Ortho vs Sports: Residency- Whats the real difference?

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FoamCup

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Trying to figure out what the real difference is for ortho vs sports...I know its in the name..but what patient population does one see in daily life..also which specialty has "more scope" as far as practicing PT is concerned?

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Trying to figure out what the real difference is for ortho vs sports...I know its in the name..but what patient population does one see in daily life..also which specialty has "more scope" as far as practicing PT is concerned?

Ortho is very general and significantly more based towards post ops, direct access, or managing pain. Also everything from disease to congenital issues that lead to functional deficits that need to go through some type of rehab progression in order to be healthy and independent. Ortho mentorship will most likely be very manual therapy based since you're managing pain as the patient is healing. A focus on spine will also have a large emphasis on HVLA as well as passive to active progression....core strengthening...core motor control during tasks....and managing low back pain non surgically which if our healthcare system is moral is where that field will be headed towards more as a first line of management as opposed to procedure. You can find outcome articles for chronic pain in JAMA and NEJM I believe in addition to the general JOSPT etc.

Sports is primarily just your injured athletes and weekend warriors. Yes, there is a lot of overlap but sports is where you'll be doing much more creative return to play rehab and pushing people more (well, debatable...sometimes they're so ready to get back they don't need much motivation).
Prognosis is usually really good with these people but they reinjure themselves going back too quickly. Rehabbing an ACL can take an incredibly long time and before D/C, the activities they are doing should resemble the same stresses that they will experience on the field. EXOS and university 1 year residencies are solid for this. The residencies may just be a way for you to get in the door at a solid clinic. There is also running medicine and biomechanics. The Evals are 45-1 hour usually assessing strength and then snapping and videoing treadmill running, calculating stance time, and setting up how to slowly change to biomechanics to prevent or reduce shin splints or run more comfortably over a period of sessions

Hope that helps
 
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Just a heads up.

There is currently zero pay incentive for residencies with insurance at this current point in time. It may be a foot in the door for really good clinics and a solid mentor, but keep that in mind and don't drink your schools kool aid if they try to force that on you.

Scope is also generally restricted to the states practice act, the local AMA blocking out conservative competition so you have to receive referral, and the insurance local reimbursement. To see the ridiculous variability, look at Illinois practice act vs. Iowa and look at entry level jobs in Nevada or Texas with pay vs. Wyoming. Zero access vs. unrestricted access. Low six figures vs. bottom 5%
 
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