In healthcare, having a comprehensive understanding of all available rehabilitation and treatment options is crucial for making informed decisions about your or your participant’s care. Two options that help to improve an individual’s quality of life and functional abilities are Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, but how do they differ?
In this blog, we will discuss the difference between Occupational therapy and Physiotherapy, assisting you in finding the most suitable treatment options for your needs.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy is a client-centred health profession that involves assessing what a person can do and any limitations they may have. It also involves understanding their goals and offering any advice or suggestions about how they can complete a task more safely and efficiently. Making these assessments, allows participants to find out what interests, hobbies or activities they may be interested in and find ways on how they can do it.
Benefits of Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapists work with participants who differ in age and ability, working to understand their specific needs and wants in life.
The benefits of Occupational therapy include:
- Improving participant’s independence
- Enhancing quality of life
- Injury rehabilitation
- Pain management
- Increase movement range
- Enhancing cognitive skills
- Building strength
- Improve visual skills
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy is a process of using physical techniques to help treat a person’s condition or injury. Physiotherapists can diagnose an array of different medical conditions that affect different parts of your body including bones, muscles, nerves and lungs.
How can a Physiotherapist help?
A physiotherapist can provide a range of different treatment options to help someone who has a medical condition or is injured.
They include:
- Massages to different parts of the body
- Heat treatments
- Manipulate joints
- Stretching muscles
- Providing exercise techniques
- Acupuncture and dry needling
- Providing assistive aids such as splints, casts or crutches
Benefits of Physiotherapy
The benefits of Physiotherapy include:
- Improvement of movement and function
- Reducing pain and stiffness
- Improving quality of life
- Rehabilitation
Conclusion
Occupational therapy involves finding ways to improve an individual’s ability to perform daily activities and hobbies whereas physiotherapy addresses physical impairments and promotes mobility and functional movement. The thing that physiotherapy and occupational share is that they both help to improve a person’s life.
If you someone or you know is living with a disability and needs support, get in touch today.
