If you are wondering what physiotherapy is all about then this article is for you. Also, if you want to physical therapist and you’re looking for the Top 15 Best Physical Therapy Schools in Texas then this article is also for you.
Physical therapy is a career that can make positive changes in patients’ lives, hence, physiotherapy might be worth your time. There are lots of jobs within the field of physical therapy. In this article, we will talk about careers in physical therapy to help you make a great career choice.
You see babies who you think might not walk, but after going to see a physiotherapist they finally begin to walk. Adults also, after a serious leg, joint, or hand injury later gets healed. No, it’s not magic it’s a result of the help gotten from medical practitioners and physical therapists. Further in this article, we are going to talk more about physical therapists and their significance so, we advise you to read carefully.
Also Read: Are Physical Therapists Doctors?
What is Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy, also known as physiotherapy, is one of the medical professions. It is procured by physical therapists who maintain, promote, or restore health through physical diagnosis, prognosis, examination, patient education, rehabilitation, disease prevention, health promotion, and physical intervention. Physical therapists are known as physiotherapists in many countries.
In addition to clinical practice, other facets of physical therapist practice include research, consultation, education, and health administration. Physical therapy is given as a primary care treatment or alongside other medical services. In some parts of the world, such as the United Kingdom, physical therapists have the permission to prescribe medication.
Importance Of Physical Therapy
- Reduce or eliminate pain. Therapeutic exercises and therapy techniques such as soft tissue and joint mobilization or treatments such as taping, ultrasound, or electrical stimulation can help ease pain and restore joint and muscle function to reduce pain.
- Avoid surgery. If physical therapy helps you eradicate pain or heal from an injury, surgery may not be required. And even if surgery is needed, you may profit from pre-surgery physical therapy. If you are going into surgery in better shape, you will recover faster afterward in many cases.
- Improve mobility. If you’re having trouble walking, standing, or moving no matter your age—physical therapy can help. strengthening and Stretching exercises help replenish your ability to move. Physical therapists can properly fit individuals with crutches, a cane, or any other assistive device. By creating an individual care plan, whatever activity that is crucial to an individual’s life can be adapted and practiced to ensure maximum performance and safety.
- Recover from a stroke. It’s normal to lose some level of function and movement after a stroke. Physical therapy helps strengthen weakened parts of the body and improve speed and balance.
More important include;
- Recover from or prevent a sports injury. Physical therapists know that different sports can increase your risk for particular types of injuries. They can design appropriate prevention or recovery exercise programs for you, to ensure a safe come-back to your sport.
- Improve your balance and prevent falls. When you begin PT, you will get screened for fall risk. If you’re at very high risk for falls, therapists will give exercises that safely challenge your balance as a way to simulate real-life situations. Therapists also assist you with exercises to boost coordination and assistive devices to assist with safer walking.
- Manage diabetes and vascular conditions. exercise can help control blood sugar. Additionally, people with diabetes may have issues with sensations in their legs and feet. Physical therapists can help give and educate patients on foot care to prevent further issues down the road.
- Manage age-related issues. As individuals get older, they might develop arthritis or need a joint replacement. Physical therapists are professionals in helping patients heal from joint replacement, and manage arthritic conditions.
- Manage heart and lung disease. While patients may conduct cardiac rehabilitation after a heart attack, you also may adopt physical therapy if your daily functioning is affected.
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Types Of Physical Therapy
Below are the 6 major types of physical therapist
1. Neurological Physical Therapy
This type of physical therapy is centered on helping patients heal from neurological conditions. These neurological conditions may include stroke or Alzheimer’s’ disease. Recovery from the brain and spinal injuries also requires neurological physical therapy.
2. Occupational Physical Therapy
PT for physical work-related activities. Patients often get this therapy after work-related injuries but accidents.
Essentially, occupational PT teaches manual laborers the right way to lift objects. It’s a type of PT that teaches lifting with the knees and not the back.
3. Geriatric Physical Therapy
The older we get, the less flexible we become, and this can be a big problem. If you relate that with a few conditions and natural movements become extremely difficult for elderly people.
Geriatric PT is a type of therapy that addresses movement and mobility problems among the elderly. It includes lecturing on both natural mobility and movement problems and those from musculoskeletal conditions. Some of these conditions include arthritis, osteoporosis, and certain cancers.
4. Pediatric Physical Therapy
Pediatric physical therapy is seen as the opposite of geriatric physical therapy. That’s because while geriatric physical therapy concentrates on the elderly, pediatric physical therapy concentrates on infants.
This physical therapy is specialized for the growth and mobility of toddlers, infants, and adolescents. Pediatric physical therapy addresses issues that include:-
- Genetic Conditions
- Congenital disabilities
- Severe Injuries
- Trauma to the head
- Limb disabilities
Pediatric physical therapy is important for the growth of children into strong and healthy adults. Parents need to perceive these problems early on so they can handle them through pediatric physical therapy. If they don’t do so, then it could be presenting lots of problems for the children in the future.
5. Rehabilitative Physical Therapy
Rehabilitative physical therapy is a type of physical therapy that concentrates on the rehab of patients from these surgeries. The beginning this physical therapy starts while the patient is still in the clinic until the patient is released.
6. Hand Physical Therapy
The name hand physical therapy is somewhat deceptive. This is because it focuses more on the entire upper arm and not just the hand.
It’s PT for people who have wounded their arms or have arthritis. It involves simple hand exercises to help the hands regain their entire range of motion
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Is Physical Therapist A Good Career?
Below is a list of advantages of becoming a physical therapist: and reasons why it’s a good career
Helping people
Physical therapists cultivate relationships with their patients while assisting them to recover from wounds or other health conditions. You can assist people to reduce pain or regain mobility through physical therapy, making a significant difference in patients’ lives.
Ability to travel
Travel physical therapy enables you to get paid to see the world. This career option can also open you to different physical therapy locations and workplace cultures so you can learn even greater things about your career preferences.
Shorter education than doctors
With 7 years of education minimum to work as a physical therapist in the US, PTs can work in their preferred field much easier than doctors, who must finalize a residency in addition to 8 years of education.
Pay and benefits
The average basic salary for a PTs is $82,797 per year. Physical therapists can also get generous health care, vision, life insurance, dental, holiday, and vacation benefits.
Also Read: The Best Physical Therapy Schools in the US
Here Are the Top 15 Best Physical Therapy Schools in Texas
#1. Baylor University
Baylor teaches students the essential skills to meet the needs of practicing PT. The accelerated physical therapy program is distinctive in the field, enabling students to finish the curriculum in just two years. Using a combined learning approach, and hands-on laboratory sessions, professors teach students through online interactions and clinical education.
#2. Texas Woman’s University (Denton, TX)
At TWU, physical therapy students acquire knowledge from leaders in PT education and research. As one of the top schools nationwide, lecturers have spent many hours researching, practicing, and educating. Furthermore, several professors have received awards for their commitment to the industry.
#3. University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (Galveston, TX)
UTMB Galveston provides plenty of programs for students to wield their classroom knowledge in a hands-on setting. The Student Physical Therapy Association volunteers in the community to represent the PT profession. Students give necessary care while continuing their schooling outside of the classroom.
#4. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas, TX)
The 4th on our list of best physical therapy schools in Texas is located in Dallas. UT Southwestern Medical Center provides plenty of exciting opportunities for physical therapy students. The city is a center for health care innovation, business, and the arts. Students can take advantage of the excellent facilities on campus from the Parkland Memorial Hospital and the Aston Ambulatory Care Center.
#5. Texas State University (San Marcos, TX)
At Texas State University, physical therapy students have the chance to learn from faculty members who have made good contributions To the school. Professors work to make students their priority by giving support and care. The Barbara Melzer Endowed Professorship was built to recognize faculty members who further the culture of the program.
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#6. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (Lubbock, TX)
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center strives for excellence in education and service in the physical therapy profession. Based on surveys, the PT program was ranked 1st nationwide for three straight years. The physical therapy students are prepared to improve patients’ health by the method of clinical skills learned in the classroom.
#7. University of North Texas Health Science Center (Fort Worth, TX)
PT students at the University of North Texas Health Science Center get a well-rounded education in modern physical therapy. Along with a research-focused setting, the curriculum promotes healthcare for underserved populations. There are many vacancies for clinical internships at sites around the world, including in Malawi, Italy, and rural areas.
#8. University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (San Antonio, TX)
At UT San Antonio, physical therapy students complete about 1,355 hours of supervised clinical practice. These full-time clinical cooperations cover outpatient orthopedics, acute care, and neurological rehabilitation. professional ensures physical therapy students participate in a program rotation covering sectors like pediatrics and sports medicine.
#9. Hardin-Simmons University (Abilene, TX)
In 2020, 100% of Hardin-Simmons PT students were Associates of the American Physical Therapy Association. This milestone got the university a Reach100 platinum award and free access to the health certificate core courses.
#10. University of Texas at El Paso (El Paso, TX)
PT students studying at UT El Paso cultivate critical inquiry abilities, professional core values, and a community-centered mindset. This method prepares graduates to increase the good health of communities and advance the physical therapy profession.
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#11. Angelo State University
Angelo State University is the 11th on our list of best physical therapy schools in Texas. Founded in the year 1928 as San Angelo College. It gained university status and award in 1967 and graduate degrees in the year 1969, the same year it took on its recent name. The school provides about 50 undergraduate programs and 31 graduate programs.
#12. Army – Baylor University
This military physical therapy program is the Home of Military Medicine. The Army – Baylor University DPT program is delighted to be a one of the Army Medical Center of Excellence which shares the mission to create an active duty, commissioned physical therapist.
#13. University of the Incarnate Word
The University of the Incarnate Word is a Catholic university with a major campus in San Antonio and Alamo Heights, Texas. Founded in the year 1881 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.
#14. University of St Augustine for Health Sciences
Are you enthusiastic about helping people of all ages manage pain, recover from injuries, and restore their quality of life? Earn your Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at a school that has initiated PT education since the year 1979. At USAHS, we’re on a mission to develop excellent physical therapy practitioners to enter this growing space and impact patient lives positively.
#15. University of Mary-Hardin Baylor
The UMHB Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program strives to be recognized as the program of choice for individuals seeking to become effective, competent, and ethical physical therapists with a foundation based on Christian values and principles.
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Conclusion
Physical therapy is. Very lucrative career and you get to impact people’s health positively. If you are still wondering if physical therapy is a good profession, then that only means you didn’t read through this article properly. Physical therapy is an awesome career and you will be doing well by applying to one of the best physical therapy schools in texas.
We at Xscholarship are always here to serve you better and provide you with valid information.
FAQs on Best Physical Therapy Schools in Texas
If appropriate, physical therapy may begin as soon as a few days after the injury is sustained. For patients who delay physical therapy, their injuries and symptoms often become worse and may be more difficult and/or more expensive to treat.
Diagnosing movement dysfunction and developing a treatment plan. Teach patients how to properly use therapeutic exercise techniques. Providing stimulation or massage to promote healing. Assisting patients with the use of equipment such as wheelchairs or walkers.
The earliest documented origins of actual physical therapy as a professional group date back to Per Henrik Ling, “Father of Swedish Gymnastics,” who founded the Royal Central Institute of Gymnastics (RCIG) in 1813 for manipulation, and exercise.
Although the use of exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle is ancient in its origins, modern physical therapy appears to have originated in the 19th century with the promotion of massage and manual muscle therapy in Europe.
The Salk vaccine virtually eradicated poliomyelitis in the United States by 1961. The role of the physical therapist progressed increasingly in the 1950s from that of a technician to a professional practitioner.
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