PT and OT are both rehabilitation disciplines focused on improving a patient’s function and quality of life. Despite this shared goal, they are distinct professions with different scopes, objectives, and therapeutic approaches. Understanding the separate focus of each discipline is important when seeking rehabilitative care following an injury, illness, or surgery. Physical therapists aim to restore the body’s ability to move, while occupational therapists focus on the ability to perform life’s daily activities.
Physical Therapy: Restoring Movement and Physical Function
Physical therapy focuses on optimizing the body’s ability to move, addressing limitations in strength, mobility, balance, and range of motion. The goal is to reduce pain and restore physical function after an impairment, injury, or disease. PT interventions specifically target the underlying physical deficit, such as weakness in a muscle group or stiffness in a joint.
Interventions often include therapeutic exercises, such as targeted strength training and stretching, to improve muscle performance and flexibility. Physical therapists improve gross motor skills, which involve the coordinated use of large muscle groups for activities like walking, running, and climbing stairs. Manual therapy techniques, including joint mobilization and soft tissue massage, are also employed to alleviate pain and restore proper biomechanics. The focus remains on the structural and mechanical recovery of the body.
Occupational Therapy: Enhancing Participation in Daily Life
Occupational therapy helps patients achieve independence and satisfaction in all areas of their life, referred to as their “occupations.” This includes activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing, dressing, grooming, and self-feeding. OT also addresses instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), which are complex tasks like driving, cooking, managing finances, and working.
Interventions focus on adapting the task or the environment to enable participation, rather than fixing the physical impairment itself. An occupational therapist recommends and trains a patient to use adaptive equipment, such as specialized utensils or dressing aids, to overcome physical limitations. They enhance fine motor skills—the coordination of small muscles in the hands and fingers—necessary for tasks like writing, buttoning, and manipulating small objects. OT also considers cognitive, sensory, and emotional factors that affect a person’s ability to perform routine tasks.
Key Differences in Treatment Approach and Patient Goals
The fundamental difference between the two disciplines lies in their treatment target. Physical therapy treats the impairment to improve the body’s physical capacity for movement, aiming for recovery of the body part or system. For example, a physical therapist strengthens a patient’s hip muscles after a fracture so the patient can walk with a proper gait.
Occupational therapy treats the task or the interaction between the person and their environment, aiming for functional independence. Using the same example, the occupational therapist teaches the patient how to put on their pants and socks despite the hip weakness, perhaps by using a long-handled reacher or dressing from a seated position. PT helps a patient achieve the ability to walk, while OT helps the patient walk to the kitchen, safely open the refrigerator, and prepare a meal. The PT goal is physical recovery and pain reduction, while the OT goal is to maximize the ability to engage in meaningful daily roles.