The infamous question! People always assume they are the same, granted they are fairly close, but vastly different. So what really is the difference?
Well for starters, Physical therapy is purely focused on strength after an injury. So, say an athlete tore their ACL (a pretty important ligament, in the knee, for an athlete). The physical therapist works on the person's leg strength and stability. Physical therapy it's usually the therapy that worries about if the patient will be back to normal health, these patients get back to what everyday life was prior to the injury.
So now that you know what physical therapy is I'm sure you think so what actually is occupational therapy?
Well nothing against physical therapy, but I think it's the one where people have the most fun... (But I could be biased because it's my major). Occupational therapists focus more on functional things. What does that mean? So, say for example a person had a stroke, has no feeling in their right arm, and they struggle to do everyday tasks (getting dressed, opening containers, driving), occupational therapy is where this person will learn how to re-do all these things.
The occupational therapist will re-teach the patient how to do all these things. Some injuries may be so severe that they require modification to normal activities, so the patient will get a grabber tool in order to pick. Things up or help to put their pants on, or the therapist will modify the persons shoes from laces to Velcro, there are endless modifications. But these are usually a last resort. The therapist will first try to reactivate the nerves in the problem area, and stretch out the patient so the muscles aren't so tight that they can't move. Occupational therapists work to help the patients do things on their own.
So I know I said physical therapy and occupational therapy are different, but what if I told you that they can also overlap? I know it is kind of confusing, but bear with me for a second. Let’s talk hand therapy for a little, this is something that that occupational therapists usually do, however, physical therapists can also treat a patient's hand. This is due to the fact that some of the exercises are things one might see in physical therapy. During hand therapy the therapist works to strengthen the forearm where all the muscles for the hand live, the therapist also works on reducing swelling in the hand and breaking up scar tissue. It is less likely to see a physical therapist treat a hand but still possible. Okay, so now that I explained it I hope it makes more sense.
