A physical therapist is a professional healthcare provider who tries to meet an individual’s health needs and wants via communication with other healthcare specialists and the use of exercise, education, and various therapeutic modalities. This can include anything from teaching patients to walk again after an injury, or helping an athlete to improve his speed, strength, or agility on the playing field. Physical therapists perform many different functions in order to optimize a patient’s recovery. For those patients with health problems resulting from injury or disease, the physical therapist assists in the rehabilitation process to reduce the patient’s pain, and increase the patient’s strength, endurance, and stability. In addition to treatments given in the office the physical therapist must also work hand in hand with the patient to help develop a personal home therapy program for when they are no longer in the therapists care. This is done to ensure that the healing process continues and that there is no future reoccurrence of the treated condition. One of the more significant functions of a physical therapist is to aid patients in improving their ability to perform activities of daily living. This may include but is not limited to patient’s dressing themselves, eating, cooking, or taking care of their personal hygiene. Physical therapists also play a large role in injury prevention. Through education, physical therapists can help people become fit and teach them how to avoid injuring themselves either at work or at play.