| Physical
therapists treat patients in a wide variety of settings including outpatient
rehabilitation clinics, hospitals, school systems, home health, skilled
nursing facilities, and community healthcare programs. Using evaluative
skills, a physical therapist designs and implements an appropriate treatment
program to target the patient’s functional limitations and maximize
his/her rehabilitative potential. The cornerstones of these treatments are
therapeutic exercise and functional training activities. Physical therapists
also use manual skills to mobilize joints to restore joint stability and
function in addition to communication skills to educate the patient in exercises
he/she can perform independently at home. An important area of a physical
therapist’s expertise is directed at prevention of injury in settings
such as the workplace and sports events to develop screening for potential
problems and initiate preventive exercise regimes. Physical therapists strive
to improve the quality of life of each patient by assisting each person
to achieve his/her maximum level of independent function. |