Misconception of physical therapy

[Ndebt]

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When I tell my family and friends I'll be going to PT school they like to make fun of me and say I'm going to be giving foot rubs to old ladies.
What would you say to them in rebuttal, so that they have more respect for the profession?


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[turtlot]

I was in a similar situation that you're in back when I told my parents that I wanted to do PT. My parents are very traditional and have no idea what PT was. Explain to them what PT's do and give them examples. Who's going to be the person that treats a patient after getting out of knee surgery? Who's the person that treats the patient after they have shoulder surgery? All PT's that I have met absolutely love their job. The hours and stress level aren't so bad when compared to a physician's.
My parents came around once my dad did his research on the profession and has supported me ever since.

Hope this helps!

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[Ginglymus]

Physical therapists are required to be experts in anatomy, and must use this knowledge to accurately diagnose movement impairments and prescribe functional exercise to improve the impairment. I also second to what turtlot mentioned as PT's are who restore mobility to individuals who have undergone invasive surgery like knee or hip as examples. PTs are also trained in manual therapy, and utilize techniques such as manipulation. Manipulation is analogous to an adjustment that chiropractor's perform, but are much less prone to cause injury from my understanding as manipulations are low amplitude (low joint displacement). We are much more well rounded practitioners than chiropractors in my opinion (I am comparing them to chiropractors because I feel most individuals are more familiar with chiropractors than PTs, as this was my case growing up).

PT's are also much more diverse than this but it is early in the morning and thats what I have haha.

 

[PTX2]

When I tell my family and friends I'll be going to PT school they like to make fun of me and say I'm going to be giving foot rubs to old ladies.
What would you say to them in rebuttal, so that they have more respect for the profession?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

I feel your pain! When I tell people I'm going into physical therapy they always "know someone who does that too."

Upon further discussion I often realize they consider physical therapy a generic term and are referring to people who are personal trainers or massage therapists.