Physical Therapy: The Real Poop

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Physical Therapy The Real Poop Physical therapy supposedly has been around since the ancient Greeks, with Hippocrates lionizing massage therapy and Hector, another Greek doc, pushing water therapy. Modern PT got a boost in the U.S., when a school opened in Washington, D.C. to use physical therapy techniques to help soldiers wounded in World War I. Polio outbreaks, beginning in the 1920s, impelled the expansion of physical therapy, eventually expanding from hospitals into outpatient clinics and further specialization. The goal of physical therapists is to jack up the strength and flexibility of patients who have reduced mobility because of an injury, illness or disability. This is a laudable goal for people who are in a "helping" profession.…show more content…
Sure, the lowest 10 percent of PTs earn less than $55,000 (which may be a huge sum if you live in Arkadelphia, Ark.), and the median wage barely clears the $75,000 mark. But the top 10 percent PTs earn more than $100,000. "More than" opens up the possibility of making thousands of dollars more. Set your sights high -- be a director of a clinic or the head PT of the physical therapy department of a hospital. Or perhaps you live in Los Angeles, and can get a lucky break, and soothe and massage the pain out of celebrities, who will pay you through the…show more content…
That's where it all starts for physical therapists. PTs must have a post-grad professional degree. No, not a PhD, but a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree awarded after the aspiring PT finishes a physical therapy program. (PTs could cut out sooner from academics and instead get a Masters of Physical Therapy, an MPT.) Doctoral programs usually span three years; Masters, two to three years. But get used to the science. Physical therapy programs cover toughies like biomechanics, neuroscience and pharmacology. Add to this coursework clinical rotations, where student PTs work in areas like acute care and orthopedic care -- under the watchful eye of an experienced

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