Physical Therapy has traditionally been based on the biomedical theory of health care. That is, its focus is on injuries, diseases, and disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system. Put another way, it looks at how the nervous system, muscles and bones work together to enable us to move and perform daily tasks. This represents a broad scope of practice: physical therapists can and do treat symptoms arising from a wide range of conditions, from traumatic injuries (eg: a sports injury, a fall, stroke, or heart attack) to surgical recovery (eg: joint replacement) to chronic conditions (eg: arthritis, chronic pain) to diseases and disorders arising from genetic or lifespan conditions (eg: developmental delays, deconditioning, or Parkinson’s disease). There are many conditions that a physical therapist can help you with, and some will specialize in treating certain types of conditions.
However, traditional physical therapy is often only involved in the physical aspect of a person’s health, and then only on specific aspects of the physical body. Physical therapists are, through their training, aware of other aspects of a person’s health, however limit the focus of their practice to just those that fall within the neuromusculoskeletal system. The reasons for this can vary; for example, some may choose to do so to comply with the requirements of insurance providers, others may work as part of a multidisciplinary team and therefore only focus on what is consider their role in the team, while for others it may just be a personal choice. They can still be very skilled and effective physical therapists, however this view tends to limit their view of health to the physical aspect, and thus not take into account other non-physical factors that may be contributing to a patient’s health and wellness.
Integrative physical therapy is more based on the biopsychosocial theory of health. That is, looking not just at physical (biological) factors, but also how psychological and social factors contribute to a person’s health. To do this requires an expanded view of health and wellness. Integrative physical therapy is grounded in traditional Western medical (ie: biomedical) models, however it integrates other theories and models of health and wellness into its paradigm in order to take a more holisitic or “whole person” approach to providing care.
This does not mean that the integrative physical therapist will treat everything; they still must operate within their training and scope of practice. However, it does enable them to move beyond just treating symptoms and identify the underlying issues which are contributing to dysfunction and ill health, and assist people put an appropriate plan into action to address these issues as part of their overall treatment plan. In some cases the therapist will be able to do this directly, in others they may need to refer to another appropriate provider with the expertise to address these issues. This can help people achieve far better outcomes and optimize their health by:
