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Physical Therapy Advantages And Disadvantages

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There are many roles that a physical therapist must assume outside of providing satisfactory physical therapy to patients including: educator, confidant, and even friend. Another major duty a therapist must master is determining if each patient/client is a suitable candidate for physical therapy1. This includes being able to identity if a patient’s major concern is truly a musculoskeletal problem that a physical therapist can help or if it systemic, in which the patient may need further screening by a medical doctor. Many diseases can present themselves as a musculoskeletal or neuromuscular problem, when in fact the disease is systemic. One example of this includes liver disease presenting as right shoulder pain or pancreatitis presenting as left shoulder pain; however, there are many other instances of a systemic problem manifesting as a musculoskeletal problem. It is vital of a physical therapist to be able to differentiate between the signs and symptoms of a medical disease or a neuromuscular/musculoskeletal dysfunction. Mississippi has not yet gained direct access; however, I know there is a big push for direct access in Mississippi and I believe this will become active soon. This is all the more reason, especially for us as students, to really place emphasis on learning how to address a problem as specifically as possible knowing when to treat, treat and refer, or refer. Many organizational charts and maps are available to help therapists guide a patient

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