One Response to “What can chiropractors do that physical therapists cannot?”

1. mistify on June 26th, 2010 9:39 am
   

   It depends on state laws and semantics. You are correct that some states will not allow PTs to perform high velocity thrust mobilizaitons/manipulations/adjustments without documentation of specific certification or education. Most entry level PT programs do not cover this. Yet, I believe that nearly all states will allow it with the proper post-graduate education.

   DCs can perform and order diagnostic imaging. Only PTs in the military can do this. DCs can also provide nutritional counseling. This also, is not a part of a PTs educational background.

   DCs cannot perform or bill for physical therapy services in most states, unless they have become "rehab certified" (although honestly, what most DC schools consider the educational requirements for "rehab certification" is a joke)

   As a PT, myself, I agree that high velocity manipulation should not be performed by a PT without the proper residency and/or certification…but mostly in the cervical spine where the potential for injury is much greater. It would be nice to give PTs the power to order diagnostic imaging, but unfortunately, I don’t see this happening.

   Yet, I don’t think that the current DC educational paradigm should allow DCs to bill and treat under physical therapy CPT codes. Most DCs I know using "physical therapy techniques" are about 10 years behind in the data.

   While PTs and DCs do have a historically rocky relationship, there is a common ground there, and some PTs and DCs work together quite nicely.

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