A serious injury or illness can cause long-lasting effects, often impairing a patient's mobility or overall quality of life. Some make a full recovery on their own, slowly regaining strength and dexterity. Others require the help of a physiatrist or a physical therapist to restore or at least maintain their quality of life. The two professions are closely related, but quite different.
Physiatrists are the leading practitioners of physical medicine and rehabilitation. When patients lose their strength, dexterity or mobility because of an accident, illness or medical procedure, physiatrists evaluate their condition and create plans of treatment and rehabilitation. As a trained physician, the physiatrist understands the relationships between the body's musculoskeletal system and its nervous system and can devise an appropriate course of therapy. Physiatrists can also monitor the patient's overall health, adjusting the rehabilitation plan to allow for medical factors such as chronic pain, high blood pressure or risk of heart attack.
Physical therapists are responsible for executing and refining the patient's rehabilitation plan. They use a variety of equipment and exercises to strengthen their patients' musculature, improve flexibility and restore their dexterity. Therapists can target specialized groups of muscles through carefully selected exercises, compensating for weakened or impaired musculature or joints. In some cases the goal is to restore the patient to full function after an acute illness or injury. With chronic illnesses or the elderly, therapy can provide improved mobility and quality of life as well as a useful measure of exercise.
Similarities and Differences
Physical therapists and physiatrists share much of the same knowledge and training, but their roles are clearly differentiated. As doctors, physiatrists benefit from longer and deeper training in the human body and its functions. They're able to prescribe medications, and recognize other medical conditions that can potentially affect the patient's health. They're responsible for planning and overseeing the treatment, and collaborating as needed with the patient's other physicians and caregivers. The physical therapist is responsible for carrying out the physiatrist's planned course of therapy, providing emotional support as well as hands-on coaching.
Both physiatrists and physical therapists begin their careers with an undergraduate degree skewed heavily toward the sciences. Physical therapists go on to complete a three-year doctor of physical therapy degree, and must then pass a national licensing exam before they can be licensed by their state. Doctors of physical medicine spend four years in medical school, then one year in a general internship, and finally three more in a physical medicine residency. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected 39 percent job growth for physical therapists between 2010 and 2020, well above the average for all occupations. The Association of Academic Physiatrists reports a chronic shortage of both physiatrists and physiatry professors at medical schools, so prospects in this specialty should also be strong.
- American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: What Is a Physiatrist?
- American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: What Diseases Does a Physiatrist Treat?
- Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis: Physical Medicine
- American Medical Association: Health Care Careers Directory -- Physical Therapist
- Onward Healthcare: Is Physical Therapy a Good Career?
- American Physical Therapy Association: Who Are Physical Therapists?
- American Physical Therapy Association: Physical Therapist (PT) Careers Overview
- American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: How is a Physiatrist Different From a Physical Therapist?
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook -- Physical Therapists
- Association of Academic Physiatrists: About Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R)
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