Difference between Physical Therapist and Physiotherapist

kit3

Hi, Just wondering, what is the difference between a physical therapist and a physiotherapist ? Do they both diagnose problems and treat them. As a bit of background I woke on Sunday morning with what I thought was a pain in my lower back (not the slightest problem till then). Pain has now firmly established itself in my a**e and sometimes travels down the back of my leg as far a my knee. No problem in walking or standing but problems when sitting or especially when getting up from sitting.

**Not looking for medical advice** - just advice on which medic to see Thanks

RacoonQueen

kit3 wrote: »

Hi, Just wondering, what is the difference between a physical therapist and a physiotherapist ? Do they both diagnose problems and treat them. As a bit of background I woke on Sunday morning with what I thought was a pain in my lower back (not the slightest problem till then). Pain has now firmly established itself in my a**e and sometimes travels down the back of my leg as far a my knee. No problem in walking or standing but problems when sitting or especially when getting up from sitting.

**Not looking for medical advice** - just advice on which medic to see Thanks

Oh god this thread could get messy if certain people from the health sciences forum spot it.

Both will diagnose and treat musculoskeltal problems physical therapists are not trained to treat the amount of nervous system disorders that physios are trained to treat. There's numerous other differences but I doubt you care that much about that answer about what physios are trained to do that physical therapists aren't.

If I were you I'd opt for a physical therapist, a lot of people have had bad experiences with physio's in private practice.

kit3

Thanks for that - you're right - only want a steer on what direction to go in. Will leave it a day or two to see if it improves and then take it from there.

maloner

A doctor is the best option I think. I had similar sounding issues and had good success with physios and it turned out to be a disc bulge so I'd recommend either doctor or physio.

tendon

Physical therapist is the american equivalent of physiotherapist. The international body that represents Irish/english/australian etc physiotherapists is actually called the world federation of PHYSICAL THERAPISTS. Unfortunately in ireland the term physical therapist is not a protected title and can therefor be used by anyone. In Ireland someone calling themselves a physical therapist will not have a qualification which is recognised outside of ireland. As a result they could not for instance move to the states or canada and work as a physical therapist as you require a Physiotherapy degree to do that.

If you want a health professional that is a member of a world recognised professional body that leads the research in musculoskeletal and sports injuries then you need to see a Chartered physiotherapist. This drivel about physios in private practise been poor is a complete con job. You will easily find Chartered physios with internationally recognised degrees from the likes of UCD and Trinity and further specialised post graduate masters qualifications from sports physio/medicine faculties from the leading Australian universities which are the leaders in the field of musculoskeletal and sports physio/medicine. Only chartered physios could for instance apply for premier league football physio jobs as this is the recognised world standard and anything else is rightly considered substandard and inadequate in professional sport.

Best of luck with your injury

earlyevening

tendon wrote: »

Physical therapist is the american equivalent of physiotherapist. The international body that represents Irish/english/australian etc physiotherapists is actually called the world federation of PHYSICAL THERAPISTS. Unfortunately in ireland the term physical therapist is not a protected title and can therefor be used by anyone. In Ireland someone calling themselves a physical therapist will not have a qualification which is recognised outside of ireland. As a result they could not for instance move to the states or canada and work as a physical therapist as you require a Physiotherapy degree to do that.

If you want a health professional that is a member of a world recognised professional body that leads the research in musculoskeletal and sports injuries then you need to see a Chartered physiotherapist. This drivel about physios in private practise been poor is a complete con job. You will easily find Chartered physios with internationally recognised degrees from the likes of UCD and Trinity and further specialised post graduate masters qualifications from sports physio/medicine faculties from the leading Australian universities which are the leaders in the field of musculoskeletal and sports physio/medicine. Only chartered physios could for instance apply for premier league football physio jobs as this is the recognised world standard and anything else is rightly considered substandard and inadequate in professional sport.

Best of luck with your injury

Thats it in a nutshell. Physio is a 4 yr degree course, Phys Therpy seems to be a 2yr weekend thing.

Its like the dietician/nutritionist, medical professional/quack thing.

Krusty_Clown

When Paula Radcliffe suffers an injury, she doesn't reach for the Yellow Pages to find a therapist who is eligible to apply for a job in the Premiership, instead, like many of the world leading figures of sport, she travels to Ireland to see a physical therapist. My own experience (unlike some of the previous posters I am neither physical therapist not Physiotherapist) is that I have had really positive experiences with the former, and poor experiences with the latter. This is not down to the specific discipline, but rather down to the practitioner. My (unqualified) advice is to find someone who has a good reputation for dealing with your condition.

TheRoadRunner

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

My own experience (unlike some of the previous posters I am neither physical therapist not Physiotherapist) is that I have had really positive experiences with the former, and poor experiences with the latter. This is not down to the specific discipline, but rather down to the practitioner. My (unqualified) advice is to find someone who has a good reputation for dealing with your condition.

Totally agree.

What tendon has written is factually correct however for minor sports injuries I find physical therapists to be excellent*. In my experience they are much more hands on and are not as inclined to stick an electrode on your, pass some current through it and head off for 15 minutes :mad:

*I should say that I had visited a couple of physical therapists who were absolute charlatans so KC advice about finding a person with a good reputation is advisable.

earlyevening

I have to concede that I heard a guy on the radio the other day who was a physical therapist. He had recently written a book and was talking about it.
He had a lot of Ireland's top sports people as clients. There's a lot to do with one's ability to motivate to be successful.
I'd want to see the credentials though as well as looking at personality.

maloner

As I understand it a physical therapist is only focused on rehab of sports injuries, which in this forum is perfectly fine most of the time.

However if you don't have a sports injury a physical therapist, or a poor phyiso, might make things worse. In my case I presented to my trusty physio with what appeared like a tight hamstring. He wasn't sure about it and in due course figured it out to be a disc bulge in my back. I had no back pain or back problems at all. Standard hamstring stretches would have made my condition much worse as it would have put more stress on the nerves.

My own view is a physio generally has a broader knowledge of the body as whole and in my experience was able to figure out I didn't have a sports injury but rather a pretty serious back complaint that ultimately needed surgery.

I'm not a physio or physical therapist or a medic of any sort, but would recommend a good phyiso from my own experience.

Either way, get someone to look at your issue sooner rather than later.

nerraw1111

Basically there is no difference between excellent physical therapists and excellent physiotherapists. It’s absolutely pointless judging them based on their job title. Physios are better trained but in the world of sports injury that doesn’t count for much if they don’t specialise in the area.

But anyone can set themselves up as a physical therapist in Ireland and that has obvious pitfalls. I’d always go for a physiotherapist who is qualified in sport injuries.

However, if you ever have a serious brain injury or respiratory problems, ask for a physiotherapist as you’ll probably die if you get a physical therapist.

belcarra

maloner wrote: »

In my case I presented to my trusty physio with what appeared like a tight hamstring. He wasn't sure about it and in due course figured it out to be a disc bulge in my back. I had no back pain or back problems at all. Standard hamstring stretches would have made my condition much worse as it would have put more stress on the nerves.

My own view is a physio generally has a broader knowledge of the body as whole and in my experience was able to figure out I didn't have a sports injury but rather a pretty serious back complaint that ultimately needed surgery.

What about a chiropractor....?

maloner

belcarra wrote: »

What about a chiropractor....?

Maybe some reiki perhaps?

kit3

Thanks for the replies - didn't mean to stir up any controversy - genuinely had no idea what the difference was. Have received a good recommendation (from two people on here) for a physical therapist who is local to me - am happy with that. Injury seems to be settling down itself now so fingers crossed. Thanks

ccmp

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

When Paula Radcliffe suffers an injury, she doesn't reach for the Yellow Pages to find a therapist who is eligible to apply for a job in the Premiership, instead, like many of the world leading figures of sport, she travels to Ireland to see a physical therapist. My own experience (unlike some of the previous posters I am neither physical therapist not Physiotherapist) is that I have had really positive experiences with the former, and poor experiences with the latter. This is not down to the specific discipline, but rather down to the practitioner. My (unqualified) advice is to find someone who has a good reputation for dealing with your condition.

Agree totally. Again i am neither a therapist or a physio. All good experience with therapists , a lot of bad experience with physio's.

RacoonQueen

maloner wrote: »

Maybe some reiki perhaps?

I'm sure a few people swear by this - http://www.angelhealingcrystals.com/