Breaking Down Barriers

Last week, the Los Angeles Dodgers made news by hiring Sue Falsone, MS, PT, ATC, CSCS, as the first female physical therapist in Major League Baseball. The hire highlighted the increasing trend of professional sports teams bringing in their own physical therapists.

In the past, injured athletes would be sent to independent physical therapy practices for rehabilitation. Teams would have unwritten agreements with certain providers to send players exclusively to that particularly facility for rehab, so some may see hiring a team PT as simply the next logical step.

From a professional standpoint, this can only be seen as a positive. Each sector of society that accepts and embraces physical therapy as an essential part of its organization is another important step towards professional autonomy. The fact that athletes comprise such a large portion of rehab patients makes this particular victory all the more vital, while the hiring of a female therapist emphasizes the importance of equality in the workplace and the availability of these jobs to all rehab professionals, regardless of gender.

What are some other areas of society that could benefit from the inclusion of physical therapy?