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Physical therapists and massage therapists provide services for people who rehabilitate after some injuries or illnesses.
They may even use the same office spaces and referrals however, there are lots of differences between those specialists.
Article Table of Contents
Physical Therapy Training and Practice
Physical therapy is more related to medical models and aspects.
In fact, physical therapists have higher education that is related to body systems and their in-depth study.
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Usually, these specialists need to have a doctoral degree in the USA, while in Canada a master’s degree is required.
Physical therapists perform a large number of practices than massage therapists.
While they can perform medical massage, physical therapists also perform a number of services that aren’t available for massage therapists.
It may include such options as assessing the physical function or selecting assistive devices to resolve mobility issues.
Massage therapists sometimes can make diagnoses but their abilities are smaller than of medical doctors.
Speaking of physical therapists, they can create complex treatment plans.
One other point is that it is usually physical therapy assistants who perform the most part of routine treatments.
Massage Therapy Training and Practice
Massage therapists usually have post-secondary education but they don’t need to have a degree.
Usually, they need to have continuing education if they want to acquire various specialized skills.
You need to know that some classes can be very short but others can include hundreds of hours of training.
Later, these specialists weren’t considered healthcare providers but recently they gained popularity and became widely recognized in the healthcare sphere.
They can even provide prescribed services.
For example, according to the Premera Blue Cross, the ‘dose’ of massage can be an effective treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee when it is applied for 60 minutes once a week.
While most states don’t require massage therapists to have a degree, it can be a great option for those who want to work in medical settings.
There are numerous massage therapists who have prior medical experience but usually, most of them get employment in medical settings after completing a long-lasting education and training.
Working in healthcare settings, massage therapists need to have pretty specific skills and perform certain duties.
In fact, these specialists should be really mindful of the limitations of practices they can use.
For example, sport massage therapists usually work in rehabilitation centers while performing specific duties and working with other specialists.
Interdisciplinary Strengths
The point is that massage therapists aren’t professionals with a limited amount of practice.
Massage therapists need to be skillful in a whole variety of Eastern and Western practices, techniques, and philosophies.
They should be able to view the body in a holistic way.
Numerous healthcare professionals prefer holding multiple credentials including massage therapy.
Massage therapy credentials can be not the first one but they may decide they need to get some extra training in this sphere.