Physical Therapy

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:16:51 +0100

I am thinking of becoming a physical therapist. I have been interested in this career path for quite some time. I have been a personal trainer for a number of years but recently most of my clients come to me after rehabilitation prescribed by their physicians has ended. Many insurance plans have limitations imposed on the number of physical therapy sessions they authorize. Unfortunately for most of these folks, the physical therapy has worked, but results will not be sustained without continued exercise. Due to previous injuries, these individuals are reluctant to exercise without professional guidance. I often feel inadequately equipped to bridge the gap between physical therapy and personal training.

Physical therapists are required to have at least a masters degree and some schools offer doctoral programs. Every state requires physical therapists to be licensed and obtain a certain number of continuing education credits within a certain period of years. Salary expectations range from around $60,000 per year to over $100,000 depending upon where the practice is located. The links below give additional information about careers in physical therapy.
http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/phys_therapist.htm
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos080.htm

Technology plays a role in this career in numerous ways. The two that I found most interesting are programs and equipment that perform gait analysis and joint range of motion.

The Gait analysis device is widely used for injuries involving nueromuscular damage to the area of the brain which controls walking. This software programs enables the physical therapist to analyze a patients gait regarding distance between the feet, stability of movement and speed. Tabulating this information at each session reveals whether or not progress is being made. Progress is often very subtle and minimal and difficult to detect with just the naked eye.
http://www.innsport.com/Gait%2005%2002-09.pdf

The Range of Motion software includes sensors which can be placed upon several places surrounding the joint or joints involved in the injury. Much like the gait analysis software, this enables detection of very small changes in range of motion with more accurate measurements than those performed without the technology.
http://www.noromed.com/products.cfm?id=2

my-future-career-and-technology

Physical Therapy