Just in case you aren't aware of what a Physical Therapist or a Chiropractor are...Physical Therapist- the treatment of disease, injury, or deformity by physical methods such as massage, heat treatment, and exercise rather than by drugs or surgery.
Chiropractor- a practitioner of the system of complementary medicine based on the diagnosis and manipulative treatment of misalignments of the joints. |
Abstract- Brendon Blake and Melissa Housworth: Back In the Game Physical Therapy
Growing up, I knew I wanted to eventually work in the medical field, I just didn’t have any idea of where I wanted to work in the medical field. I narrowed my scope of field down to just Physical Therapy and Chiropractic care. Throughout my mentorship at Back In the Game Physical Therapy, I have realized that physical therapy is what I want to pursue in my future. I have been able to learn treatments and manipulation the therapists use and I have been able to see the progression of many patients on a daily basis. The physical therapy world is only getting bigger and I believe that it is a great field of work to pursue. Through my research from the internet, an interview from my mentor and even my personal experiences in the clinic, I have come to realize that Physical Therapy is the better option for myself. I believe in the manipulation rather than a chiropractors, and also I have been able to see patient progression first hand and that is my favorite part about working in a PT clinic. Patients are always the top priority and after all of their hard work and sometimes even tears, I love seeing the smile on their face when it is time to “graduate” from Physical Therapy. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to intern at Back In the Game and I hope to eventually become a physical therapist on my own one day.
Growing up, I knew I wanted to eventually work in the medical field, I just didn’t have any idea of where I wanted to work in the medical field. I narrowed my scope of field down to just Physical Therapy and Chiropractic care. Throughout my mentorship at Back In the Game Physical Therapy, I have realized that physical therapy is what I want to pursue in my future. I have been able to learn treatments and manipulation the therapists use and I have been able to see the progression of many patients on a daily basis. The physical therapy world is only getting bigger and I believe that it is a great field of work to pursue. Through my research from the internet, an interview from my mentor and even my personal experiences in the clinic, I have come to realize that Physical Therapy is the better option for myself. I believe in the manipulation rather than a chiropractors, and also I have been able to see patient progression first hand and that is my favorite part about working in a PT clinic. Patients are always the top priority and after all of their hard work and sometimes even tears, I love seeing the smile on their face when it is time to “graduate” from Physical Therapy. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to intern at Back In the Game and I hope to eventually become a physical therapist on my own one day.
Interview with my mentor Brendon Blake:
What made you choose between being a physical therapist rather than a chiropractor?-I never considered being a chiropractor, never thought they were very medical. Have never respected them.
How do treatments differ between the two occupations? -Physical Therapy is focused on movement and improving the function of the person. Chiropractic believes in the “law of the nerve’, and that subluxations cause all disfunction and disease. So chiropractors try to re-align you, PT’s focus on restoring function and movement. The problem with the chiropractic theory of subluxations, no one has ever seen it, never seen on X-Ray/MRI/CT Scan or in a cadaver study. Never been proven. Treatments differ in the type of techniques PT use versus Chiropractors use with spinal manipulation or adjustments. PT’s typically use less cervical rotation during out manipulation versus the chiropractic adjustment. Is anything similar between the two occupations? -Both professions are truly trying to help people get out of pain and function better. Unfortunately there are good and bad in each professions where practitioners are more about the money than helping the patients. Do the occupations require the same amount of school? - They are both similar now, need 7 years total. Used to be able to get a DC degree in 2 years after high school, easiest doctorate you could get, was a joke. All PT schools require a doctorate now. What has been the most difficult situation in your experience as a PT? -Paperwork! Haha. Dealing with insurance companies who deny care to people that need help. I wish that we could reach more people with improved financial coverage. So many patients now have high deductibles and copays. How did you handle that situation? -we try to work with and help as many patients as we can who need help. Unfortunately the insurances regulate what we can and can’t do. The affordable care act has really placed a lot of extra regulations on us and the insurance companies making if more difficult to help a patient who is in need. Is the manual therapy different between the two occupations? -very different, but to an observer it would look similar. The levers the PT uses to move the spinal segment is very different than what the chiropractor uses. The amount to rotation versus side bending all plays a role. Physical Therapists don’t use drop tables or activators, like the chiropractors do. Chiropractors often will hire and pay a massage therapist in their offices. What manual therapy do you do for a regular low back pain patient? -Physical Therapists don’t come out of school specialized, so after graduation you can specialize in manual therapy and treat a of spine conditions. We use gentle joint mobilizations and all the way up to manipulation, we do soft tissue mobilization using tools or our hands. The goal with manual therapy is improve the range of motion in a joint, either when a joint is hypermobile or hypomobile. The focus of my manual therapy is to isolate a segment and focus the treatment to that level. How should a patient decide if he/she should see a PT or a chiropractor? -Tough question, not sure how to handle this question. I am biased so I will say that it doesn’t make sense to go see a chiropractor. Why should a patient see a PT over a chiropractor? -Thousand reasons. I think that the physical therapy medically minded treatment philosophy is a lot safer and makes more sense. I know this is generalizing, but in physical therapy, our goal is treat and fix the disfunction. Where as in chiropractic care, the treatment plan regularly involves a lifetime of adjustments. I have had the opportunity to work in multiple clinic settings that involved chiropractors and PT’s and MD’s all under the same roof. I have seen their treatment techniques, I have heard their treatment philosophies, I have seen their “sale box” x-ray box to make a sale, not using the patients actual x-rays. I am not saying that all chiropractors do this, but all three practice situations I have witnessed this. |