Rehab and Physical Therapy – What’s the Difference?
What Is Meant By Rehabilitation
The practice of bringing everything back into its initial state is referred to as Rehabilitation. It simply means to restore something to its former condition. When referring to workers’ compensation injuries, the terms rehab and physical therapy are often used as interchangeable terms. Yet, these two are significantly different from each other.
What Is the Difference Between Rehab And Physical Therapy?
Rehabilitation is a wide area that applies to any kind of extensive medical treatment process. It may include :
- Addiction recovery
- Post-stroke readjustment to everyday life and regaining of speech capabilities.
- Recovering strength physically after an injury at the workplace or out of it.
- Rediscovering new movements and ways of carrying out activities.
MedicinePlus is a tool for patients and their family members that can be accessed on the web. These details are provided for the National Institutes of Health by the National Library of Medicine in the United States. According to MedicinePlus, rehabilitation applies to many forms of therapy.
For example, lung disease can have the possibility of leading to pulmonary rehabilitation. A patient recovering from a heart attack may require cardiac rehabilitation.
Physical therapy which is also referred to as Physiotherapy is actually one form of rehabilitation that can be included in a recovery program of a patient.
What Is Meant By Physiotherapy?
A physical therapist puts emphasis, as suggested by the word, on physical strength and mobility. They may be examining a patient’s musculoskeletal system to help him/her recuperate from injuries. They will pay attention to the pathology of the musculoskeletal system of a patient and come up with a customized treatment program for the patient by collaborating with his/her doctor.
Treatment usually includes strategies to alleviate pain along with exercises to develop body strength and mobility which aids in lessening the discomfort in muscles and joints. Conditions such as tendinitis, bursitis, neck pains, and lower back pains are frequently treated in this manner. Some physiotherapists even get the use of acupuncture or ultrasound. Likewise, there are different tools and technologies for physiotherapists to help patients.
Thus, rehab and physical therapy do not necessarily refer to the same thing. However, when someone refers to “work-related rehabilitation”, it generally means that they are talking about physical therapy.
What Is Meant By Occupational Therapy?
Physical therapy and occupational therapy also have their dissimilarities. The term “occupational” may indicate this form of therapy is associated only with work. But the role of an occupational therapist is to evaluate the whole spectrum of skills and activities necessary to carry out day-to-day activities. In fact, they help patients to learn how to dress, or prepare meals or move about. They also instruct patients on how to use supportive tools, for example, a walker, a wheelchair, or a reach-and-grab device. The objective of this is to support the patient to be less dependent on others.
The workspace of a patient can be assessed by both occupational and physical therapists. Both may propose alterations or improvements to the workspace of an injured patient. They are responsible for educating patients regarding the physical condition of their body.
According to one college, the distinction between physical and occupational therapy is the range. They claim that a physiotherapist is treating the real condition of the patient. An occupational therapist approaches this condition in action.
However, at OnSite Physio, we don’t quite agree with that. We feel that recuperation for an injured worker can’t be isolated from their job actions. Rehab and physical therapy are parallel processes. This is the reason for our physical and occupational therapists to treat patients at their place of employment.
Rehabilitation And Physiotherapy Also Differ From Each Other According To The Place Where They Occur.
Where rehabilitation occurs is based on how often and what forms of therapy are required. For those restrained to a healthcare facility, nursing home, or rehab center for addiction, rehabilitation is considered to be an inpatient situation.
Physiotherapy for job-related injuries, rehabilitation is an outpatient situation.
Treatment is typically performed in a facility or at the house of the patient.
The objective of an occupational therapist is to aid patients to learn to act within the constraints of their impairment. Our physiotherapy in surrey is working to help the injured workers to resume their work after their recuperation process is complete. They also advise the workers to act more carefully hereafter through on-site therapy sessions. If workers are aware of the accurate locations of the body and the methods of movement, they will be able to prevent re-injury. This is much preferable than basic rehab.
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