Skip to main content
Your lens

Physical therapist

Physical therapists restore and maintain movement and function across the lifespan, through exercise, manual therapy and education.

PTState license24 of 24 topics covered

What it is

A general description of the work. Scope, which is set in law, is covered topic by topic below.

Commonly works on

  • Musculoskeletal injury and pain
  • Post-surgical rehabilitation
  • Neurological rehabilitation
  • Balance and falls

Typical settings

  • Outpatient clinics
  • Hospitals
  • Home health
  • Schools and sport

Physical therapy in the United States grew out of the reconstruction aides who treated wounded soldiers in World War I. The American Physical Therapy Association traces its founding to 1921, when it began as the American Women's Physical Therapeutic Association with Mary McMillan as its first president.

Physical therapists examine, diagnose and treat people of all ages, from newborns to the end of life, for injuries, disabilities and other health conditions. The therapist examines each patient, sets a treatment plan to improve movement, manage pain, restore function and prevent disability, and either carries it out or directs a physical therapist assistant to, adjusting the plan as care goes on. They work in hospitals, outpatient clinics, homes, schools, sports and fitness facilities, workplaces and nursing homes.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy is now the only professional degree that accredited programs confer. Programs typically last three years, with about 77 percent of the curriculum in classroom and lab study and 23 percent in clinical education, including an average of 22 weeks in the final clinical experience. One accreditor, CAPTE, is recognized to accredit physical therapist programs and accredits more than 300 of them.

Graduates must pass the national licensure examination administered through the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy and meet their state's requirements, which can include a jurisprudence exam. Every state now allows some form of direct access to a physical therapist without a referral, though limits differ, and the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact lets licensees practice in other member states.

Updated October 11, 2026

Sources

  1. APTA History apta.org (official site), American Physical Therapy Association
  2. 100 Milestones of Physical Therapy: APTA Centennial timeline.apta.org (official site), American Physical Therapy Association
  3. Becoming a Physical Therapist apta.org (official site), American Physical Therapy Association
  4. About CAPTE capteonline.org (official site), Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education
  5. Candidate Services fsbpt.org (official site), Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy

A general description of the profession. It does not say what you may do under your license; for that, see the scope statuses below and your state board.

How it is regulated

The national layer. States add their own requirements, and the state board has the final word.

State license

A license from a state board is what authorizes practice. Each state sets its own requirements, and a national exam, where there is one, is a step toward the license rather than a substitute for it. There is no national license.

Credential
PT
Regulation
State license
Program accreditor
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) capteonline.org (official site)
Entry exam
Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) fsbpt.org (official site)
Typical time to qualify
Around 7 years from starting undergraduate study

Licensure

State-licensed everywhere. FSBPT writes the examination and certifies continuing education activities through ProCert; it does not issue licenses and does not set an hours requirement.

PT Compact

Operational

Operational and issuing privileges. The most mature compact in these professions, covering physical therapists and physical therapist assistants.

Sources retrieved 2026-07-28 · About our sources

Scope at a glance

The national picture for physical therapists, topic by topic. Your state can differ; each topic page says how to check.

  • Spinal manipulationManual therapy
    Varies by stateThe national model act and many physical therapy laws include thrust manipulation, but some states restrict spinal manipulation by physical therapists. Washington requires a separate endorsement, West Virginia and Tennessee require extensive added training, Florida bars specific chiropractic spinal manipulation, and Arkansas's act excludes it.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Joint mobilizationManual therapy
    Within scopeJoint mobilization is a standard physical therapy intervention named in practice acts and the national model act.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilizationManual therapy
    Within scopeInstrument-assisted soft tissue work is generally treated as a form of manual therapy within physical therapy.Updated October 10, 2026
  • CuppingManual therapy
    Within scopeCupping is generally treated as a physical therapy technique for therapists trained to use it, though few practice acts name it.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Dry needlingNeedling
    Varies by stateMost states allow physical therapists to dry needle, often with extra training rules, but a few states bar it and some laws say nothing.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Ordering diagnostic imagingImaging and diagnostics
    Varies by stateWhether a physical therapist may order imaging depends on the state: some states expressly allow it, sometimes only for X-rays, a few rule it out, and many practice acts say nothing, leaving it to the state board's reading.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Therapeutic exerciseExercise
    Within scopeTherapeutic exercise is a core physical therapy intervention named in practice acts.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Blood flow restriction trainingExercise
    Within scopeBlood flow restriction training is generally treated as part of physical therapist practice, with the expectation that the therapist has specific training in it.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Sport-related concussionSport
    Varies by statePhysical therapists commonly treat concussion symptoms, but only some states' youth sports laws let a physical therapist give written return-to-play clearance.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Kinesiology tapingSport
    Within scopeTaping is part of entry-level physical therapist practice, though most practice acts cover it only through general wording about supportive devices.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Electrical stimulationModalities
    Within scopeElectrical stimulation is a standard part of physical therapy practice under state practice acts.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Therapeutic ultrasoundModalities
    Within scopeTherapeutic ultrasound is a standard physical agent within physical therapy practice.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Vestibular rehabilitationExercise
    Within scopeVestibular rehabilitation, including repositioning maneuvers for positional vertigo, is an established physical therapy service, and at least one practice act names vestibular training outright.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Aquatic therapyExercise
    Within scopeAquatic therapy is therapeutic exercise in water, and physical therapy laws cover both therapeutic exercise and treatment using water or physical agents.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Soft tissue mobilizationManual therapy
    Within scopeSoft tissue mobilization and therapeutic massage are named in the model physical therapy act and in state definitions of physical therapy.Updated October 11, 2026
  • TractionManual therapy
    Within scopeMechanical and manual traction are part of physical therapist practice, appearing on the licensure exam and in state definitions of physical therapy.Updated October 11, 2026
  • Photobiomodulation (laser therapy)Modalities
    Within scopeLaser and light therapy is a physical agent within physical therapy practice; state acts describe it in general terms, and some name light outright.Updated October 11, 2026
  • Shockwave therapyModalities
    Varies by statePhysical therapy acts do not name shockwave therapy, so it depends on the state board's reading; APTA's 2023 heel pain guideline treated it as outside US physical therapist practice, while APTA's practice advisory tells physical therapists to check their state's rules before using it.Updated October 11, 2026
  • Diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasoundImaging and diagnostics
    Within scopePhysical therapy boards that have addressed it treat point-of-care ultrasound imaging as within physical therapist practice for trained clinicians, as part of examination and treatment planning rather than medical diagnosis of disease.Updated October 11, 2026
  • Return to play clearanceSport
    Varies by statePhysical therapists may treat athletes recovering from injury in every state, but only some youth concussion laws let a physical therapist sign return-to-play clearance.Updated October 11, 2026
  • Direct accessPractice authority
    Within scopeEvery state and DC allows patients to see a physical therapist without a referral for evaluation and treatment, though some states still attach conditions, such as visit or time limits, to treatment without one.Updated October 11, 2026
  • TelehealthPractice authority
    Within scopePhysical therapists may provide care by telehealth, and the rule that recurs across states is that the therapist must be licensed, or hold a compact privilege, where the patient is located.Updated October 11, 2026
  • Topical and administered medicationsPractice authority
    Varies by stateSome states let physical therapists apply prescribed topical medications, including by iontophoresis or phonophoresis, under a prescription or standing order; others do not address it, so it depends on the state.Updated October 11, 2026
  • Ordering laboratory testsImaging and diagnostics
    Not typicalPhysical therapy laws generally do not authorize ordering laboratory tests, and Georgia's bars it outright for patients who come without a referral.Updated October 11, 2026

Bodies and guidance

The organizations that accredit, examine, regulate and represent the profession, and the documents they publish.

Bodies

Guidance

Overlap with other professions

The professions physical therapists share the most patients and techniques with.

How to become a physical therapist

The national steps in order. Each state adds its own requirements, so the last step is always the board.

  1. Step 1

    Earn a bachelor's degree with the program prerequisites

  2. Step 2

    Complete a CAPTE-accredited Doctor of Physical Therapy program

  3. Step 3

    Pass the National Physical Therapy Examination

  4. Step 4

    Apply to the state licensing board

Where to get licensed

Each step in full, with the board for every state and the compacts that apply.

Get licensed as a physical therapist

Career path

Education routes, settings and how the profession is changing.

Planned for Phase 2