What is Occupational Therapy?

On the surface, occupational therapy may seem a lot like physical therapy. Like physical therapy, occupational therapy focuses on helping individuals to rehabilitate from certain injuries and disorders, thereby reducing pain and improving their quality of life. The biggest difference between the two is that occupational therapy focuses more on improving your ability to perform activities of daily living, whereas physical therapy is more about improving movement in a specific area.

About Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy can greatly differ from patient to patient due to the fact that "activities of daily living" are quite broad. The following are just some examples of how occupational therapy can be provided:

     ●     Occupational therapy can help children with disabilities that affect their cognitive, physical and/or motor skills to participate in school activities and in social situations more successfully.

     ●     Occupational therapy can help individuals who have been injured to not only heal properly but to help them recover from that injury and return to the physical activity that they were participating in before that injury occurred. For example, if you broke your foot playing soccer, occupational therapy can not only help you recover but also help you return to playing soccer.

One thing to keep in mind is that occupational therapists don't just focus on the affected part of the body the way physical therapists generally do. Occupational therapy is more of a holistic approach that includes rehabilitation, wellness promotion, and prevention.

The Occupational Therapy Process

Because occupational therapy covers a wide variety of treatments, the process of occupational therapy begins with an evaluation of the patient to determine what their goals are. It's during this stage that the therapist identified what activities of daily living the patient is having trouble with and what conditions or injuries are causing them to have trouble with it.

The therapist will create a customized plan to help improve the patient's ability to perform activities of daily living and to meet their unique goals. As the plan is enacted, the patient will be continually evaluated to ensure that they are making progress towards their goal. Whether the plan revolves around rehabilitation or general improvement, the therapist will also provide general wellness advice.

Occupational therapy can help to improve your ability to perform activities of daily living, thereby improving your quality of life. To schedule an appointment with one of our occupational therapists, contact us at Advanced Motion Therapeutic today.