Physical Therapy
By Paul Adams
Physical therapy is the health profession most concerned with the prevention of physical disabilities and the treatment and rehabilitation of people who have been injured.
The star basketball player—defying gravity—hangs high in the air over the hoop. The gymnast—all grit and determination—performs flawlessly on the parallel bars. The marathon runner—exhausted but exhilarated—breaks the tape and crosses the finish line.
These champion athletes (and others at various levels of accomplishment) have something in common with the stroke victim who has lost the use of an arm, with the adolescent who has curvature of the spine, and with many others who suffer major and minor physical problems: they all require, whether occasionally or regularly, the attention of a physical therapist.
The physical therapist is a specialist who helps train or retrain the body to work normally. The job of a physical therapist is to identify, prevent, correct, and ease physical disabilities caused by illness, injury, or birth defects.
The therapist uses a variety of tests to measure the function of the muscles, the skeleton, and the nervous, pulmonary, and cardiovascular systems before developing treatment methods, which may include the use of special equipment.
Patients range in age from infants to the elderly, and they include amateur and professional athletes, pregnant women, “weekend warriors,” children and adolescents, and people suffering from burns, stroke, cancer, and head or spinal injuries. Whether a disability is temporary or permanent, whether it represents only a slight limitation or an incapacitating impairment, the role of the physical therapist is to help the patient overcome or cope with it. To be an effective physical therapist, you’ll need skill, knowledge, and compassion.
Where do physical therapists work?
While many physical therapists establish their own practices and provide care directly to patients, others work in a variety of settings:
• nursing homes
• home health agencies
• public and private schools
• hospitals
• industry
• athletic and fitness centers
• research facilities
A therapist’s specific work setting is determined by his or her practice specialty, which may be community health, neurology, pediatrics, oncology (cancer), orthopedics, geriatrics, or long-term rehabilitation.
How can you prepare?
In high school, take courses in science, biology, mathematics, and chemistry. Volunteer in any department of your local hospital. Select a college or university with an accredited physical therapy degree or strong pre-physical therapy program.
In college, continue to volunteer. Arrange to “shadow” a practicing therapist in order to learn firsthand exactly what physical therapists do. You can read about and stay current with trends in the profession by becoming an active student member of the American Physical Therapy Association.
For an overview of physical therapy, check out the website of the American Physical Therapy Association, www.apta.org. You’ll find information about physical therapy as a career, career prospects for physical therapy graduates, a list of accredited programs by state, scholarship and financial aid information, and much more. Click on the link to Education Programs.
2009
