If you have ever had a bad injury, a broken bone, or back surgery, then you have probably need some type of physical therapy. After an injury where a part of the body was not used for an extended amount of time, the muscles become weak, and need to be strengthened, the process to improve the strength of these muscles is call physical therapy. Usually the patient begins physical therapy in the hospital, but will be required to go back for a period of time after being released. Physical therapy is usually made up of a series of exercises designed to strengthen the affected muscles and in some cases improve range of motion.

Occupational therapy, on the other hand, is used for people that have a mental or physical deficit; they may have either been born with the deficit, or developed it through a severe injury. The therapist main concern when conducting this type of therapy is to improve the patient’s ability to work or conduct a normal life.Occupational therapy may include learning to use a new type of devise that will aid the patient. Learning to live in a wheel chair, or use a walker is part of occupational therapy. Learning coping skills in order to be able to take care of your self is all a part of occupational therapy.

What Is The Difference Between Occupational And Physical Therapy

The best part of occupational therapy is that, the therapist can take, what could have been considered a tragedy and turn it into a positive. Most people that need occupational therapy have their lives changed to the point they can return to work, or just live on their own independently.

The similarities between occupational therapy and physical therapy are many, since they both involve seeing a therapist and working to improve a deficit. They involve working to improve the lives of the patients after a disabling injury.

The differences between occupational therapy and physical therapy are that physical therapy is usually for what is considered a temporary situation. After an injury that does not leave the patient permanently disabled, and there is a need for exercises in order for the patient to return to what they were able to do before the injury.

Occupational therapy is for patients that will have their deficit for their entire life. This therapy is designed to learn skills and coping devices in order for the patient to have a full life experience. Now, when you ask yourself what is the difference between occupational and physical therapy, you should know the answer

The role of an occupational therapist may be performed after an occupational or other injury, to prevent an injury that is occupationally related, to deal with an emotional or mental problem that may or may not be job related, and to work in schools with children that have an emotional, physical or mental handicap that could prevent them from becoming fully functional as an employee in later life.

The primary objective of an occupational therapist is to return a person to a normal level of physical, mental, or emotional competency so that they may resume their normal occupational activities. In the case of permanent disability where the person cannot resume their normal job function the disabled person is trained or retrained in a job that they can perform with the particular handicap they have experienced.

An occupational therapist is usually employed by a hospital or clinic that specializes in occupational therapy. Their employer refers the injured person to the hospital or clinic. The injured person undergoes a series of testing that is specific to their injury and a plan of rehabilitation is developed that takes into consideration the limits of the injured person’s future abilities to perform their job or another job.

In many cases, companies employ an occupational therapist directly. The primary objective in this role is the prevention of job related injury to the fullest extent possible. When a person is injured on the job, the treatment and rehabilitation program usually occur at the job site. This function is usually regarded as a benefit to the company and the employee.

An occupational therapist may deal with permanent disability patients, the elderly, children who have physical, mental, or emotional problems, and injured workers. The variety of work a therapist does is all designed to redevelop or to develop basic life, work, and living skills that are needed by the patient. The primary objective is to develop a treatment plan that allows the person to become as fully functional as possible despite the limitations imposed on them by injury, health, or disease.

What is an occupational therapist?

To sum it up, an occupational therapist is a highly skilled professional that must be trained in physical therapy, mental therapy, emotional therapy, and in some instances industrial accident prevention. The primary role is to access the extent of the injury or illness, access the limits the injury or illness imposes on a person’s ability to function in life or work, and to develop a customized workable plan of therapy that restores the injured person to as much normal function as is possible. Next time you ask yourself what is an occupational therapist, you can refer to this link to answer your question.