After
seeing physical therapist for merely a week, a person goes from not being able
to walk a single centimeter to being able to run in a marathon. Have you ever
heard a similar story to this? In our society today, there are many assumptions
and ideas that are communicated about physical therapy that are not necessarily
true. Often times, the title of physical therapy is misinterpreted. People view
physical therapy as an easy, informal career path. Television and magazine
articles are major contributors to the connotations associated with physical
therapy. Through various means of communication, the true meaning of the
physical therapy title is transforming and becoming misunderstood.
There are many assumptions built
around the title, “physical therapy”. When thinking about what a physical
therapist does a person can simply looks at the name. Teachers, parents, and
friends have communicated the meanings of these two simple words to us
throughout our lives. Because of this, we understand that the word “physical”
relates to the body, and the word “therapy” relates to treating or healing a
disorder. By putting these two words together, we create a simple definition of
the title: the healing of a person’s physical disorder. However, after
strenuous researching, I have learned that the definition is much more
intricate and complex than this. The Medical Dictionary defines physical
therapy as, “A branch of rehabilitative health that
uses specially designed exercises and equipment to help patients regain or
improve their physical abilities” (“Physical Therapy Definition” Para 1).
Physical therapy is a very challenging field. A physical therapist’s
career requires years of intense training and education. Michael Maves
describes, “On a daily basis, physical therapists have many patients to see,
hours of paper work to complete, and various phone calls to make” (370). This
shows that even after graduating and finding a job, life as a physical
therapist does not become easier.
Magazine
articles and television shows are large contributors to the false messages that
people begin to believe about physical therapy. Think about how a sports channel promotes
physical therapy. If an athlete encounters an accident and becomes injured,
often times he will need to see a physical therapist. In just a few short weeks
we see that athlete back on the field and running around again. Since the
athlete was back on their feet so fast, we begin to assume that a physical
therapist’s job is uncomplicated and effortless. This is not true; several
ideas, practices, and exercises went into strengthening and preparing this
athlete to play again. Many people also begin to assume that athletes are the
only type of person that a physical therapist helps and treats. I have learned
that physical therapists help a wide range of people. Whether it is an infant
who cannot walk or an older man who recently was in a car accident, physical
therapists are ready to come to the rescue. There are also numerous articles that
I have come across as I created this blog that described all of the luxuries of
physical therapy but failed to mention the other procedures. For instance, Dr.
Saul Wischneitzerer explains how the career opportunities for this physical therapy
are highly favorable, and that on average a physical therapist can make from
$60,000 to $88,000 per year (354). This article did not talk about how
they have to work very hard to have a favorable salary. They have paper work to
fill out and patient reports to file before they can leave the office. A day as
a physical therapist quickly becomes tiring and arduous.
We can
also see the ideas being altered when people communicate on a day-to-day basis.
For example, there are two high school friends who are on the same soccer team
casually holding a conversation. One of the friends has an injury and is
currently seeing a physical therapist, and the other friend asks how their
physical therapy recovery is coming along. The injured friend responds to this
by saying it is a really hard, vigorous, and painful process. This is a typical
view of physical therapy. This is one of the many reasons many people are
afraid to see a physical therapist. People then begin to associate physical
therapists as intense, mean, and powerful coaches. Through verbal
communication, there are many people who see a physical therapist’s job as an
easy task. They think that all they do is stretch their patients’ bodies. They
do much more than that. They promote wellness, healthy lifestyles, and also
teach people ways to prevent injuries and loss of movement.
Throughout
this semester, I have learned that a physical therapist job is not as easy as
many people think it’s set out to be. The career path requires many years of challenging
education, clinical practice, and training. They have to be organized in order
to file patient reports. They also have to be able to plan, conduct, and
evaluate various physical therapy programs. Overall, physical therapists can
be, in a sense, viewed as heroes. They are not just here to stretch a person’s
leg, but rather they are here to help someone, who could not walk since a car
accident, take their first steps.
Works Cited
"Physical
Therapy Definition." Medterms. Medical Dictionary, 18 Mar. 2012. Web.
11 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11885>.
Maves,
Michael. Health Care Careers Directory, 2011-2012. 39th ed.
Chicago, IL: American Medical Association, 2011. Print.
Wischnitzer,
Saul. Top 100 Health-care Careers: Your Complete Guidebook to Training
and Jobs in Allied Health, Nursing, Medicine, and More. 3rd ed. Indianapolis,
IN: JIST Pub., 2011.
