When people think of physiotherapy jobs, most people will think of those on the sidelines of sports matches. However, there’s a lot more to physiotherapy than just these roles. In fact, it’s actually a very small percentage of physios that end up in these athletic roles. So, in this article, we’ll be looking at some of the specialities (outside of the world of sport) where a physiotherapy degree could take you. If you’re thinking of physiotherapy as a potential career, then hopefully this article can make you see some of the potential career paths you could take.
It’s important to remember, like a lot of other health careers, you’re not asked to specialise straight away. With most physiotherapy degrees in the UK offering plenty of opportunities to gain experience in many different fields of physiotherapy. Getting the chance to explore each of these different roles is vital to make sure you choose a specialisation within physiotherapy that you’re happy about.
If you love working with children, pediatric specialisation is a common route for many physiotherapists to take. Your main role will be to treat a variety of disorders that’s impeding a young person’s ability to grow as they should. You can be based both in hospitals or more in the community, even sometimes with specific schools.
At the other end of the spectrum, our joints, muscles, and everything in between can often start causing problems later on in life. Geriatric physiotherapy is utilised to help elderly patients deal with a changing body. Often through specific exercises and close supervision to work out a tailored physio plan one on one.
One of the most popular careers in this field is orthopedic physiotherapy. This type of physiotherapist would normally specialise in one specific area such as bones, muscles, or ligaments. You’d often be working with a wide variety of patients of any age. Often, there is an overlap between orthopedic and sports physios, which can make this role more appealing to those who might have originally been considering a career within sports physiotherapy.
This article only scratches the surface of the different roles in physiotherapy. Many of which need their own unique set of skills. Yet, a lot of these skills will overlap with one another, and there are opportunities as you progress in a certain career to diversify. With sports physiotherapy being such a small percentage of actual physiotherapy jobs, it’s good to have an overview of the alternatives.
