Although the fields of occupational therapy and physical therapy serve different roles in health care, there is a lot of crossover between the two.
- Overall purpose. PT and OT both aim to improve your overall functioning, quality of life, and knowledge about how to maintain your health and well-being.
- Conditions. There’s considerable overlap with the health conditions for which both therapies may be recommended.
- Design. Both types of therapy provide hands-on care that’s tailored to the patient’s specific needs.
- Tasks. There can be some overlap in the tasks performed. For example, occupational therapists may also teach stretches or exercises. Physical therapists may work on movements to help with daily activities, such as getting in and out of the tub.
- Goals and monitoring. Both types of therapy set goals and assess your progress as you work to achieve them.
In some cases, patients may start with a physical therapist and progress to an occupational therapist. For example, someone recovering from a severe stroke might work with a physical therapist to build back muscle strength. Later on, that person would see an occupational therapist to practice basic skills the stroke may have impaired such as, bathing, dressing, eating and walking.
