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| + | The job of a <strong>physical therapy assistant</strong> is to assist a senior physical therapist during the course of a physical therapy treatment to patients. Physical therapy assistants have to follow different instructions of the physical therapist and act accordingly. Among other things, physical therapy assistants help the senior therapist to treat patients for conditions including injuries of neck and back, sprains or fractures, multiple sclerosis, sports injuries, amputations, arthritis, birth defects, stroke and other conditions. The physical therapy assistant is in charge of collecting information related to the patient's condition before, during and after the physical therapy treatment.<br /><br />Physical therapy is one of the fastest growing and increasingly popular fields in the healthcare industry. Physical therapy involves the usage of physical movements and exercises to increase body strength, freedom and range of motion, utility of the body and patient training in the use of mobility aids and devices. <br /><br />Patients with physical disabilities who can't perform day to day actions with the freedom of non disabled people need help in the form of physical therapy to help them get better. A [[http://www.physicaltherapyassistant.info/|pta]] helps the senior therapist in the treatment by prepping the treatment area and managing clerical tasks to reduce the burden on the physical therapist.<br /><br /><a href='http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapist-assistants-and-aides.htm'>Physical therapy assistants</a> and aides have a lot of opportunities for employment across the world. The advances in medicine and science have resulted in longer life spans for a large percentage of the population. As people grow older, treatments like physical therapy and consequently requirements for physical therapists and their aides will increase exponentially. The changing demographics and lifestyles mean that the demand for physical therapy assistants is only likely to grow with time.<br /><br />The physical therapist might use different treatments for different patients and depending on the treatment being used, the <em>physical therapy assistant</em> would be required to perform different tasks. A particular patient might need to perform physical exercises or undergo muscle manipulation or hydrotherapy to regain normal body movement for which the assistant will have to help the senior therapist during the course of the treatment. <br /><br />The <u>physical therapy assistant</u> typically has to carefully follow instructions from the therapist while helping the patient. Physical therapy assistants commonly perform clerical tasks in the office like filling up paperwork for patients, taking calls on behalf of the physical therapist and setting up appointments. This requires the physical therapy assistant to be skilled in a number of tasks apart from the therapy ones.<br /><br />There are many very good [[http://www.physicaltherapyassistant.info/|physical therapy assistant training courses]] which can help you start your career as a physical therapy assistant. | ||