Physical therapists and exercise physiologists deliver services related to health care by treating patients with medical problems. The demands of their patients different, hence we experience key differences between the two professions.
Comparison – Physiotherapist versus Exercise Physiologist
Physical therapists receive higher salaries thus having expectations from their work than the exercise physiologists. Physiotherapists treat patients that are affected by an illness or are injured. They are sufficiently qualified to evaluate or diagnose the condition of the patient and use various strategies to treat the condition. The minimum educational requirement to get a job of a physiotherapist is a doctoral degree. On the other hand, exercise physiologists deal with people who have suffered from a disease; they plan the programs to exercise for improving the health of the patient. The minimum qualification of an exercise physiologist is a bachelor’s degree.
Similarities:
- Physiotherapists and exercise physiologists are related to the health domain.
- Both study the undergraduate course for a span of 4 years where they are taught similar subjects related to the nervous system.
- The people in both professions work to improve the mobility of a patient to help them live a better life.
Differences:
- Physiotherapists deal with patients having bone, muscle and neurological disorders. Exercise physiologists deal with patients with obesity, arthritis, etc.
- Physiotherapists help in healing the problems one after the other using techniques like mobilization, exercises, electrotherapy, and massage. Exercise physiologists help in treating the discomfort caused to patients by diagnosis; they treat the patients, suggest remedies and help in bringing changes to their lifestyle.
- Physiotherapists primarily deliver mobilization of soft tissues by means of dry needling, acupuncture, massage, and ultrasounds; they may also prescribe self-massage techniques.
- On the other hand, exercise physiologists deliver prescriptions and help us understand about trigger point therapy and self-massage techniques with the help of equipment such as trigger point balls and foam rollers.
- Physiotherapists help in diagnosis and prognosis of injuries; whereas, the exercise physiologists receive the details of injury diagnosis after which they deliver the rehabilitation prognosis.
- Physiotherapists specialize in the acute phase of an injury (time just after the injury); they can also deliver health monitoring and long-term rehabilitation. Exercise Physiologists specialize in providing lifestyle modification techniques and lifestyle education for supporting people with a chronic health conditions viz. cancer, mental health conditions, diabetes, cardiac-related conditions, respiratory conditions and helps in decreasing risk of the causes leading to morbidity; it also promotes wellness and helps in improving health.
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Responsibilities – Physiotherapist versus Exercise Physiologist
Both physiotherapists and exercise physiologists treat people having medical issues; We find them working in a medical office or a hospital environment. Physical therapists diagnose patients; they make use of exercise as well as some assistive devices for the treatment of their patients. The main objective of a physiotherapist is to help the patients to either gain or regain the motor functions and to manage pain. Whereas, exercise therapists help the patients in improving the physical health with the help of exercise. The exercise physiologists customize programs by focusing on the condition of the patients; the patients are helped to lose weight or improve mobility.
Physiotherapist:
The physiotherapists should possess a doctoral degree in physical therapy along with a license. Only a quarter of physiotherapists work in hospitals, most of them work in medical offices. Physiotherapists also work in nursing homes and also deliver medical care to patients by visiting their homes. The work hours can be different; they may have to work in the evenings’ shifts and sometimes also on weekends, depending on where they are working. Physiotherapists deal with patients suffering from pain and mobility issues.
The job responsibilities of a physiotherapist are to:
- To customize the treatment plan for the patient
- To document the progress of the patient
- To determine the cause of medical issues of the patient
- To teach exercises that help the patients with their condition
- To set targets in order to observe the patient’s progress
- To teach the patients to use equipment if needed (like a walker)
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Exercise Physiologist:
The exercise physiologists get a job as soon as they receive their bachelor’s degree. Most exercise physiologists are self-employed, and some work in medical offices or in hospitals. Exercise physiologists working in medical offices talk to physicians to discuss and opt for the best approach in treating the patients. The exercise physiologists work with patients who have suffered from diseases; they customize exercise plans for the patients to improve their health.
The job responsibilities of an exercise physiologist are:
- To assess the test results and related medical data
- To conduct tests on patients with the help of medical equipment
- To assess the effectiveness of the treatment
- To customize the exercise plan for patients
- To review the medical condition of the patient
- To help patients with their exercises
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