About Physical Therapy

OPTA's Mission

The mission of the Oregon Physical Therapy Association (OPTA), a chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), is to support, promote, and advocate for the profession of physical therapy. We strive to further the profession's role in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions that affect movement and function. The OPTA was incorporated in 1954 as a not for profit association in Oregon. The association's purpose is to meet the physical therapy needs of the general public and its members through the development and improvement of physical therapy education, practice, and research.

Physical Therapy

You've heard about physical therapy, but what can it bring to your life? A physical therapist can help you achieve and maintain mobility and quality of life without surgery or prescription medication. With extensive education and clinical expertise, physical therapists help you move forward so you can do the things you like.

The Oregon Physical Therapy Association (OPTA ) is your source for information about how physical therapy can help bring motion to your life and provide up to date information regarding the issues effecting your rights as a consumer to chose your medical provider.

physical therapyWhy a Physical Therapist?

Physical therapists can help improve or restore the mobility you need to move forward with your life. If you are looking for a possible alternative to surgery and/or pain medication, consider a physical therapist.

Your Physical Therapist Can Help You With:

About Physical Therapists

Intensive Education and Clinical Expertise

Physical therapists apply research and proven techniques to help people get back in motion. All physical therapists are required to receive a graduate degree – either a masters or a clinical doctorate -- from an accredited physical therapist program before taking the national licensure examination that allows them to practice. State licensure is required in each state in which a physical therapist practices. They are trusted health care professionals with extensive clinical experience who examine, diagnose, and then prevent or treat conditions that limit the body's ability to move and function in daily life.

More and more physical therapists are now graduating with a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. More than 92 percent of the 210 accredited academic institutions nationwide offering professional physical therapist education programs now offer the DPT degree – and more than 75% of all 2008 PT graduates hold a DPT degree.

Your Physical Therapy Resource – A New Image

Move Forward – Physical Therapy Brings Motion to Life represents a promise that all physical therapists adhere to across the country. This new resource was developed to help “Move Forward” consumer understanding of the many benefits and medical interventions that physical therapists offer daily. For additional information on how physical therapy can help you and your family continue to enjoy the best physical health life can offer please visit www.moveforwardpt.com.

Find a Physical Therapist

Visit the Find a PT database on the American Physical Therapy Association's Web site and use the drop down menu to find a physical therapist who is right for you.

Physical therapists are licensed medical providers in Oregon and have completed extensive and specialized, post graduate-level, accredited physical therapist education programs. When you visit your physical therapist, you will experience the care of a trusted health professional who uses research and proven treatments to help you regain independence and a better quality of life.

Be sure to ask as many questions as you have and be confident that you're on the road to mobility and improved quality of life. Together, you will regain your independence.

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