Physical demands of this career, advice please!

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Futurecalipt

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Hello everyone,
So I have all my work done to apply for PT schools, but am now worrying whether I have the physical dexterity for this career. As I complete my volunteer hours, I see that PT's do a lot of massage. I have always had bad wrists from golfing so much when I was a kid. My left wrist is perfectly normal, but my right wrist gives me problems on occasion ( I am right handed too). For instance I hear crepitus everytime I make a big rotation with it. This is minimized to a bumping sound when I steadily take glucosamine everyday. Furthermore, I am being treated in PT right now for elbow pain, but we are focusing on my neck and upper back as the problem areas (too much commuting and studying with poor posture). I have been wanting this career for a long time, but I worry I wont have the dexterity to make it a full length career. I worry about my wrists more than my elbow, but obviously all these are the tools a PT uses to work.

So I guess my question is, are there PT's out there that deal with this sort of thing? Such as using certain techniques, or prefering to use one hand over the other in manual therapy? Is this a deal breaker?

I know I can work in acute care or home health with minimal massage, but my heart is in orthopedic..... Any advise is appreciated, this is an important post for me!

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There are OTs and PTs out there who have had amputations and can still treat patients. Using proper techniques and ergonomics, which you will learn in PT school, should help you minimize strain to your wrists and elbows. Changing your posture and the way you set up your computers and books while you study can also decrease the postural problems you face.

It's really about experience and technique. For instance, you can utilize more kinesiotaping technique versus other manual techniques in an ortho setting. My advice though is to try all settings.
 
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