Is Physical Medicine and Physical Therapy the Same?

Physical therapy is an integral part of medical therapy and is used in all its periods and stages. This is a multifaceted process of restoring a person’s health and reintegrating him into work and social life. Naturally, physical medicine and physical therapy should be considered in unity and interrelation.

What Is Physical Medicine?

Physical medicine is a direction in medical science aimed at restoring health, functional state, and ability to work, disturbed by diseases, injuries, or physical, chemical, and social factors. The purpose of rehabilitation is the effective and early return of sick and disabled people to everyday and labor processes, to society; restoration of personal properties of a person.

The first and main direction of physical medicine is the restoration of the patient’s health through the complex use of various means aimed at maximizing the restoration of disturbed physiological functions of the body. And if this cannot be achieved, the development of compensatory and replacement devices (functions).

Young man in casual office shirt having hip pain (Focus on hips)

What Is Physical Therapy?

Physical therapy is one of the methods of treatment and rehabilitation with the help of special physical exercises and correct breathing. Treatment is based on one of the main functions of the body — movement.

Physical therapy is an integral part of medical and social and labor rehabilitation, using the means and methods of physical culture, massage, and physical factors. In physical therapy, special tests are used to examine the patient, and evidence-based rehabilitation methods, selected individually, are used to restore lost functions. Physical therapy can help you prevent loss of mobility and movement by developing a personalized rehabilitation program and wellness plan to suit your needs.

What Is the Difference?

Physical medicine and physical therapy both use exercises at their core, but there is a huge difference between the two. The main difference is that physical medicine uses a problem-oriented approach, in which the doctor determines the cause of motor dysfunction, and physical therapy is directly a set of measures that are necessary to solve problems.

Physical therapy is a branch of physical medicine. It corrects disorders and contributes to the improvement of mobility, function, and quality of life through examination, diagnosis, prognosis, and physical intervention (therapy using mechanical force and movement). This is carried out with the help of physical therapists. It is based on the formation of the necessary motor skills.

Physical medicine is evidence-based, so it uses approaches that have been proven to be effective in high-quality research. This allows not to waste the patient’s time and money on interventions whose effectiveness is unproven or harmful. In physiotherapy, special tests are used to examine the patient, and evidence-based rehabilitation methods, selected individually, are used to restore lost functions.

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