The purpose of occupational therapy (OT) is to utilize daily activities to treat patients' physical, mental, developmental, and emotional problems that negatively affect their ability to function in daily life. An occupational therapist is a healthcare professional who uses therapeutic techniques to improve, rehab, or maintain a patient's motor skills and overall ability to perform daily tasks.

Occupational therapists can help you if, for example, you have restricted use of your hand or arm due to a medical condition. It may be recommended that you perform various exercises or activities, get advice, or change certain aspects of your daily life. People of all ages can benefit from occupational therapy.

In physical therapy, the goal is to restore, maintain, and optimize mobility, function, and well-being by evaluating and diagnosing injuries and dysfunctions; however, occupational therapy focuses on helping people complete daily tasks at work, at home, and during leisure, such as eating, grooming, and using the restroom.

Multiple body systems can be enhanced and restored with the help of physical therapists. They may use hand-on techniques, therapeutic exercise, cold, light, heat, water, acupuncture, massage, and other modalities. An occupational therapist may assess a person's home or workspace and recommend equipment or modifications to improve living and working conditions. Additionally, they may address mental health and wellness as well as cognitive function.

It is difficult for the average healthcare consumer to distinguish these two therapists because their roles overlap in many settings. A person's rehabilitation can be optimized by combining these two occupations, which can treat a wide range of clinical impairments.