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Occupational therapy (OT) plays a key role in helping people regain independence, improve daily function, and enhance quality of life following illness, injury, or disability. At Confluent Health, we believe that understanding how OT works-and if it might be the right fit treatment for you-is vital to making informed decisions about your health. This guide provides a detailed, authoritative, and approachable overview of OT, outlining what it is, who it benefits, and how our experts integrate proven techniques to help patients thrive in their everyday lives.
OTs are dedicated to helping you do the activities that matter most in your daily life. OT uses meaningful activities or “occupations” to improve health, support independence, and enhance participation in the tasks that allow you to live a functional life. These activities can include anything from caring for yourself and loved ones, to working, volunteering, learning, or engaging in hobbies and community roles.1
OT has been shown to deliver significant, measurable benefits across a variety of health conditions ranging from early intervention for children to stroke recovery. For stroke survivors, OT improved activities of daily living (ADLs) by up to 38% and increases the likelihood of independent living by 42%.2 In pediatrics, OT supports fine motor, sensory, and self-care skills, with over 65% of children demonstrating progress within 6 months.2 For older adults, OT-led fall prevention programs reduce falls by nearly 47% and also delays nursing home placement.2 Collectively, the evidence indicates that OT enhances one’s overall quality of life and independence.
OT aids people in participating in meaningful daily activities despite injury, illness, or disability, using personalized strategies and interventions that improve independence, reduce pain, and enhance quality of life. Research consistently shows the measurable value of OT across healthcare settings. For example, studies demonstrate that patients who receive OT are 22-33% less likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days, with even greater benefits when OT is a part of a comprehensive transition plan from hospital to home.3 OT is also linked to improved functional outcomes, often measured by tools such as the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), which tracks progress in essential skills such as mobility, communication, and self-care.3 Beyond clinical outcomes, OT empowers individuals to manage chronic conditions such as arthritis, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease, while also supporting recovery after surgery or injury. By helping people safely adapt their routines and environments, OT ensures individuals can remain active, safe, and engage in activities that matter most to them.
OT is designed to support people of all ages who are experiencing physical, cognitive, or emotional challenges that make their daily lives difficult. OT can be especially beneficial to those recovering from a stroke, living with chronic pain, or managing conditions such as arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, or multiple sclerosis. It also plays a vital role in those with developmental delays or learning difficulties, and individuals coping with anxiety or depression that impact daily functioning.
OT is also an essential part of the recovery process for many people following orthopedic injuries or surgeries. Therapists are uniquely skilled in creating custom splints to immobilize, protect, or support healing structures while also facilitating function in daily tasks. Beyond post-surgical care, occupational therapists address overuse injuries and support individuals navigating worker’s compensation cases, focusing on safe return to meaningful activities without long-term limitations. By tailoring treatment plans to each person’s needs, OT helps restore independence and promote lasting recovery.
Older adults may benefit from OT to improve fine motor skills, sensory processing abilities and self-care tasks such as dressing, feeding or cleaning. Pediatric OT helps children build confidence, participate more fully in school, and engage successfully in play and social activities. In short, anyone who struggles to perform everyday activities that matter most- whether that’s self-care, work, or leisure- can benefit from OT’s holistic and personalized approach.
OT addresses a wide range of symptoms that make everyday tasks more difficult. For people living with neurological conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or multiple sclerosis (MS), symptoms may include muscle weakness, spasticity, vision changes, memory problems, difficulty concentrating, poor coordination, or balance deficits. These challenges can affect simple activities such as dressing, bathing, or walking safely. The treatment of these symptoms is often organized into five key approaches: promote, restore, maintain, modify and prevent. This framework highlights how OT goes beyond treating symptoms-it provides a comprehensive strategy for building independence at every stage of life.
Promote: Occupational therapists encourage healthy habits and safe routines to support long term wellness. For example, they may teach proper body mechanics and ergonomics setups to minimize overuse injuries in the workplace or guide a stroke survivor in building self-care routines that foster independence and confidence.
Restore: After injury or surgery, occupational therapists help people regain lost strength, motion, or coordination. A patient recovering from a radial fracture may work with an occupational therapist to restore arm mobility and strength for tasks like lifting groceries or typing, while a stroke survivor may relearn how to button a shirt or safely transfer into the shower.
Maintain: When limitations can’t fully be reversed, occupational therapists adapt environments and tasks to improve safety and accessibility. This could mean recommending home modifications like grab bars, anti-slip flooring, or widened doorways to reduce fall risk after a hip replacement, or introducing adaptive utensils and tools to make cooking or dressing easier for someone with arthritis. In addition, OT is valuable for addressing mental health concerns, such as an anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress, which may lead to low energy poor concentration, reduced motivation, or difficulty maintaining daily structure and roles through individualized strategies- such as stress management techniques, routine planning, or graded activity participation- OT helps people regain control of their lives and independence.
Prevent: Finally, occupational therapists stop problems before they start. This may include education and lifestyle programming to reduce the risk of chronic issues like obesity, guidance on safe lifting techniques to avoid workplace injuries, or early intervention strategies for children to prevent developmental delays from impacting future independence.
Through this multi-faceted framework, OT supports people of all ages and diagnoses-whether recovering from surgery, managing chronic illness, or striving to stay healthy and independent in daily life.
Knowing when to see an OT is the first step towards regaining your independence and managing daily challenges. You may consider scheduling an OT consultation if you experience persistent pain, difficulty performing daily tasks, loss of mobility, or challenges with memory, coordination, or fine motor skills. In many cases, patients are referred by a physician, but in direct access states, you can see an OT without a doctor’s referral, making it easier to get timely care. Direct access allows you to schedule an evaluation and begin treatment immediately, though your therapist may still coordinate with your healthcare provider as needed.
Occupational therapists use a variety of diagnostic tests and evaluation methods to determine if OT is appropriate and which interventions will be most effective. Evaluations often include assessments of range of motion, strength, dexterity, balance, cognitive function, and sensory processing, as well as observation of daily activities such as dressing, cooking, or writing. For children, therapists may assess fine and gross motor skills, sensory integration, and school or play participation. By combining these assessments with patient goals and needs, occupational therapists create a personalized plan to improve function and independence. Find a local provider near you today.
OT and physical therapy (PT) are both vital rehabilitation services and at times have some overlap, but they focus on different outcomes. PT is centered on improving movement, strength, balance, and mobility, often after injury, surgery or illness. It utilizes exercises, manual therapy, and conditioning to help patients restore function and move more effectively. OT, by contrast, focuses on enabling individuals to perform meaningful daily tasks independently, such as dressing, cooking, working or managing self-care tasks. It addresses both physical and cognitive skills, using task practice, adaptive equipment modifications to improve independence.
While PT targets large muscle groups, joints, and overall movement, OT applies those physical abilities to real-life activities. In short, PT strengthens the body to move, and OT helps people use that movement to live fully and independently.
OT can be particularly beneficial for individuals facing challenges due to injury, illness, or developmental conditions. An occupational therapist works closely with patients to assess their functional limitations and develop a customized, patient centered plan to overcome barriers in their daily activities. Through a combination of evidence-based techniques, therapeutic exercises, adaptive strategies, and assistive devices, OT aims to enhance independence and improve overall quality of life. For example, a person recovering from a stroke may work with an occupational therapist to regain hand dexterity, practice safe movement during daily routines, and learn adaptive strategies for cooking or personal care.
The goals of OT sessions are multifaceted and patient-specific. Therapists aim to increase physical, cognitive, and emotional function while addressing the unique needs of each individual. Techniques may include fine motor skills exercises, cognitive training for memory or attention, sensory reintegration methods, and task-specific training to simulate real-life activities. Additionally, occupational therapists often provide education and environmental modifications, such as ergonomic adjustments or adaptive equipment, to support independence at home, school, or in the workplace.
Evidence supports the effectiveness of OT across a wide range of conditions, from musculoskeletal injuries and neurological disorders to developmental and mental health challenges. Research demonstrates that OT can significantly improve functional outcomes, enhance participation in daily activities, reduce caregiver burden, and promote overall well being.4 Patients often experience measurable improvements in their ability to complete tasks independently, increased confidence in performing daily routines and a greater sense of autonomy.
Proactively seeking OT can make a difference for anyone experiencing difficulty with everyday activities, Whether recovering from an injury, managing a chronic condition, or facing developmental challenges, OT offers practical, targeted strategies to restore function and independence. By focusing on personalised, goal-centered interventions, OT not only addresses immediate concerns but also equips patients with skills and strategies that support long-term success and improved quality of life.
Each Confluent Health partner has a list of accepted insurances available. To discover if your insurance covers our services, contact the scheduling department of your nearest clinic or speak with your insurance company about in-network and out-of-network providers.
Patients are typically advised to complete 2-3 visits per week over 4-6 weeks. These sessions typically last 40-60 minutes. The first visit is approximately 20 minutes longer to complete the preliminary screening and assess treatment needs.
It’s best to wear relaxed clothing that allows you to freely move and perform exercises.
Most OT sessions last between 30 to 60 minutes, depending on your needs and the plan of care. Your therapist will adjust the length and frequency of sessions based upon your individual goals and progress towards said goals.
It’s best to wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing that allows for movement. If your therapy involves practicing daily tasks or exercise, your therapist may recommend specific footwear or clothing to make activities easier and safer. Additionally, you might be asked to wear task specific clothing for example, if you’re having difficulty buttoning your shirt they might ask you to wear a shirt with buttons.
While both OT and PT aim to improve your function and quality of life, their focus differs. PT primarily addresses strength, mobility, and physical movement, while OT focuses on helping you perform meaningful daily activities- such as dressing, cooking, working or hobbies- through a combination of physical, cognitive, and adaptive strategies.