4 answers
Sarah
Student
Leominster, Massachusetts
1
Question
Updated
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For someone torn between becoming a doctor or a physical therapist in sports medicine, specifically in dance medicine, what personal experiences or lessons helped you make your decision?
I’m a pre-professional ballet dancer, who has decided not to pursue dance after needing some pretty intense hip surgeries. I’m going into college next year as a pre-med student, and have found that I’m extremely passionate about helping dancers in situations similar to mine, I’m just not sure what angle I want to take on this role from.
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4 answers
ogundiji samson
Engineer
5
Answers
Lagos, Nigeria
Updated
ogundiji’s Answer
Okay, let's approach this from an engineer's mindset, looking at systems, functions, and where you best fit into that system to solve the problem you're passionate about. Your situation is compelling because your personal experience gives you invaluable insight into the "failure mode" (the injury) and the "recovery process" (rehabilitation).
When engineers face a complex problem or system, we often break it down and look at the different roles required to keep the system running or fix it when it breaks. In the system of "dance medicine and performance," you have several critical functions:
Diagnosis & High-Level Intervention (The "System Architect" / "Hardware Repair Specialist"): This is often the realm of the medical doctor, specifically an orthopedic surgeon or sports medicine physician. Their function is to identify the root cause of a significant structural issue (like your hip), design the major intervention (the surgical plan), and execute the primary "repair" (the surgery itself). They make critical decisions about the system's fundamental structure. If your passion is dissecting the why behind the structural failure at a biological level and executing definitive, often surgical, fixes, the doctor path aligns more closely with this function.
Functional Restoration & Performance Optimization (The "Performance Engineer" / "Software & Process Specialist"): This is where the physical therapist often operates. Their function is to take the system after a major event (like surgery or a less severe injury) or when it's underperforming, analyze its movement patterns, identify inefficiencies, weaknesses, and imbalances, and design a detailed process (rehabilitation program) to restore optimal function, improve performance, and prevent future failures. They work intimately with the "software" (neuromuscular control, movement patterns) and the "process" (the daily/weekly grind of recovery and strengthening). If your passion is the intricate process of rebuilding strength, flexibility, proprioception; understanding the biomechanics of dance in fine detail; and guiding someone step-by-step from injury back to peak performance, the physical therapy path fits this function well.
Education & Long-Term Maintenance (The "User Manual & Preventative Maintenance Guide"): Both roles contribute here, but PTs often spend more direct time educating patients on body mechanics, injury prevention strategies, and self-care. Doctors educate on the condition and treatment options.
Lessons from an Engineer's Perspective:
From my own path, the decision often comes down to:
What part of the problem do you find most fascinating to solve? Is it the initial complex diagnosis and the high-stakes structural fix (doctor)? Or is it the intricate, day-to-day process of restoring dynamic function and optimizing movement over time (PT)?
What level of interaction do you want? Doctors often have intense but perhaps shorter-term interactions focused on acute problems. PTs often build longer-term relationships, guiding patients through a journey that can last weeks or months. Do you want to be the one performing the pivotal surgery, or the one coaching them through every rep, every stretch, every small victory in recovery?
Are you more drawn to the "design of the fix" or the "implementation and optimization of the recovery"? Both require incredible skill and knowledge, but they are different applications.
Your own experience with hip surgeries is a massive dataset. Reflect on that journey:
What part of it was most impactful for you?
Were you more in awe of the surgical planning and execution?
Or was it the physical therapy process – understanding why certain exercises worked, feeling your body regain strength and mobility, the challenge of relearning movement patterns?
Who in your care team did you feel the strongest connection with in terms of them directly addressing your ability to move and dance again?
Both doctors and physical therapists in dance medicine are essential "engineers" of the human body, just operating at different scales and focusing on different aspects of the system's health and performance. One designs the fundamental structural repair; the other optimizes the system's dynamic function and resilience.
Neither path is inherently "better"; the right one is where your unique blend of passion (for helping dancers), experience (your own journey), and intellectual curiosity (about either structural pathology or functional biomechanics) aligns best with the role's primary function in the dance medicine system. Think about which role's day-to-day problem-solving excites you more.
When engineers face a complex problem or system, we often break it down and look at the different roles required to keep the system running or fix it when it breaks. In the system of "dance medicine and performance," you have several critical functions:
Diagnosis & High-Level Intervention (The "System Architect" / "Hardware Repair Specialist"): This is often the realm of the medical doctor, specifically an orthopedic surgeon or sports medicine physician. Their function is to identify the root cause of a significant structural issue (like your hip), design the major intervention (the surgical plan), and execute the primary "repair" (the surgery itself). They make critical decisions about the system's fundamental structure. If your passion is dissecting the why behind the structural failure at a biological level and executing definitive, often surgical, fixes, the doctor path aligns more closely with this function.
Functional Restoration & Performance Optimization (The "Performance Engineer" / "Software & Process Specialist"): This is where the physical therapist often operates. Their function is to take the system after a major event (like surgery or a less severe injury) or when it's underperforming, analyze its movement patterns, identify inefficiencies, weaknesses, and imbalances, and design a detailed process (rehabilitation program) to restore optimal function, improve performance, and prevent future failures. They work intimately with the "software" (neuromuscular control, movement patterns) and the "process" (the daily/weekly grind of recovery and strengthening). If your passion is the intricate process of rebuilding strength, flexibility, proprioception; understanding the biomechanics of dance in fine detail; and guiding someone step-by-step from injury back to peak performance, the physical therapy path fits this function well.
Education & Long-Term Maintenance (The "User Manual & Preventative Maintenance Guide"): Both roles contribute here, but PTs often spend more direct time educating patients on body mechanics, injury prevention strategies, and self-care. Doctors educate on the condition and treatment options.
Lessons from an Engineer's Perspective:
From my own path, the decision often comes down to:
What part of the problem do you find most fascinating to solve? Is it the initial complex diagnosis and the high-stakes structural fix (doctor)? Or is it the intricate, day-to-day process of restoring dynamic function and optimizing movement over time (PT)?
What level of interaction do you want? Doctors often have intense but perhaps shorter-term interactions focused on acute problems. PTs often build longer-term relationships, guiding patients through a journey that can last weeks or months. Do you want to be the one performing the pivotal surgery, or the one coaching them through every rep, every stretch, every small victory in recovery?
Are you more drawn to the "design of the fix" or the "implementation and optimization of the recovery"? Both require incredible skill and knowledge, but they are different applications.
Your own experience with hip surgeries is a massive dataset. Reflect on that journey:
What part of it was most impactful for you?
Were you more in awe of the surgical planning and execution?
Or was it the physical therapy process – understanding why certain exercises worked, feeling your body regain strength and mobility, the challenge of relearning movement patterns?
Who in your care team did you feel the strongest connection with in terms of them directly addressing your ability to move and dance again?
Both doctors and physical therapists in dance medicine are essential "engineers" of the human body, just operating at different scales and focusing on different aspects of the system's health and performance. One designs the fundamental structural repair; the other optimizes the system's dynamic function and resilience.
Neither path is inherently "better"; the right one is where your unique blend of passion (for helping dancers), experience (your own journey), and intellectual curiosity (about either structural pathology or functional biomechanics) aligns best with the role's primary function in the dance medicine system. Think about which role's day-to-day problem-solving excites you more.
WOW! I love this breakdown!
Karin P.
Charlotte Geiger
Public Health Science Student at the University of Maryland
151
Answers
Sykesville, Maryland
Updated
Charlotte’s Answer
You're in a really special and powerful position because your personal experience already gives you the heart and understanding that dancers need — and that’s something no textbook can teach.
For people torn between becoming a doctor (MD/DO) or a physical therapist (DPT) in sports/dance medicine, the decision usually comes down to what kind of relationship and type of care you want to have with your future patients.
Many people who chose medicine wanted to diagnose conditions, perform surgeries (like orthopedics), or manage injuries from the medical side. Those who chose physical therapy wanted to spend more time hands-on with the recovery process, guiding patients through rehab and movement retraining.
Lessons that help make the decision:
Think about whether you want to be the person who diagnoses and creates a treatment plan (doctor) or the person who works with the patient every step of the way to heal (physical therapist).
Consider how much time you want to spend with each patient. Doctors often see patients in shorter, more focused visits; PTs build longer, closer relationships over weeks/months.
Reflect on how much schooling you're ready for — becoming a physician usually takes 8–12 years after high school (college + med school + residency), while PT takes about 6–7 years total.
For people torn between becoming a doctor (MD/DO) or a physical therapist (DPT) in sports/dance medicine, the decision usually comes down to what kind of relationship and type of care you want to have with your future patients.
Many people who chose medicine wanted to diagnose conditions, perform surgeries (like orthopedics), or manage injuries from the medical side. Those who chose physical therapy wanted to spend more time hands-on with the recovery process, guiding patients through rehab and movement retraining.
Lessons that help make the decision:
Think about whether you want to be the person who diagnoses and creates a treatment plan (doctor) or the person who works with the patient every step of the way to heal (physical therapist).
Consider how much time you want to spend with each patient. Doctors often see patients in shorter, more focused visits; PTs build longer, closer relationships over weeks/months.
Reflect on how much schooling you're ready for — becoming a physician usually takes 8–12 years after high school (college + med school + residency), while PT takes about 6–7 years total.
Cheri Hall
Physical Therapist
73
Answers
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Updated
Cheri’s Answer
Hi Sarah,
I'm sorry to hear about your hip surgery and that you can't continue with your ballet career. Many people become physical therapists after an injury.
As a physical therapist, I enjoy spending time with patients. I see them one-on-one for 45-60 minutes, 1-3 times a week, over several weeks. You'll be able to examine, diagnose, and treat movement issues. Your skills could help dancers avoid surgery.
Sports medicine doctors usually see patients only a few times and for shorter periods.
You have time to decide since pre-physical therapy and pre-med paths are often similar in college. I suggest shadowing both physical therapists and sports medicine doctors to understand their daily work.
I'm sorry to hear about your hip surgery and that you can't continue with your ballet career. Many people become physical therapists after an injury.
As a physical therapist, I enjoy spending time with patients. I see them one-on-one for 45-60 minutes, 1-3 times a week, over several weeks. You'll be able to examine, diagnose, and treat movement issues. Your skills could help dancers avoid surgery.
Sports medicine doctors usually see patients only a few times and for shorter periods.
You have time to decide since pre-physical therapy and pre-med paths are often similar in college. I suggest shadowing both physical therapists and sports medicine doctors to understand their daily work.
aimen aijaz
Doctor of Physical Therapy
1
Answer
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Updated
aimen’s Answer
When I was deciding between becoming a doctor or a physical therapist, I was in a very similar place emotionally and mentally as you.
As a PT, I found that I could spend time with my patients — really know them — understand their bodies, their goals, and the unique demands dance places on them. I loved that I could be hands-on in their rehabilitation, seeing them multiple times a week, adjusting their plan as they improved, and emotionally supporting them through the setbacks. I wasn’t diagnosing from a distance or seeing them just once or twice like many doctors often do; I was in it with them, step by step.
One lesson that helped me decide: I realized I was most passionate about the process of recovery, not just the moment of diagnosis. I wanted to be the person helping dancers get back to class, back on stage — not just the person confirming they needed surgery.
If you choose physical therapy, especially with your personal experience and empathy for injured dancers, you’ll bring something incredibly valuable to the table: you’ll get them in a way few clinicians do.
My advice to you:
Shadow both professions if you can — watch a doctor doing consultations, and watch a dance-specialized PT running sessions. Notice where you feel most alive. Imagine yourself five years from now: Are you happier in an office diagnosing and treating surgically, or in a studio or clinic, moving, coaching, rehabbing?
Whatever you choose, your passion and your story will make you an extraordinary asset to dancers who need you.
As a PT, I found that I could spend time with my patients — really know them — understand their bodies, their goals, and the unique demands dance places on them. I loved that I could be hands-on in their rehabilitation, seeing them multiple times a week, adjusting their plan as they improved, and emotionally supporting them through the setbacks. I wasn’t diagnosing from a distance or seeing them just once or twice like many doctors often do; I was in it with them, step by step.
One lesson that helped me decide: I realized I was most passionate about the process of recovery, not just the moment of diagnosis. I wanted to be the person helping dancers get back to class, back on stage — not just the person confirming they needed surgery.
If you choose physical therapy, especially with your personal experience and empathy for injured dancers, you’ll bring something incredibly valuable to the table: you’ll get them in a way few clinicians do.
My advice to you:
Shadow both professions if you can — watch a doctor doing consultations, and watch a dance-specialized PT running sessions. Notice where you feel most alive. Imagine yourself five years from now: Are you happier in an office diagnosing and treating surgically, or in a studio or clinic, moving, coaching, rehabbing?
Whatever you choose, your passion and your story will make you an extraordinary asset to dancers who need you.