Physical therapy will continue to be a growing field with an excellent career outlook due to a rise in sedentary lifestyles, an aging population, steady growth of employment and early specialization in sports. If we look into the future of physical therapy, we see high-tech advances, a focus on big data and an increase in revenue diversification. Innovations and technology will change the industry in numerous ways. Here is a sample of what to expect in physical therapy this year.

Physical therapy is a challenging profession. Lifting patients, managing an outpatient caseload, documenting functional progress, and meeting insurance regulations are just a few of the tasks expected from a physical therapist.

Are you a physical therapist who wants to advance in your career? Considering management or even branching out into a specialized field? You may be ready to accelerate, but the road ahead may not be clear.

The field of physical therapy is constantly evolving. Each day we learn more about the human body, and along with those discoveries comes new knowledge of our bodies’ mechanics, functionality and ability to heal. Working in physical therapy is an exciting area of medical practice, with the potential to lead to many more revolutionary breakthroughs in healthcare.

Physical therapists must be concerned with not only ending or limiting physical symptoms such as pain and motion issues, but also with the emotional pain, frustrations and depression that those symptoms foster. By using tools and techniques of cognitive and behavioral therapies, experienced physical therapists can help patients deal with behavioral challenges such as fearful anticipation, discouraging thoughts and negative emotions. This helps guide patients through physical therapy with a more positive mindset that wards off emotional suffering subsequent to physical pain and frustration.