Who Should I See For Treatment?

Your Road to Recovery...Who Should You See for Treatment?

A commonly asked question I receive is what’s the difference between a Physical Therapist and a Chiropractor? What about an Athletic Trainer? Should I see an Orthopedic Doctor? If you’ve asked these questions, then this blog is for you!

The truth is, there is a lot of overlap between the skills, training, and experiences of other healthcare professionals including Physical Therapists (PTs) and Chiropractors. So, to provide some clarity, we will describe the key differences between 4x healthcare providers.

Please note, this is not a comprehensive list of all healthcare professions, nor are we telling you that one provider is better than the other. Each profession and individual provider have their own skills.

The goal of any healthcare provider is to ensure that you return to your daily lifestyle without pain or limited function. To do so, you must find someone with the right skills and personality to handle your injuries. Here are four providers you may choose from:

Physical Therapists - A focus on improving movement and function throughout the body. Physical therapists use manual therapy, exercises, stretches, massages, and modalities to improve movement. You may benefit from PT if you have pain that limits your daily (work or recreational) activities or had surgery and are not moving well. A physical therapist will also help you prevent injury risk by teaching various exercises and techniques.

Chiropractors - A focus on the alignment of the spine and other joints in the body to improve joint function. They use a variety of manual therapy techniques (joint manipulations or “adjustments”), exercise, and modalities to treat pain and dysfunction. You may benefit from a chiropractor if you have an acute spinal problem that is limiting your movement. They can assess your condition and provide a spinal adjustment to help you move and feel better. Some chiropractors can also treat injuries to the extremities, like shoulder pain or hip pain.

Athletic Trainers – A focus on treating and preventing injuries in athletes of all ages. They are usually on the sideline of a team sporting event and the first on the scene during an injury. They are highly involved in the short-term recovery of athletes during the athletic season. This is usually appropriate for student-athletes.

Orthopedic Physician - A focus on treating anything involving the bones, muscles, ligaments, or joints. They will perform surgery if it is needed to repair a broken bone, insert an artificial joint (knee or hip replacement), or repair a torn ligament or muscle. They provide non-surgical treatments such as injections or medications. Visiting Orthopedics usually occurs after you’ve done some rehabilitation.

We trust that this list offered you a clearer perspective on the numerous providers out there. Should you require any further guidance, feel free to contact us—we're here to assist you!

Thanks for reading!