Physical Therapy Massage

When a person sustains an injury, a physical therapy regimen is often prescribed by the doctor as part of the patient’s treatment and recovery. Many people think of physical therapy as some type of gentle, guided exercise to strengthen a tired body—and it often is-but when it comes to rejuvenating tissues and muscle, physical therapy massage is a great additional way to achieve optimal results.

A healthy person can benefit from and relax with a massage because the therapist will work to knead out the knots, but for someone who has been injured, even a gentle touch can lead to excruciating pain. That is why a licensed physical therapist, one who has earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree in physical therapy, should be the only person to work with clients who need help to get back on the mend.

While massage therapists have a good understanding of anatomy and physiology, it almost goes without saying that a physical therapist has an even greater understanding of the way the body works, and what to do when it isn’t working well. Think of a physical therapist as the health care equivalent to a car mechanic—you need a skilled professional tinkering with your car’s engine and various parts, and it’s the same with a physical therapist when it comes to doing all the right things when it comes to working with injured patients.

Physical therapists go to college for a degree, but many take classes in massage or even become licensed massage therapists as well. The combination of the two fields into physical therapy massage can result in quite the lucrative career, especially since doctors prescribe physical therapy for a host of ailments and injuries—one does not have to be a professional athlete in order to undergo physical therapy.

While massage therapy might be more for relaxation, physical therapy massage is a gentle way of rejuvenating the body and returning it to the healthier state it enjoyed before injury or disease.