What is Physical Therapy?

I looked up the definition of Physical Therapy from the Merriam-Webster dictionary and found this; "therapy for the preservation, enhancement, or restoration of movement and physical function impaired or threatened by disability, injury, or disease that utilizes therapeutic exercise, physical modalities (as massage and electrotherapy), assistive devices, and patient education and training."

It sounds good, sure we do all those things, but the term is so lacking in depth of what a Physical Therapist does everyday.  I also seem to cringe when I read the word "massage" in a definition for Physical Therapy.  Not that I'm against massage, but we are capable of, and do, so much more.  

Many people are unfamiliar of what those capabilities are and also what to expect from Physical Therapy.  That is why I am writing the Physical Therapist Viewpoint.  I hope to give some some pertinent insights into what you might expect from your Physical Therapy visit, be it post-surgical, for an injury, relating to a disability, or you need to see a PT for some other musculoskeletal problem.  

Physical Therapists' perform a variety of functions when it relates to movement disorders or impairments.  A PT assesses your condition and decides the best course of treatment to educate, train, and restore any lost function and does so through many different techniques which are wide and varied.  If there is a particular topic you would like addressed about PT, just let me know.