Orthopedic physical therapy is a subspecialty in movement science that primarily focuses in the treatment and rehabilitation of the muscoskeletal system. Physical therapists that specialize in orthopedics deal with injuries and medical conditions that involve the bones, muscles, and joints.
Basic functions that orthopedic surgeons perform are the following:
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Diagnosis
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Management
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Treatment
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Rehabilitation
These processes can be observed across all subspecialties of physical therapy. The only difference lies in the fact that orthopedic PTs concentrate their efforts in dealing with patients who are suffering from disorders and deformities in both the skeletal and muscular system. This includes sports injuries that athletes normally encounter in various sports fields.
There are custom-designed physical therapy techniques and equipment that are used in managing muscoskeletal disorders. Aside from bone, muscle, and joint problems, orthopedic PTs also deal with providing post-operative physical therapy care among its patients. The goals of providing orthopedic physical therapy are as follows:
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Restore the muscles, bones, and joints to its previous working condition
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Stimulate affected parts of the muscoskeletal system in order to induce normal functioning
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Relieve or eliminate pain among patients suffering from muscoskeletal disorders
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Facilitate rehabilitation among patients after surgery
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Manage sports-related injuries
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Increase level of comfort and wellness among patients
The duties and responsibilities of orthopedic physical therapists are plentiful. It only makes sense that a professional who would like to dive into this physical therapy subspecialty should further expand their knowledge and skills further. With the right set of knowledge and skills, a physical therapist can perform the following functions:
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Conduct thorough assessment of a patient’s physical therapy needs
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Create a physical therapy treatment and rehabilitative plan
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Perform information dissemination regarding a patient’s current condition.
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Implement a customized treatment which may include exercise regimen, joint mobilization workout strategy, strength training workouts, and even electrical stimulation procedures.
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Keep track of a patient’s progress and modify treatment plan accordingly
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Provide patients with continuing physical therapy exercises that can be performed independently in between physical therapy sessions
Although these duties and responsibilities are very much similar with general physical therapy practice, the approach is much more specialized since they are mostly geared towards the muscoskeletal system only.
Transitioning from a general practitioner of physical therapy to becoming an orthopedic surgeon will usually entail an individual to take up more educational and skill requirements. Here are the qualifying criteria before a physical therapist can successfully go on working as an orthopedic physical therapist instead:
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All interested applicants should be licensed as a professional physical therapist
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A physical therapist should have at least 2,000 working hours as a highly-skilled and experienced PT. A minimum of 500 hours should have been completed within a PT’s first three years of working in the industry
These minimum requirements are needed in order for a licensed PT to be certified as an orthopedic physical therapist. In addition to these, a physical therapist is deemed to present specialty education credentials as well.
Here are a few sets of information about orthopedic physical therapy education and training:
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A certified orthopedic PT should enroll himself to a continuing education program. This program is needed for a physical therapist to gain better understanding of the various muscoskeletal dysfunctions. Majority of states will only require licensed professional physical therapists to undergo a one-year residency program before certification is given.
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For interested clinicians, it is important to perform a thorough research before enrolling oneself in an orthopedic physical therapy class. The course is a didactic approach on dealing with various types of injuries and medical conditions that involve the muscoskeletal system. Both knowledge and skill will be provided to the students in order to become competent practitioners upon completing of the training program.
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The one-year residency program for orthopedic physical training program will include dealing with patients in the clinical setting. This facilitates the use of state-of-the-art materials that can help professionals in the execution of treatment plans for patients.
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The orthopedic continuing education and residency program should be accredited by professional organizations such as the American Physical Therapy Association.
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Once a continuing education is completed, residents are then asked to undergo a certification exam to test and measure their skills in the subfield of orthopedic physical therapy. Health care settings will not employ physical therapists for an orthopedic PT position without the needed certifications. In addition to certifications, clinicians are asked to show proof for completing of 2000 hours of clinical practice as physical therapists. Considering that orthopedic physical therapy is a hands-on profession, the amount of time spend on providing physical therapy care to patients is an important factor that accreditation groups and employers heavily gauge and evaluate as well.
Orthopedic Physical Therapy Salary
The salary of an orthopedic salary is mainly based on two factors namely geographical location and the level of expertise that a clinician possesses altogether. The basic salary for those who are still new to the profession is at $25 per hour. Regardless of treatment setting, this is most commonly the starting salary rate among orthopedic physical therapists. More years of specializing in orthopedic physical therapy means an increase in salary rates as well.
For instance, an orthopedic physical therapy practitioner can reel in $30 to $35 per hour with five years of experience under his belt.
Another factor that greatly affects the salary of orthopedic physical therapist is the geographical location. California, Washington D.C, and Texas are among the top cities that offer substantial hourly rate t physical therapists. A beginning professional earns $31 per hour in these states.
The salary range for orthopedic physical therapists is from $59,000 up to $90,000 per annum. In addition, those who excel in their practice are given administrative positions under the health care organization they’re working for.
