What Is the Difference Between Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy?
After an injury or surgery, your doctor may recommend either occupational or physical therapy to help you recover. But which one is right for you? While there are similarities and differences between occupational therapy and physical therapy, there are certain conditions that each one focuses on. To help you better understand their advantages, we’ll take a deep dive into their purpose and how they work.
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupation therapy (OT) is a prescribed rehabilitation treatment to help you after any injury, condition or disability that makes it harder to go through your daily routine. You’ll work with an occupational therapist whose goal is to help you live as self-sufficiently as possible by improving your ability to perform daily tasks. You might need OT after trauma to learn how to move through your environment or use different tools to safely do various activities. Some people also require occupational therapy to manage symptoms from a chronic (long-term) condition or disability.
What does occupational therapy treat?
You might need OT while you’re recovering from an injury or trauma, including the following:
- Amputation
- Bone fractures
- Burns
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Hand injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Strokes
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
OT is also useful for several chronic conditions:
- Cancer
- Cerebral palsy
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Parkinson’s disease
- Spina bifida
Or after certain surgeries:
- Abdominal surgery
- Amputations
- Arthroplasties (joint replacements)
- Spine or head surgery
What is physical therapy (physiotherapy)?
Physical therapy (PT), or physiotherapy, is treatment that helps you improve how your body performs physical movements. It can be part of a generalized pain management plan or a specific treatment for an injury or health condition. It’s common to need physical therapy after many types of surgery, too. You might also need physical therapy to help prevent injuries before they happen.
How long you’ll need to work with a physical therapist depends on which injuries or health conditions you have and which area of your body needs help. Some people only need a few weeks of physiotherapy to help with a short-term issue. Others need it for months or years to manage symptoms of a chronic condition.
What does physical therapy treat?
Most people start PT after a diagnoses, injury or condition such as these:
- Back pain
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Concussions
- Hip pain
- Knee ligament injuries (like ACL tears)
- Knee pain
- Neck pain
- Rotator cuff tears
- Strokes
- Spinal cord injuries
- Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders
- Tendinopathy (including tendinitis)
- Traumatic brain injuries
You might need physiotherapy to manage a chronic condition:
- Cerebral palsy
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Muscular dystrophy
- Parkinson’s disease
What are the types of physiotherapy?
Physical therapy is a combination of hands-on techniques (a therapist moving part of your body) and exercises or movements you perform with a physical therapist’s supervision. Physical therapy can include a variety of treatments:
- Heat or cold therapy
- Hydrotherapy
- Massage
- Stretching
- Strength training (with or without weights or exercise equipment)
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
- What are the benefits of physical therapy (physiotherapy)?
- Physical therapy can work on any system in your body that controls your movement:
- Cardiopulmonary system
- Integumentary system
- Musculoskeletal system
- Nervous system
Physical therapy can strengthen parts of your body throughout any of these systems:
- Brain (including your nerves and the ways they deliver messages to other parts of your body)
- Bones
- Heart
- Joints
- Lungs
- Muscles
- Skin and how you touch and feel objects
How are OT and PT Alike?
Occupational therapy and physical therapy have some things in common:
- Treatment plans. OTs and PTs evaluate clients and offer custom care plans. They monitor progress and change treatment plans when needed.
- Conditions treated. Both treat a wide variety of conditions,
- Support team. Both work with family members and caregivers so that their clients get the support they need.
- Client base. OTs and PTs treat people with medical issues in all stages of life.
What’s the Difference Between Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy?
The main difference between occupational therapy and physical therapy is the scope. Physical therapists usually focus on helping people move better while occupational therapists take a holistic approach to improve physical functioning while also working on many social and emotional situations.
Freedom Village Has Both Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy
To cater to the needs of our residents, Freedom Village offers a great short-term rehabilitation program. From occupational and physical therapy to speech therapy, there are a lot of options to help you or your loved one regain their confidence and independence. To learn more, contact us today.
