therapy is the auxiliary health profession which makes use of physical therapy modalities to prevent, correct, and alleviate movement dysfunction of anatomic or physiologic origin. The discipline includes the assessment of strength and range of motion. Physical therapists, especially for sports medicine, may practice independently, but when under physician supervision, physical and rehabilitation medicine is the relevant specialty.

Direct access

The issue of "direct access", where patients may self-refer directly to physical therapists, is controversial but not unprecedented. In a document called Vision 2020, the American Physical Therapy Association, the goal is stated

By 2020, physical therapy will be provided by physical therapists who are doctors of physical therapy, recognized by consumers and other health care professionals as the practitioners of choice to whom consumers have direct access for the diagnosis of, interventions for, and prevention of impairments, functional limitations, and disabilities related to movement, function, and health.

An issue not mentioned in the summary above is that chiropractors, who are also experts in neuromuscular medicine, now have autonomous practice.

Further, direct access is not a new idea. The current close alliance between physical therapists and physicians began in the 1920s. Dutch physical therapists gave up "this right to gain support from medical physicians in their drive for governmental and societal recognition of the profession...In many European countries, the greatest opposition to early physical therapy came from orthopaedic surgeons who feared infringement upon their fledgling scope of practice. This led to adversarial conditions not unlike those once experienced between chiropractic and medical physicians in North America..." When the U.S. government reduced coverage for veterans in 1922, t many therapists, the majority of whom had previously been employed by the military, to find jobs in the private sector. This too led to conflicts with other manual medicine practitioners including nurses, osteopaths, and chiropractors all claiming to practice physical therapy. It was this early conflict with especially the chiropractic profession that caused therapists to align themselves more closely with medical physicians. As a result, therapists in 1930 voluntary relinquished their right to see patients without physician referral1

Prescribing and planning physical therapy

Either a prescribing physician or an independent therapist begins the process by focusing on relief of pain, which will ease the transition into the more stressful restoration of function. General categories include heat, massage and electrical stimulation, with specific decisions about the source/method and places of application. For example, heat can come from hydrotherapy, ultrasonic therapy or diathermy.

Restoration of function includes exercise therapy, relaxation therapy and ambulation. The physical therapist may also work with multidisciplinary teams in pain management and cardiac rehabilitation.

Related disciplines

Where physical therapy concentrates on strength and range of motion, occupational therapy improves function with respect to specific tasks in activities of daily living. Dance therapy, while emphasizing emotional support, also can help movement, as can recreational therapy.

Physical therapy modalities

• Animal assisted therapy [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Balneology [r]: Therapy by various hot or warm baths in natural mineral waters, spas, or "cures". It includes not only bathing in, but also drinking the waters, but it does not include whirlpool baths, which are part of hydrotherapy ^[e]
• Postural drainagel [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Electric stimulation therapy [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Exercise movement techniques [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Exercise therapy [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Hydrotherapy [r]: External application of pure water for therapeutic purposes; emphasizes motion and temperature of the water, but excludes mineral water treatments (i.e., balneology) ^[e]
• Induced hyperthermia [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Massage therapy [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Musculoskeletal manipulations [r]: Physical movement of body tissues, muscles and bones, by hands or equipment, to improve health and circulation, relieve fatigue, or promote healing. ^[e]
• Myofunctional therapy [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Ultrasonic therapy [r]: A method used to provide deep local heating of tissue, without affecting the skin ^[e]

Physical therapy and chiropractic

The relationship between the disciplines of physical therapy and chiropractic are complex, and even more so in the health care efficiency debate since chiropractic has been accepted by an NIH Consensus Conference as effective for some conditions. Some practitioners are certified in both and find them synergistic. Other chiropractors are actively challenging changes in the scope of practice of physical therapists that permits the latter to do spinal manipulation.

Some chiropractors have presented themselves as primary care providers following an alternative medicine paradigm. A current argument, however, is that they are complementary rather than alternative providers. One proposal is that "the most appropriate role for the chiropractor is that of a direct-access, conservative and minimalist, neuromusculoskeletal specialist fully integrated in the current health care system and contributing to the evidence-based health care movement."