After a long week at work, your body can be tired and strained. Your muscles hurt, your back aches, and your feet cannot take another minute of you standing on them.
Because the weekend is short, you need to find the best way to help your body recover and heal. You should learn the difference between a physical therapist and a massage therapist to decide which form of treatment is best for the physical ailments from which you suffer.
The Basics of Physical Therapy
When it comes to discerning the difference between a physical therapist and a massage therapist, you can tell the two apart by learning what kind of roles they perform in their industries. A physical therapist is a healthcare provider who undergoes specialized medical training. He or she helps patients to recover from serious injuries and illnesses like broken bones, cancer, and strokes.
Physical therapists also work with people who suffer from minor yet painful ailments like pulled muscles, flat feet, and slipped discs in their backs. You can develop these injuries after performing stressful and repetitive movements at work. You can recover from them quickly, however, by undergoing treatment that is administered by a licensed physical therapist.
An Overview of Massage Therapy
Massage therapists are not typically classified as healthcare workers. Instead, they work in day spas, beauty salons, and other similar facilities.
Their primary role is to massage away tension, strain, and discomfort in people’s muscles, ligaments, and tendons. They undergo training in massage therapy at a vocational college before being certified to work in their state. If you suffer from tired feet, an aching lower back, strained shoulders, or headaches from work, you could feel better after a session with a massage therapist.
These two varieties of therapy can help people to recover from work stress and injuries. They differ in key ways but also share similarities.
