Both occupational therapy and physical therapy are worthwhile lines of work to enter into, but it’s important to understand the ins and outs of each before deciding which is the right healthcare career path for you. The main difference between occupational therapy vs. physical therapy is that OT focuses on improving a client’s ability to perform activities of daily living and PT focuses on improving a client’s ability to perform a movement of the human body.
Differences & Similarities: Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy
What Do Occupational Therapists Do?
What makes occupational therapy unique is that occupational therapists treat the whole person — not just one issue. Whether they’re assisting those recovering from injuries or who have developmental or cognitive disabilities affecting their motor skills, emotions or behavior, OTs are helping people to fully engage in daily life.
According to the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), occupational therapy uses a holistic approach to look not only at the reasons a client’s participation in activities has been affected but also at the client’s roles and environment.
The approach focuses on three areas:
- Wellness promotion
- Rehabilitation
- Habilitation
This approach aims to support the well-being in every dimension of a person’s life, including social, physical, emotional and occupational.
What Do Physical Therapists Do?
In contrast, a physical therapist treats the patient’s actual impairment from a biomechanical perspective. Physical therapy tries to improve the impairment itself by increasing mobility, aligning bones and joints or lessening pain.
A PT’s primary goal is to prevent injuries or get their patients back in motion with exercises, massage and other techniques. They focus on preventing injuries and can help people avoid surgery or a long term-reliance on medications. This approach is certainly important and can lead to activities that are fulfilling, but a PT’s main goal is to rehabilitate an injury, not the entire patient.
Similarities Between OT and PT
According to Healthline, PT and OT both aim to improve your overall functioning, quality of life, and knowledge about how to maintain your health and well-being. Both types of therapy also provide hands-on care tailored to the patient’s individual needs as well as goalsetting to assess clients’ progress and how to achieve their goals.
There can even be some overlap in the tasks performed. For example, occupational therapists may also teach stretches or exercises. Physical therapists may work on movements to help with daily activities, such as getting in and out of the tub.
All in all, both are healthcare careers that seek to help people. Both roles educate clients on injury prevention and the healing process as well as work to improve client movement and quality of life. In many cases, both PTs and OTs are essential to injury recovery.
Link: https://otaonline.stkate.edu/blog/occupational-therapy-vs-physical-therapy/