4 Reasons Why I Love Being a Physical Therapist

I decided to become a physical therapist a long time ago when I shadowed a local physical therapist for a week. During that week, I was able to see the wide variety of patients he was able to help and guide through their recovery. He saw young and old, athletic and deconditioned, and confident and anxious. This was when I realized the tremendous impact a physical therapist can have on a patient’s life. From there, I fully committed to becoming a physical therapist, and now I’m well into my sixth year of working as one for Athletico. Being that it’s National Physical Therapy Month, I sat down and reflected on the many reasons why I love my job.

1. Physical Therapists Help People

This statement is an oversimplification, but it’s highly accurate. Everyone I see in-clinic is looking for help and answers to their pain and loss of function. It’s my role to evaluate, educate, treat, and guide patients through the bumpy road of recovery and back to a high-quality life. Physical therapists get to see our patients from start to finish, from their lowest to their highest. We have the opportunity to challenge them and help them meet every goal we’ve set. It’s a gratifying feeling to see patients on their last day and know that you’ve been able to have a positive impact on their life.

2. Physical Therapists Can Specialize

There are a variety of areas physical therapists can specialize in. I found out very early in my career that I had a particular interest in treating the spine. Now I’m the Spine Specialty Regional Coordinator of my area in Wisconsin, and a large portion of my caseload are spine-related ailments. Athletico has many specialized programs that our physical therapists are members of, including our ACL3P, hip preservation, chronic pain, vestibular, pediatrics, and headache programs. Physical therapists are also members of programs specializing in athletics, such as our overhead athlete, gymnastics, golf, endurance, and performing arts programs.

3. Physical Therapists Need to Bring Their ‘A’ Game

Every day and every hour is different for a physical therapist. No patient is the same as the rest, and we need to adapt our treatment to that patient. Our patients vary in the complexity of their condition or injury, and a physical therapist needs to determine what is or isn’t appropriate for their patients.
There are no actual protocols that will lead patients to full recovery, and we need to bring our best effort every session to help our patients in the best way possible.

4. Physical Therapists Are Movement Specialists

A physical therapist’s job is to get their patients moving. We have spent a massive amount of time in school, in-clinic, and in training assessing how people move and identifying problems in their movement patterns. We’re capable of seeing how different body parts move and work together and how dysfunction in one area can cause problems in another. When I’m seeing someone for knee pain, which may impact their walking or running, you can guarantee that I’ll be looking at their foot, ankle, hip, and spine to see how the movements in those areas affect the knee.

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The Athletico blog is an educational resource written by Athletico employees. Athletico bloggers are licensed professionals who abide by the code of ethics outlined by their respective professional associations. The content published in blog posts represents the opinion of the individual author based on their expertise and experience. The content provided in this blog is for informational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied on for making personal health decisions.