Life happens. Injuries, illness…something will eventually befall you.
Odds are every person will need physical therapy at some point in their life, or at minimum will need to find a PT for someone close to them.
This decision can depend on what problem you are having. Just like medical doctors (MDs), a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) can practice specialties as well.
Odds are every person will need physical therapy at some point in their life, or at minimum will need to find a PT for someone close to them.
This decision can depend on what problem you are having. Just like medical doctors (MDs), a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) can practice specialties as well.
What is a DPT?
Physical therapy students must graduate from a Doctor of Physical Therapy program to achieve a DPT degree, then pass a board licensing exam (NPTE) to practice legally. Once practicing, a PT can decide to extend their studies with a specialty certification.
To be clear, not all PTs are DPTs. The change in curriculum from PT to DPT became official in 2005. Prior to that it was a master’s degree, or even bachelor’s degree if you go way back.
How do you know what type of PT you need?
To answer this question, let’s highlight the specialties to determine if you need a specialist.
There are currently 10 physical therapy specialties recognized by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and certified by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS).
- Cardiovascular and Pulmonary.
- Clinical Electrophysiology.
- Geriatrics.
- Neurology.
- Oncology.
- Orthopaedics.
- Pediatrics.
- Sports.
- Women’s Health.
- Wound Management.
Let’s break it down for further understanding.
Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Clinical Specialist (CCS)
These clinicians treat patients with heart and lung problems. Examples might be a person recovering from open heart surgery or following a heart attack.
People requiring assistance with managing breathing disorders, like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) would benefit from seeing a CCS PT.
Electrophysiologic Clinical Specialist (ECS)
An ECS PT uses electrotherapy to monitor, measure, evaluate and treat conditions related to muscle and nerve disorders, or compromised skin integrity (AKA wounds).
These therapists might help patients with nerve damage from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or stubborn wounds that are slow to heal. They are qualified to perform Electromyography (EMG) and Nerve Conduction Velocity (NCV) testing for diagnostic purposes.
Geriatric Clinical Specialist (GCS)
PTs with this certification specialize in, as you might have guessed, treating senior aged patients. Seniors have unique needs as they age, including declining balance, mobility, and strength, which can contribute to falls that lead to potentially serious injury.
Geriatric treatment focuses on degenerative muscle and bone problems, like Osteoarthritis (OA), or more involved neurological diseases like Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD).
Neurology Clinical Specialist (NCS)
NCS helps manage patients with neurologic disorders (nerve related), which could be degenerative like the above-mentioned PD, or traumatic like a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI).
These PTs see patients in a large age range; a football player with head trauma due to a concussion, a middle-aged stroke (CVA) patient, or a grandma with dementia.
Oncology Specialist
PTs that treat within this specialty are seeing patients with cancer currently or recovering from it. Cancer patients benefit from PT by improving musculoskeletal strength, increasing cardiovascular endurance, and treating other side effects like lymphedema. Physical therapy can also assist these patients mentally to refocus on function to regain their pre-illness lives.
Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist (OCS)
OCS is the most popular of all the specialties. These PTs treat musculoskeletal conditions and injuries, as well as provide post operative care for patients with issues like torn meniscus or rotator cuff.
Their case load might consist of a 65-year-old man with knee arthritis trying to avoid surgery, or a 30-year-old construction worker with a back strain who wants to return to work.
Pediatric Clinical Specialist (PCS)
Pediatric therapists are cut from a different cloth, so to speak. Their specialty requires expertise to treat children with significant conditions such as Cystic Fibrosis (CF), Cerebral Palsy (CP), Muscular Dystrophy (MD), and autism spectrum disorders.
They treat children from birth through teenage years utilizing creative play and a unique PT skill set specific to each case.
Sports Clinical Specialist (SCS)
A SCS PT is an expert in sports medicine, who treats athletes of all levels. Their care involves utilizing therapeutic methods for rehabilitation of injuries, teaching proper technique to improve performance for prevention of further injury.
From football and soccer to gymnastics or ballet, the goal is to return athletes to their chosen activities safely and ready to perform.
Women’s Health Clinical Specialist (WCS)
Women’s health, sometimes referred to as pelvic health, encompasses care through all ages and phases of the female body.
Management of prenatal and post-partum care, or incontinence, and even pelvic and low back pain may be treated by these therapists.
Finally, the last specialist currently recognized by the APTA…
Wound Management Specialist
This specialty is the newest certification offered and 2022 will be the first examination given.
A wound specialist manages skin care to promote healing of both superficial and deep wounds.
Patients like Diabetics and those poorly healing from traumatic injuries are patients that would likely be treated by this type of therapist.
Do You Need a Specialist?
It’s no small feat for a physical therapist aspiring to achieve any of these specialty certifications. They are required to have evidence of 2,000 hours of direct patient care in that specific area over a period of 10 years, with 500 of those hours occurring within 3 years.
Meeting the above criteria yields an expert PT, which is awesome for those dealing with significant deficits that may need an expert.
However, the average strain, sprain, poor posture, “I don’t know what I did” type person that should consult a physical therapist, does not usually need a specialist.
Most PTs and DPTs in outpatient clinics and hospitals, can successfully manage these folks with their experience and skills, the patient will recover and resume life. No problem.
Whatever the case, if your problem is exceptional and falls into one of the above categories you may want to seek out a specialist.
Final Thoughts
There are other avenues for PTs/DPTs to increase their knowledge and skill level postgraduate besides board certified specialties.
Continuing education courses offering programs that finish with certifications following hours of study both in person and via self-study are available and quite common.
These examples are some of the most common certifications one would find in a clinical setting. They require a varied amount of study and allow therapists to treat patients and diagnoses they prefer.
- COMT – Certification in Orthopedic Manual Therapy
- CSCS – Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
- CLT-LANA – Certified Lymphedema Therapist -Lymphedema Association of North America
- Vestibular Rehabilitation – for inner ear, balance, and dizziness disorders
The takeaway is that there is a physical therapist for every issue a person can have physically. So, if you find yourself in need of a therapist, modern physical therapy has you covered.
