Overview

Kinesiotherapists develop and monitor exercise programs to help people regain muscle strength and function lost due to injury or disease. Some kinesiotherapists focus on specific types of patients or conditions, such as people recovering from injuries or those with degenerative musculoskeletal disease.

Kinesiotherapists know all about anatomy, and how each part of the body works by itself and in conjunction with other body parts. He or she then chooses exercises that will achieve specific strength or mobility enhancing goals, without causing the patient pain or further damage.

For each patient, the kinesiotherapist will:

• Evaluate the person’s mobility, strength, and endurance
• Discuss treatment goals
• Educate the patient about how the body works and what is causing the impairment
• Develop an appropriate, targeted treatment plan
• Guide the patient in performing exercises correctly
• Monitor progress
• Modify the plan as needed to achieve specific goals

In addition to choosing the right exercises, a successful outcome depends on how well the therapist and patient work together. Building rapport and motivating the patient to do the exercises regularly is a key role of the kinesiotherapist.

You can download, save and print a PDF of this career profile:

Kinesiotherapist PDF 02 Sep 2008 [pdf, 150 KB]

Working Conditions

Kinesiotherapists work in every type of health care setting, including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, sports medicine facilities, fitness centers, and private offices. They guide patients through therapeutic exercise, aquatic therapy, learning to walk, using prosthetics/orthotics, and developing a lifelong exercise regimen.

The American Kinesiotherapy Association says starting salaries for registered kinesiotherapists range from $36,000 to $45,000 a year.

Demand for kinesiotherapists is on the rise, because exercise therapy can help patients regain independence, recover from injury and recuperate faster following surgery, which can reduce overall health care costs.