physical therapy
Meaning of physical therapy: Most of the work is the exercise done between appointments, with the session spent assessing progress and adjusting the program.
Definition of physical therapy
Physical therapy is treatment that restores movement, strength and function using exercise, hands-on techniques, education and equipment rather than medicines or surgery. A physical therapist assesses how a person moves, identifies what limits it and builds a graded program toward agreed goals. Outside North America the same profession is usually called physiotherapy.
What happens in a course of treatment?
The first appointment is an assessment: history, then measurement of strength, joint range, balance, sensation and the way a person walks or lifts, with the aim of finding which structure is limiting movement and which movements are safe to load. From that comes a program, and the program is the treatment. Sessions add manual techniques such as joint mobilization and soft tissue work, training in walking, transfers and the use of a stick, frame or prosthesis, and instruction that explains why a movement hurts and what to expect. Heat, cold, ultrasound and electrical stimulation appear as adjuncts, useful for comfort but not the core of the work. Progress is remeasured against the starting figures rather than judged by impression, and the program advances as tolerance improves.
Where is it used?
| Setting | Typical aims |
|---|---|
| After orthopedic surgery or injury | Regain range, rebuild strength, return to work or sport |
| Neurologic rehabilitation | Relearn movement after stroke, brain or spinal injury, or in Parkinson disease |
| Cardiac and respiratory | Build exercise tolerance, clear secretions, manage breathlessness |
| Persistent pain | Graded activity and confidence in movement for chronic pain |
| Balance and falls | Strength and balance training in older adults |
| Pelvic health and oncology | Continence, lymphedema, and fitness during and after cancer treatment |
How is it different from occupational therapy?
Physical therapy targets the machinery of movement: strength, range, balance, endurance and gait. Occupational therapy targets the activity a person wants to do, adapting the task, the tool or the environment so it becomes possible, and it covers hand function, daily routines, home adaptation and thinking skills after brain injury. The two overlap and are commonly delivered together, since regaining shoulder movement and being able to dress are different objectives that support each other. Neither is the same as sports massage or personal training, because this therapy is delivered by a licensed clinician who assesses, identifies the movement problem and works within a regulated scope.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
Physical therapy was initiated to help restore shoulder strength and range of motion following the surgery.
Good to know
Physical therapy centers on restoring movement and physical strength, while occupational therapy centers on the skills needed for daily activities, and the two are often used together within one rehabilitation plan.
Word origin
Where “physical therapy” comes from
Formed from physical, from Greek physis, meaning nature, and therapy, from Greek therapeia, meaning treatment or healing.