Physical therapists focus on improving the movement and function of people who have diseases or injuries that limit their mobility. Physical therapists evaluate patients, determine the plan of care, establish goals, select and delegate appropriate treatment tasks, direct and supervise support personnel, document the patient's care, and reevaluate and modify treatment as necessary. In addition, physical therapists are increasingly involved in seeing patients directly without physician referral and independently implementing prevention and wellness programs.
Physical therapists might be found:
helping a patient with a spinal-cord injury develop the endurance needed to maneuver a wheelchair up and down ramps.
implementing an exercise program to enable an injured athlete to return to competition
helping an infant with cerebral palsy learn to sit independently.
developing an exercise program as part of a multidisciplinary osteoporosis prevention program offered within a retirement community.
evaluating an assembly worker who sustained an on-the-job injury, recommending a physical therapy treatment program and working with the shift supervisor to modify the work station to prevent further injury.
providing ambulation training to enable an elderly person to return home after a hip fracture.
Additional information about the profession of physical therapy can be found at the American Physical Therapy Association's web site ( http://www.apta.org).
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