Physical Therapy or Chiropractic Care? It is difficult to mention one without the other coming to mind or being brought up. Often times this question is accompanied by strong opinions on both sides and rarely results in an agreed upon conclusion by either party. Across the globe this seems to consistently be the ultimate rivalry in the world of health care. But why? Are they that similar? Does having one eliminate the need to have the other? Can they not coexist and work together to benefit those seeking rehabilitative services? These are some of the main points I hope to cover in this brief article to help shed some insight into the roles of each of these professions in the world of health care.
In attempting to define either of these professions, one will come across different associations and statements regarding the vision/mission of physical therapy and chiropractic care. There also seems to be a fair amount of crossover in what these two professions claim as their purpose of practice and aim in providing care. At their root, I do believe that physical therapists and chiropractors share a mission in restoring physical function, but fundamentally they differ in their approach in accomplishing this. Below are the best vision/mission statements I could find highlighting the basic principles of each of these professions.
The physical therapy profession is committed to transforming society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience. Physical therapists pursue excellence in a professional scope of practice that includes optimizing physical function, health, quality of life, and well-being across the lifespan, and they work to improve population health in the communities where they practice. The physical therapy profession promotes the movement system as the foundation for optimizing movement to improve the health of society. The movement system is the integration of body systems that generate and maintain movement at all levels of bodily function. - APTA Standards of Practice for Physical Therapy.
Chiropractic care utilizes the inherent recuperative powers of the body for the restoration and maintenance of health through the normalization of the relationship between the spinal musculoskeletal structures and the nervous system. The ART of chiropractic pertains to the skill and judgement required for the detection, location, analysis, control, reduction, and correction of primarily the vertebral subluxation complex. The SCIENCE of chiropractic deals with the relationship between the articulations of the skeleton and the nervous system, and the role of this relationship in the restoration and maintenance of health. - ICA Policy Statement on The Practice of Chiropractic.
These statements seem to clearly define the differences in philosophy between the two entities. Simply put, physical therapy aims to "optimize movement" through addressing the "movement system" while chiropractic care aims to restore and maintain health by focusing on the "relationship between the spinal musculoskeletal structures and the nervous system".
Both approaches have extensive research and evidence supporting the efficacy, justifying their application in the health care field. This is not to argue how one approach is superior to the other, but rather to shed light on how physical therapist and chiropractors could work along side each other for the betterment of the individual's they treat. For truly optimal physical function, I believe the body requires both restoring the movement system as well as the relationship between the musculoskeletal and nervous systems.
Many physical therapist and chiropractors alike claim to, and to a certain degree do, effectively implement both of these approaches in their treatment of clients/patients. Additionally, both fields include training courses in both skills through fully accredited programs, often times providing professional certifications deeming the clinician as a specialist. I strongly believe that a physical therapist or chiropractor should not confine themselves to the "box" of their corresponding profession's philosophy, as this only limits their effectiveness in treating their clients. However, it is my opinion that the standard clinician who attends cross-skill development courses are typically not as specialized in the alternate approach as the licensed individual of the corresponding field. This is not to say that a chiropractor cannot dedicate their post-educational development to learning the skill of training the movement system and become just as knowledgeable and effective, or vice versa. It's just that the majority of chiropractors and physical therapist tend to focus on further development in the skillset they initially pursued in becoming the clinician they are, and thus become experts in that field.
All of this is to highlight what I believe to be the optimal approach in treating clients and fully restoring their physical function. In working along side each other, physical therapists and chiropractors can essentially provide "the best of both worlds" to each individual through truly specialized care in both areas. This not only benefits the clients they see, but also develops a symbiotic relationship between the two entities, expanding the business of both practices. Instead of putting physical therapist and chiropractors at odds with each other, lets find ways to promote the other and build relationships that benefits everyone involved.
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