Hopefully the next therapist will be better.
The fields of occupational therapy and physical therapy are often confused. While both roles provide essential hands-on rehabilitative work to help clients perform everyday tasks as independently as possible, each field takes a diverse approach in helping people get back to their usual way of life.
The main difference between occupational therapy and physical therapy is that OT focuses on improving a client’s ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) and PT focuses on improving a client’s ability to perform movement of the human body.
An occupational therapist treats the whole person.
For example, you recently broke your foot after playing basketball and can no longer participate in your Wednesday night pick up league. While recovering, you could meet with an OT to get to the root of why you look forward to playing each week. Is it the exercise that’s important? Is it engaging with the people on your team? Your OT will help you to accomplish your goal.
A physical therapist treats the patient’s actual impairment from a biomechanical perspective. Physical therapy tries to improve the impairment itself by increasing mobility, aligning bones and joints, or lessening pain.
They focus on preventing injuries and can help people avoid surgery or a long term-reliance on medications.
You love playing outdoors with your kids, but can’t anymore due to a herniated disc. Your physical therapist will work with you to create a specific treatment program that will speed up your recovery, including exercises and stretches that you can do at home.
https://otaonline.stkate.edu/blog/fields-occupational-therapy-and-physical-therapy-whats-difference/
you know, I have read that about occupational therapist and it certainly makes sense because of the name. But in having numerous wrist and arm injuries, how I find it works practically is that the occupational therapist work on upper extremities. It really has nothing to do with daily life stuff or adaptation. They just have extra training in hands and arms. Kind of like an MD hand specialist that have extra training above their orthopedic training. weird. When I called around and asked the therapy offices at the occupational therapist did, I was told they worked on hands and arms. So I’m not sure where the other varieties work at. Or why the name doesn’t make sense. Nevertheless I will just try a run-of-the-mill physical therapist and hope he knows something about upper extremity’s, particularly the wrist and forearm Previous injuries I have and how they interact with the elbow issues.