The History of Physical Therapy: From WWI to DPT

[0:00] Do you ever wonder why your PT — I wonder why my PT is laughing at me? Okay. All right. You always laugh. Do you ever wonder why your PT has more letters after their name than your lawyer? Today, we’re going to go back in time, like way back, and we’re going to uncover the roots of the PT profession, its evolution, and why you must now call me doctor. But you’re not a real doctor. You did — you just NARDed me? I just NARDed. You’ve been NARDed. NARDed.

[0:30] You just wait. You’re going to learn something today. NARD stands for “not a real doctor.” What happens when a chiropractor and a physical therapist get together to make a health and wellness podcast? But chiropractors and physical therapists don’t like each other. Oh, think again. I’m Dr. Kathy Lynch, physical therapist who likes to help people move and get stronger. I’m Dr. Jason Young, an evidence-based chiropractor who uses humor just as much as adjustments to help people get better. Welcome to the PTCH Podcast. Remember, there’s no I in PTCH. Okay, everybody. Welcome back to the

[1:00] PTCH Podcast, and man, this is going to be a good show. I’m excited for this one because I’ve done no preparation. This one is all you, Kathy Lynch. No, but today we’re going to be talking about the history of physical therapy, which I’ve talked to some people about. I, because first of all, we’re gaining quite a following, right? This is — this is all my patients want to talk about all day long. They’re like — I’m like, “Hey, should we get you on the table, get you adjusted there? Let’s

[1:31] talk PTCH Podcast for a while first.” So yeah, it’s really been great. So thank you everybody for your support, and hopefully you’ve been finding things of value here. But I ask people like, “What do you know about physical therapy and the history of it?” And they’re like, “The history? Haven’t there just always been physical therapists?” Always. And the answer is actually no, there hasn’t been. So today, Kathy is going to tell us a whole bunch of stuff about the history of physical therapy, and I’ve got some

[2:02] questions myself, and some viewpoints on where physical therapy should go and where we should grow. You like that? That’s a little bit of alliteration. It is. And at the APTA conference, we were wondering, can we get a chiropractor to tell us what to do? Yes. Here’s our chance. Well, the problem is they can’t afford me. So yeah, this is true. This is true. And the APTA, because it’ll come up — the APTA is the American Physical Therapy Association. All right. I did a little bit of homework. You did. And

[2:32] it didn’t start that way. No, no, no, no. We’re going way back. Tell us how it started. Let’s go. Okay. We’re going back. Get in your time machine. Okay. I don’t know why — is my time machine — it is. It is. It’s like you got to put your scuba gear. Yeah. Right. Because there’s no air in the past. I forgot. Yeah, that’s a long time ago. We don’t need air. Not back then. Not back then. Okay. Well, let’s first start. So in my research, the first thing I found was the quote-

[3:03] unquote father of physical therapy. His name was Per Henrik Ling. I’m sorry, what? Swedish. Swedish. Eyes on. Can I just read the Wikipedia post? Would you please? How does this — well, we want facts, and so absolutely, Wikipedia, take us to Wikipedia. Wikipedia, if you would like to be a sponsor of the PTCH Podcast, we love you, Wikipedia. Okay. So he’s

[3:33] considered the father of physical therapy in Sweden. Yeah. Although his procedures included friction, kneading, stroking, cupping, and clapping. We’re a family show, Kathy. Are you sure that you’re reading the — is that the right website? Yeah. Wikipedia: they were not related to what was later termed as Swedish massage. So I would really be interested in the clapping. I think it’s the clapping they do — not — I like the way you did it before.

[4:04] I think it’s clapping on the back. Oh, I’ve done that. It actually feels really good. Yeah. Does that work? You know, once upon a time, I actually wanted to be a massage therapist. I did. Yeah. But then, you know, I thought, well, I also want to support a family. And not saying that you can’t as a massage therapist, but it’s difficult, right? It’s hard on your body. It is hard on your body. And so I decided to go deep, deeper into debt and become a chiropractor instead, where I still got to use some massage skills,

[4:35] but I used to teach it to — massage. Oh, wow. I did pathology. So I can’t — I can get you sick, but like — yeah, that’s it. Anyway, but tell us more about — is his first name Purr? Is it Purr? How do you spell that? P-R — I’ve seen two different spellings: P-E-R and P-E-H-R. P-R-R — a cat. That’s right. Apparently he founded the Royal Central Institute of Gymnastics in the year 1813, for massage, manipulation, and exercise, which

[5:06] sounds exactly like what we do. Yes. Right. Pretty much. Yeah. That’s it. Yeah. That’s the history. It sounds like the kind of place where you might go and you check in to stay for like a month or something like that, and one of the activities is like you go out in the morning and you do squats on a lawn and it’s 30° outside. That sounds about right. Have you ever seen that movie — like Wellsville or whatever? Yeah. It’s like the Road to Wellsville. That’s it — like sanitariums and stuff

[5:37] like that. That’s what I picture with this. But yeah, obviously I don’t have much experience with physical therapy. No. Have you ever been — okay. Okay. All right. So that’s Per. Yeah. But that’s — but that’s so Swedish. That’s so sweet. That’s Swedish. Let’s talk about the USA. Let’s talk about the USA. USA. USA. So the mother of physical therapy was Mary McMillan. McMillan. Let me not mispronounce her name. This woman was an absolute trail-

[6:08] blazer. And so right around the time of World War I was really kind of when our profession was born. There are a couple of different times in history that really kind of created our profession. One was polio, and I’ll get into that later, okay? And then secondly was World War I, when people were kind of coming back from wars — they were living. Yeah. You know, we had medical care during World War I in which they would save people’s lives, but they would

[6:38] come back, you know, dismembered and injured. And so therefore they needed — which is kind of a new thing. Yeah. Right. Because I know, Civil War — yeah, you would get injured and the big radical, like revolutionary treatment was amputation. Yeah. Right. So you got shot. Well, we can cut that leg off and you’re not going to have a leg, but you’re going to be alive. Which, you know, before that it was just like, “Hey, brother, hang in there. Hang in there. Sorry for your — go with God, or go to God.” One of those two. But, yeah. Yeah. So,

[7:09] yeah, World War I did create a whole lot of need for rehabilitation. They — I think that’s the first war they’re really dealing with what they called shell shock. Yeah. But we call it PTSD. Yeah. Yep. Exactly. So, this is like the origin stories for physical therapy. It is like born from the ashes, born from tragedy, right? Polio and war, and here comes Mary McMillan. Mary, this absolute trailblazer. Yes. Tell us more. Yes. She

[7:41] was actually — she was a member of the United States Medical Corps and worked as the head reconstruction aid at Walter Reed General Hospital. And we give Mary the props for actually starting the first PT education course at Walter Reed Hospital. We think of Walter Reed as the first PT school. Okay. In a sense. Yeah. And she

[8:11] was actually sent over during World War II. She was a prisoner of war and held in the Philippines and China during World War II. Are you kidding me? Not kidding, dude. That’s kind of — that’s kind of bad. Like, here’s the thing: she still performed PT services. Yeah, she was a prisoner of war. That — yeah. She’s like, “Guard, I see that you’re limping. Stretch that calf.” What kind of accent is this? Yeah, she was

[8:41] American. She was American. Yes. This is the American accent in the early 1900s, right? “But let me help you mobilize that, right? And let me out.” But she was finally released — she was released in 1943, and that’s when she came back. They were tired of doing squats for her. They’re like, “Take her back. Please, this lady keeps making me do squats.” Yeah. We tried to take away her rubber bands, but she kept asking us to rate our pain

[9:12] on a scale of 1 to 10. We never knew what that was. We couldn’t do one more set of 10. She wouldn’t let me do eight. Yeah, I tried to even do 12. Instead, 10 — she made me do 10. So, as I mentioned, the other point in history was when the polio epidemic happened. Yes. And that started about 1916, and for those of us who don’t

[9:42] remember — because thankfully we have a polio vaccine right now — polio was an infectious viral disease that affected the nervous system and actually caused paralysis. A lot of people, with severe paralysis, would have to be in wheelchairs. So we don’t really know what polio can do to you because we have a polio vaccine right now. Yes. And it’s a good thing, you know. And so that was Jonas Salk who invented the polio vaccine. And you know what was weird is I was watching the

[10:13] Beavers play baseball against the University of Portland the other night, and a guy comes up to bat and his name is Jonas Salk. No. Yeah. And they’re like, “Hmm, is this guy related to him?” Turns out no. He’s not. But his parents saw the opportunity. They were like, “Our last name is Salk and we could name him Jonas.” And so they took the opportunity. Yeah. Crazy, right? He’s going to do some great things. Well, and have you ever treated a patient who had post-polio? Yeah. So, it’s good

[10:45] information and knowledge, but eventually we’ll probably just run out of people that had it. And so, we might be like the last generation of care providers that treat anybody who had polio. Yep. Post-polio. That’s cool. Yeah. It’s super cool. Yes. Let’s hope that continues. So that was kind of 1916. And that was another point in time when actually women started treating people with polio. So when the APA started, it was actually first called the American Women’s

[11:16] Physical Therapeutic Association. Okay. And at this time, most physical therapists — that’s not what they were called then, but — it was mostly women. Women. Yeah. It was a women’s profession. They were called reconstruction aids. Yes. Reconstruction aids, or RA. And I think that’s really pretty awesome. You know, find me another profession that’s like that. Maybe nursing. Nursing. Yeah. But yeah. So, good job, ladies, getting it done. That didn’t last very long. So, a year

[11:46] later, they actually changed the name because men wanted to become physical therapists. So they changed the name to American Physiotherapy Association. It lasted a year. The men came in and — yeah. They’re like, “We must change this name.” Yeah. “You obviously need us to explain to you how to do rehab. Let me explain this to you, please.” Right. And if you don’t know what mansplaining is, mansplaining is when a man explains to you things that you would already know, except that you’re a woman.

[12:18] So — and there goes the rest of our listeners. Everyone’s gone. No. And we’re back. Yeah. Yeah. So, did men ruin physical therapy? I’m going to say no. Okay. All right. Good. Finally. Yeah. I think that is a really cool and important part of the history — that it started with women, and there’s a ton of women that are still in it too, right? So let’s go, ladies. And another

[12:49] kind of boon for our profession — bad for him, kind of good for us — was FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, president of the United States, who was diagnosed with polio. And so he was seeking help, and he met Alice Plastridge, and she was a PT working in the field of polio, and she treated him in Warm Springs in Georgia. Okay. And so he would swim in the thermal spring and work with her, and found positive results with Warm

[13:20] Springs. And so — Warm Springs wasn’t the name of a place he was treating — she was treating him in Warm Springs. He was also — Warm Springs is the town, and it was a thermal spring water. Oh, okay. Yeah. So in 1926 he invested his own personal money to purchase that property, and the following year started the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation. It still exists today. No kidding. All right. Yeah. So again, good for our profession. Sorry for FDR. Yeah. Right. Well, I don’t know if you know this, Kathy, but

[13:51] He’s dead now. Oh, yeah. Things got worse. Yeah, they did. But, you know, I guess that was 100 years ago or something like that, so you would just expect that. But yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Little known fact about FDR: he’s now dead. Okay, let’s span on to 1965. I don’t know how to segue from that. Well, the information was accurate. I got it from Wikipedia. That was a fact. So, yeah. I did look it up before. Yeah. How was FDR today? Not well. He’s not doing good. He’s not —

[14:22] gone to be with the Lord. Okay. RIP. All right. ‘65. Yes. Another president made another impact on the profession. The Medicare and Medicaid programs were enacted. The enactment of the Medicare and Medicaid programs became law in 1965, which then made it federal funding for medical costs for older Americans and the disabled. Okay.

[14:52] So, you know, the people that actually need PT. Yes. So, we talked in a past episode about Medicare and Medicaid, and so what you’re saying is that it wasn’t all bad. It wasn’t all bad. Started off as an idea. Yeah, it is all bad. I mean, Medicare is a pretty good program to have. Well, and interestingly enough, Medicare is significant in terms of who gets recognized as a practitioner. So, if Medicare covers it, it gives you a level of legitimacy. And

[15:24] it sounds like that’s what it did for PT. Chiropractors were invited much later to the game. But that’s the thing — that’s one of the ways that, and I think we’ll get into this a little bit later, but that’s one of the ways that you are defined as a doctor or a physician is if Medicare recognizes you as such. Yes, this is true. Yeah. So millions of people gained access to health care that they hadn’t had in the past. And so this just dramatically increased the sector of people

[15:56] that were going to get care from PT. So, another boon for the profession. And in 1966, the first PTs went to Vietnam. Oh, wow. Yeah. Following Mary McMillan’s example. Exactly. Like special forces physical therapists. That’s right. They’re like, “Oh, capture us. We’re going to make you do burpees.” Yeah. They didn’t speak English. No. So they didn’t know that the burpees were coming. And that’s how the Americans won Vietnam. Did we? I’m pretty

[16:26] sure. Check Wikipedia. Pull it up real quick. So, the first PT on the scene was Medical Specialist Corps Colonel Barbara Gray, who was a 14-year vet. Another lady. Another lady, man. Yes. She volunteered to go over to assess staff and equipment needs, and her arrival marked the first time a PT and commissioned officer had been assigned deliberately to an active combat zone. Now, you know you’re tough

[16:56] as nails if you’re volunteering to go to Vietnam. Yep. Right. Like, there were so many people that were actively trying not to go there. But she’s like, “Sign me up. I will physical therapize everything there.” And that’s how we won. Yeah. And all about 47 PTs did tours of duty. Every one of them were volunteers. Oh, wow. Most were women, but there were three men in the group. Okay. Hey, good job, fellas. Good job. Yeah. Thanks

[17:27] for holding up the — these guys were real pioneers, let me tell you. They were trailblazers, too. Can we use the term trailblazers for these guys? I guess. Yeah. Yeah. For the men. Oh my goodness. Well, that’s awesome. This is a bunch of stuff I didn’t know. Yeah, I did my research. Physical therapists are heroes, basically is what you’re saying. I think Jack called us angels. I think he might have done that. Oh, Jack. Yes, Jack. I hope you’re still listening

[17:58] out there. Now playing with the Rice Owls. Yeah. Plot twist. Yeah. We’re like, “Oh yeah, Jack, go Beavers. Go Beavers.” He’s like, “Yeah, Beavers for life.” He never said that, but that’s the vibe that he was giving off. And now he’s with the Rice Owls, but still cheerful. We still love him. He’s got a degree from Oregon State University, so that’s all that matters. Count it. Definitely. All right. And then in the ’70s, the profession decided we needed to up our game. And actually, the first actual PhD program — oh —

[18:31] was born at NYU. Okay. Not what we know of now, which is their clinical doctorate, but the PhD program. Yeah. So there are some differences with these doctorate degrees. So a PhD is a Doctor of Philosophy. That’s right. Right. So you nerd about things. Yeah. They don’t actually do the thing. Yeah. You research and you read and you tell other people what to do. But then there’s your first professional degrees, which I think you’re getting to, which is like an MD or a DMD or DDS or all those other letters and stuff like that. So yeah. Cool. All right. So we had this PhD

[19:03] in physical therapy at NYU in the ’70s. Yep. Okay. They were trailblazers as well. NYU was. And that’s also when the Trailblazers won an NBA title. 1977. Yeah. Bill Walton. Rest in peace. He’s gone to be with FDR. He’s with FDR. They’re not doing well. No, neither of them. Or maybe they’re doing great. Who knows? They probably are doing pretty good. Exactly. I’m guessing both could probably use a good physical therapist. They both probably would. Walton had to

[19:34] go to PT. Absolutely. There’s no doubt about that. ‘74, the first PT department was established at an HBCU. Oh, really? Okay. 1974. Howard. Historically Black College —

Kathy: You got it.

— University. Yeah. Which one? Howard. Oh, you know, my daughter Riley was going to go to Howard. She got — well, she got accepted there. So, here’s the thing. Howard’s in Washington, DC, and it’s in a part of Washington, DC. Let’s put it that way.

[20:05] So, Riley graduated a year early and so she was like 16, 17 when she graduated, and we weren’t real excited about sending our teenager to Washington, DC to live. But the story of how she got accepted to Howard is actually pretty funny. She wrote the essay and everything, and there are a lot of really famous people that have gone to Howard. One of the people that they’re proudest of is Chadwick Boseman. Oh. Also known as King

[20:37] T’Challa, also known as the Black Panther. Right. Right. And so in her essay, Riley wrote about how she would play — you remember that game MASH, where you put down the names of people that you would marry and you live in a house and how many kids do you have? Yeah. And so she wrote about how she would play that game and how she was thrilled if Chadwick Boseman was who she married. And so they’re like, “Yep,

[21:08] you’re in. You’re in. That’s it.” What’s that? Oh, yeah. Chadwick Boseman. He’s up there chilling with Bill Walton, FDR. Right. What’s happening today? All these guys. Goodness gracious. Yeah. So, yeah. Rest in peace, Chadwick. And yeah. So they’re like, “Oh, she likes Chadwick Boseman. Sold.” Yeah. Get in here. All right. So that was the first college she got accepted. She decided to go to Oregon State to the Beavs. Yeah. Exactly. But anyway, that’s a huge tangent. That was. Let’s get back to the

[21:38] ladies of physical therapy. We’re back. We’re back. And we’re back. That was a break. So that was — 1974. Okay. 75. Believe it or not, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was passed. Yes. And that’s IDEA. Yep. Okay. All right. That’s the acronym. It sounded like they were fishing for an acronym. Yes. Okay. There you have it. And we found it. Good

[22:08] idea. Yep. All right. Which allowed students with disabilities to go into public schools, which then meant PTs were going to follow. Sweet. So PTs got into the public schools around 1975. You sneaky, sneaky physical therapist. I know. We’re with them. Don’t mind me behind the wheelchair. I’m just pushing the wheelchair. I’m going to stay. I’m carrying his crutches. Why are you carrying his crutches? Give the kid his crutches. Whatever. I’m helping him get

[22:39] better. This is physical therapy. You don’t know about it. It’s new. Oh, okay. Okay. Okay. Let me have kind of like a break before anything life-changing happens. I think this is why we start to — But let’s be fair, physical therapy was changing lives all along the way. This is true. Right. Sure. And it gained steam because — like all this — I mean, cuz I know we’re like ticking off things on the timeline

[23:10] but all along the way, what were some of the things that physical therapists were doing? How were they changing lives? How were they changing healthcare along the way? Mhm. I think one of the things we changed with healthcare was — and maybe this isn’t so much true back in the 70s — but we got to spend time with our patients and put our hands on our patients too, to help them reach their goals. Yeah. Does that make — totally? Yeah, it totally makes sense.

[23:41] And I think you’re right on because there’s — well, and it changes, I think, some of the procedures that you have available, cuz — oh yeah, we can replace this part, but once we do it, it’s not like the surgeon’s going to show up and help you learn how to walk again. Right. Right. Exactly. And you were actually even limited with the success of some of those procedures, cuz — like, you know, they started repairing ACLs and stuff like that around this time. But if you repair an ACL but you don’t rehab it, you’re not going to get full function out of that. So all

[24:13] along the way, you know, PTs are kind of pushing the limits of how good medicine can be, right? So I think that’s awesome. Yeah. Do you want to be a PT? No. Oh, okay. No, I can’t go back to school again. I love my wife and I want to stay with her. So, you want to stay married. That’s the only reason though. I would love to go to PT school, but — Mandy, if you’re listening, I’m not even thinking about it. Yeah. I’m not even thinking about it. Not even a little

[24:43] bit. Not even a little bit. No. Howard? No. Howard? Howard? I heard it’s a good school. Yeah. Well, and actually speaking of schools, you know who’s getting ready to have their first cohort of physical therapy students kind of in this area — Oregon State University. Yes. The Cascade campus over in Bend. It’s very exciting. That’s pretty cool. I mean, yeah, it’s — I think especially in this area, it can — it’s a huge

[25:13] addition because a lot of in-state students can go there and pay in-state tuition. Yes. Yes. Which — important question. Can you get a physical therapy degree of any kind at the University of Oregon? No, you cannot. Thankfully, you cannot. Thankfully, right, no Ducks. Okay. Anyway, I’ve interrupted you enough. Go ahead. Okay. So, this comes to the part where you have to call me doctor now. Oh, yes.

[25:44] Yes. Okay. Yes. Yeah. So, in ‘93 was the first DPT degree awarded. So, DPT is doctor of physical — Doctor of physical therapy, and it’s a clinical doctorate. Yes. And so, why did we make it a doctorate? That’s a great question. To keep up with chiropractors who were doctors all along. Part of it — part of it was — and the other part of it of course had to do with money. Yes. Right. Mhm. So our

[26:15] profession wanted to obviously be seen as autonomous. Yes. And not to be somebody that the physicians were just going to tell, “This is what you’re going to do and this is how you’re going to do it.” We wanted autonomy in our profession and so we felt like we need to elevate that. And the common misconception is people still think that if I want to see a physical therapist, I have to ask my doctor first. That’s right. And it’s not true. And people think that you have to go to the PT that they send you to. Yes. You do not have to wait months to see a PT that your

[26:46] doctor told you to see. Yeah. I know. And — you can go anywhere you want. I send people to you all the time. All the time. And I’m like, “Yeah, I want you to go see Kathy over at Encore Physical Therapy.” And they do a really great job. Hey guys, I think this is the first time in the history of the podcast that I got the name of a business right. You did. That’s right. Scott’s really happy. Now you don’t have to black me out. This is great. Yes. Yes. Hang on. I’m going to Cinematic Solutions. Oh, dang it. You got it. So, yeah. But then they sit

[27:18] there and they look at me like they’re waiting for the referral. And I’m like, no, you don’t need a referral. Do you want a business card? I can give you a business card. You call them up and you make an appointment. Yeah. So, that’s huge though. It’s huge. Yeah. So that’s why — that was one of the bigger reasons our profession went to the doctorate. It was — we wanted direct access and we wanted insurance to allow people to come see us without getting a referral, cuz a referral is stupid. Honestly, it is. It’s kind of like, “Here, I give you permission to go.” Right.

[27:48] Yeah. But at the same time, in order to kind of unlock that access, you need the doctorate. Yeah. Because before the doctorate it was master’s level education — still high level — yeah, and so the extra stuff that comes with the doctorate level is things like case management, dealing with complex cases, there’s more evaluation, diagnosis, emphasis on evidence-based care, so that really — a doctor of physical therapy

[28:18] is a complete and well-rounded healthcare provider. Exactly. Yeah, they — you know, insurance companies wanted to — I mean, I don’t know how the — what happened in negotiations, but if we were at a doctorate level, we’re able to see the red flags and say, like, are you appropriate for physical therapy or not, or do you need to go to the ER right now? You know, and so that’s what the doctorate degree took us up to that level, so that yes, we don’t kill people.

[28:49] Jason: Yeah, you can triage. You can — the term is, you become a portal of entry provider. So, and really, so here’s — here’s where I’m going to get on my soapbox. I’m worried about this.

Kathy: I want to hear this.

Jason: So chiropractors have had that right for a long time. And we get the nerd treatment all the time, especially on social media. People are like, “Oh, you’re not a real doctor. You’re a chiropractor.” And you know, then I — I am a chiropractor, and I’m a

[29:19] doctor, and it’s just a different type of doctor. So you go back and forth about that, which, you know, some people they really get heated about that. I don’t care, because the thing that says who is and isn’t a doctor — it’s not your college or your university or anything like that. It’s your state. Yeah. Your state law determines who is and isn’t a doctor. So if you don’t think chiropractors should be doctors, get the legislation passed, right? And cool, I’ll move somewhere else. But yeah, so the state legislation says who can and

[29:51] cannot use the title “doctor” in relation to healthcare, right? And so along with that comes the responsibility to also obtain and maintain a license. So for example, if I were to lose my license or not renew my license, I can’t run around calling myself Dr. Young in this state, because calling myself Dr. Young, first of all, implies that I have a license and that I have the education — everything like that. Now, the requirement is that I

[30:21] have to identify what kind of doctor I am. So if I’m going to call myself Dr. Young, I have to say, “Dr. Young, I’m a chiropractor.” In Oregon, I can call myself a chiropractic physician. In Oregon, chiropractors are also considered physicians. Not the case in every state, but in every single state, chiropractors are doctors. Now, in every single state, physical therapists are also doctors. We’re kind of in a transitional phase where you have some who have gone through that doctorate education, some who haven’t — but every PT school now, you’re

[30:51] getting a DPT, right? And so that’s a great thing. And what should happen is physical therapists need to do what you do, which is start calling themselves “doctor” right now. And people say, “What do you do? What’s your job?” Tell them, “I’m a doctor. I’m a physical therapist.” And I think that that’s really, really important, because — first of all, it’s clout chasing. Is that what they call it? Right.

Kathy: You get the clout.

Jason: Clout chasing, but

[31:22] it’s not just about being like, “Oh, look at me, I’m cool.” It’s important for the public to understand, because you’re nobody’s servant, right? You don’t work for doctors, and you are a full and complete healthcare provider. Now, you’re not doing surgeries, you’re not giving the polio vaccine, but you have your scope of practice. You have your area of focus and you’re an expert in it. And so I think physical therapists can and should use that title

[31:52] “doctor.” And I think that it’s okay in your clinical space to call yourself, you know, Dr. Kathy or Dr. Lynch or whatever it is. And I want to see more physical therapists do that. The other thing that it does is — not just to patients, but when you’re looking at referral partners. So, do you have a lot of medical doctors that treat you like a doctor?

Kathy: I have — I have some that — yes. Very respectful. Yeah. And then you also have some that are looking at you like you’re just a physical therapist. Yes. And it’s

[32:23] like, oh, okay. Well, no, but you’ve earned that title, right? Yes.

Jason: And I remember years and years ago I had a phone conversation with a medical doctor and I was like, “Yeah, this is Dr. Young.” He said, “Oh yeah, what’s your first name?” And I said, “Jason.” He’s like, “Okay, I’m going to call you Jason.” I’m like, “Okay, what’s your first name?” Yeah. He’s like, “Well, you can call me Dr. So-and-so.” I was like, “Oh, I see what you’re doing.”

Kathy: Wow. Yeah.

Jason: And it was like, okay, just trying to one-up me.

[32:54] Kathy: Yeah. It was — it was really pretty lame.

Jason: But I think that — I really — all this is to say, in a very long way, I hope in the future more physical therapists are calling themselves “doctor” and telling people, “I am a doctor. I’m a doctor of physical therapy.” Now, what is excessive is this “PT, DPT” thing. It is a lot.

Kathy: Yeah. And then the ones that get residencies and get certifications — I mean, they have them

[33:25] stacked up behind their name, and clout chasing — no.

Jason: No. Yeah. But there are so many letters that you could put after a name, and I just think the most important letters are just the ones with your training, right? Let people know, and then it’s just up to you to show them the rest of it. Right. I can show you the — no, I’m not going to break into song. I can show you the world. Okay.

Kathy: And I’m happy. Okay.

Jason: All right. Yes. We got a lot of comments about me needing to sing less in podcast

[33:56] episodes. Okay. All right. So really, I’m just going to wrap up and say that the last real part of the timeline in the PT world is — you kind of already mentioned it — now, all entry-level PT programs are DPTs, and that became fact in 2016.

Kathy: Yeah. So you cannot get a master’s in PT anymore. You have to get your doctorate, which is great. That’s so good. This is good for everybody. I mean, she would be so proud,

[34:26] right? And Mary McMillan, and like GI Barbara. Yes. Yeah. And you know, maybe FDR would still be alive if he was dealing with DPTs.

Jason: That’s right. Maybe that’s what happened. A DPT could have saved his life. Maybe we should have him on the podcast.

Kathy: Let’s — okay, we’ll effort for that. Let’s — I’m going to get our booker to get him on.

Jason: All right. Hey, you want to play a game?

Kathy: Yeah, let’s go.

Jason: Okay, let’s play a game. Let’s see — what did I call this game? Now, I’m calling this game the

[34:57] pain scale. All right. So doctors are always asking patients to rate their symptoms on this annoying scale of 1 to 10. Insurance companies make us do it.

Kathy: Yes, they do.

Jason: I don’t care what the number is. Right. So today we’re going to play a game where we will be asked to rate something based on a number that we’re going to draw. Okay?

Kathy: Okay.

Jason: And we’ll try to answer in a way that will help the other person to know what number we have. Okay. For example, if the situation is that I want to take a

[35:28] supplement that will help me build muscle, and if I draw a 10, I might answer protein powder with creatine and steroids in it, right? Because that’s a 10. That’s a 10 out of 10. And if I get like a two, it might be L-carnitine with like a dash of whey protein, right? So we’re trying to see if we can get the other person to guess. Does that make sense? All right. So I got a few situations here. I’m going to draw a number. You’re going to draw a number. So there’s your number. Here’s mine. Okay. All right. So here’s the first situation. How should I eat if I want to

[36:00] lose weight? How should you eat if you want to lose weight? Yes. Now you’re trying to give an answer that’s going to match this number. Okay. Pizza, beer, hamburgers, French fries. Okay. Yeah. I’m going to say, geez, if I want to lose weight — that’s according to what I have. Yes, that’s according to what you have. So according to what I have, I think that what you should do is you should take probably three cheat days a

[36:32] week. And otherwise you should be eating pretty clean, like salads, proteins, and stuff like that. Three cheat days should probably be good. Okay. So I’m going to guess that you’re a one. You’re correct. Okay, good. You’ve got to be like a three. No, I was a seven. What? Three cheat days — I was trying to give it to you by percentages, right? All right. Anyway, throw that one in there. Lose any weight with three. All right. Here we go. What do you recommend to become a better weightlifter?

[37:02] Oh, I’ll go first. Okay. And remember, these numbers are now eliminated. So you definitely shouldn’t go to Helix, right? Yeah. Don’t go there. Stay as far as you can from a fine gym like Helix. So yeah, don’t lift weights or anything. Don’t do it. Okay. And then — you want me to say — yeah. So in order to gain muscle —

Kathy: Mm-hmm.

[37:32] you should work out like once a week. Okay. For a month. Once a week for a month. Okay. I’m going to guess that you’re a four. Wow. Yeah. All right, good. So you have to be a two. I am a two. All right. Yes. Good. Okay. Here we go. There’s one for you, one for me. What is a great way to get better sleep at night? I’m going to say have a coffee about 7 o’clock at night.

[38:04] Okay. I think — well, it’s important to put on your comfortable jammies, right? Make sure you go to bed at a decent hour. And maybe you just spend a little bit of time on your phone, but not too much. Okay. Got you. Are you a five? No, I’m an eight. Okay. And you’re going to be a three then. All right. Good. All right. Now it’s a matter of math. Okay. Now this is going to be our last one. Okay. Here we go. What’s a great way to find a physical

[38:36] therapist in my town? Call Dr. Jason Young’s office and he’ll tell you the best. No. All right. What’s the best way? Google it. Just Google. Okay. I’m going to say that — well, a personal recommendation is really helpful. A referral from your doctor, but you don’t need one. You don’t need one, right? And you can look at somebody whose values align with

[39:07] yours. All right. Yeah, you sound like a nine or 10. I am a nine. Very good. Google — I’m going to go five. Yep. All right. Woo! We did it. Okay. Good. All right. So key takeaways from today, Kathy. The key takeaways — the profession that we see now was founded by women. Yes. Developed by women, enhanced by men, explained by men —

Kathy: Explained by men,

[39:38] enhanced by men. All right. But has — you know, I think you said it best — kind of changed the way people recover and recuperate from surgeries and injuries. Yeah, I love it. I feel like both of the things that we do are really about quality of life, and that’s an exciting thing to be in. So

[40:08] hopefully everybody learned a lot. I know I did. This was really helpful to me. Thank you, Kathy. Maybe I’ll refer somebody to you now. I don’t know. One or two. Yeah, just one or two. No. But thank you for joining. Oh, geez. Thank you for joining us for another episode of the PTCH Podcast. Remember to do all the things like liking, subscribing, and you know what I think would really be great? It would be great if we got some comments, because we’ve been hearing a lot of things that people want to hear about in a

[40:38] podcast, and so we have some of those coming up. We have some exciting guests, y’all. And in addition, if you wouldn’t mind taking a second and rating the podcast, that’s helpful for us — unless you want to do four or lower. Okay, so in that case, yeah, never listen to us again. We promise we’ll get better. But yeah, I think that’s about it. And we’ll see you all next time. But there’s one more thing to say, and that is that there’s no “I” in PTCH.

[41:12]