What a Licensed Physical Therapist Is
The title gets thrown around loosely, and it costs people money. Someone at a gym writing you a program is not the same thing as a licensed physical therapist, and the difference is not snobbery, it is scope. A physical therapist is licensed by the state to examine you, work out what is actually driving the problem, treat it, and be accountable for whether it worked.
The training, the license, and what yours can actually do.
Physical therapists complete a graduate professional program, supervised clinical rotations inside real caseloads, and a national licensing examination before any state will let them practice. The entry level degree for new physical therapists in the United States is now a doctorate, while many excellent and deeply experienced therapists earned earlier professional credentials under the standards of their era and are every bit as qualified to treat you. The license is what authorizes practice, not the letters after the name. Every therapist who treats you at either of our clinics holds a current Kansas license.
What the license permits
A licensed physical therapist can perform a full examination, form a clinical diagnosis of the movement problem, build and change a plan of care, treat with hands on techniques, and decide when you are done. In Kansas, in most cases, that examination can happen without a physician referral. The license also carries an obligation to recognize what is outside the scope of therapy and refer it on.
Kansas direct access →What happens in a session
Evaluate first: history, movement testing, strength, range, and measurements written down on day one so there is something to compare against. Diagnose the movement problem, which is often not where the pain is. Treat hands on. Prescribe exercise and then progress it as you change, which is the part most programs skip. Then re-measure and tell you honestly what the numbers say.
Physical therapy →Not a trainer, not a massage therapist
A good personal trainer builds fitness in a body that is already healthy. A good massage therapist works on soft tissue and does it well. Neither is licensed to examine an injury, diagnose what is causing it, or manage a condition. All three can be useful. Only one of them is trained and licensed to figure out why your knee gives way on the stairs and to be responsible for fixing it.
What we treat →The physical therapists here
Tonya Mills founded this clinic in 2005 and brings special training in women's health and manual therapy for the spine and ribs. Dr. Adam Burns holds certifications in ASTYM, LSVT BIG and dry needling, plus additional vestibular training. Dr. Taci Wilson owns the practice, sees patients at both locations, and has specialized training in women's health and pelvic floor therapy. Their individual degrees and credentials are listed on their own pages.
Meet the team →Your plan of care may also be delivered by a licensed physical therapist assistant working with your therapist. That is a licensed clinician, not an aide. What a PTA does →