Physical Therapy - MYTH BUSTERS!!!
Physical therapists are quite simply, experts in function and movement of the human body. These professionals are educated at a bachelor's degree or higher (many new and some older physical therapists (PT's) are educated at the doctorate level) and work closely with all other health care providers as part of the health care team.
A point of clarification is needed before I proceed. A person who has graduated from an accredited physical therapy school with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree is considered a doctor, but is in no way considered a physician. A Doctor of Physical Therapy has a different skill set than that of a Medical Doctor and prescribes treatments that are related to musculoskeletal and movement disorders. Whereas a medical doctor or physician would be concerned with the overall health of an individual it may be in their scope of practice, but not in their mastery of knowledge, to provide such treatments that would be provided by a doctor of physical therapy.
Myth 1: Physical therapists only work in hospitals.
Licensed physical therapists work in many different settings including but not limited to the following: hospitals, schools, fitness centers, on-site at businesses (including industrial, commercial transportation, office), home health, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, performing arts (ballet, dance studios, and even musicians), and with sports teams (amateur to professional).
Myth 2: Athletic trainers and chiropractors are the same as physical therapists.
Many people try to confuse the public to say that modalities such as electric stimulation, ultrasound, massage, and the application of hot packs and cold packs are physical therapy modalities and therefore they practice physical therapy. Unfortunately when PT's bill insurance companies they do not have codes that are specific to physical therapy other than their initial examination and re-examination codes. The fact that other healthcare providers can bill certain insurance companies for modality codes does not mean that they are practicing physical therapy. In fact in most states, to claim they are is against the law.
Myth 3: Chiropractors are the only healthcare providers who manipulate/adjust the spine.
Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine and physical therapists are also able to manipulate the spine. In some states physical therapists need a physician's permission to adjust the spine, but that is easily accomplished by a trained physical therapist and often requires nothing more than a phone call and a faxed prescription. Also a great deal of the available research done to date on the appropriateness of spinal manipulation/adjustment has been done by physical therapists.
Also despite many claims that spinal manipulation is safe, there are always risks associated with treating the spine. Technique and the practitioner performing the technique will have a big effect on the outcome. Be sure that the person who performs any treatment to that area knows what they are doing. If something doesn't feel right, trust your gut and run.
Myth 4: All physical therapy is the same.
Because of the large breadth of knowledge that physical therapists can posess, like any other profession, there will be differences in treatments provided, communication styles, and with outcomes. Many people will go from one accountant to another if they are dissatisfied, but still refuse to go see another physical therapist instead chalking it up to the thought of "physical therapy just doesn't work."
Myth 5: All people working as "physical therapists" in physicians offices that provide physical therapy are physical therapists.
The fact is that physicians can bill what is called "incident to" when billing insurance companies for physical therapy services. To that regard, they can hire anyone (and I mean anyone) to perform treatments under their "watchful" eye. Now the physicians worth your money will hire licensed physical therapists in their office, but not every physician does this especially when it is cheaper to hire someone that isn't licensed. Why would anyone want to go to physical therapy where it is not provided by a licensed physical therapist or assistant? Unfortunately if you don't ask, they won't tell.