Physical Therapy: Find Books

Colleges (including Madison College) and public libraries use the Dewey Decimal System for organizing their collections.

Physical Therapy--615.82

Universities use the Library of Congress Classification System which is based on the alphabet.

BF = Psychology

HM-HX = Sociology

L = Education

QM-QP = Anatomy and Physiology

R = Medicine

R123 = Medical terminology

RC475-489 = Therapeutics (art, music, dance therapy)

RJ505 = Play therapy

RM700 = Physical therapy

RM735 = Occupational therapy

RM930 = Rehabiliation therapy

RM950 = Rehabilitation technology

Browsing for physical therapy books in libraries can be tricky.  Books on physical therapy are shelved together in the general dewey area for applied medicine with a specific call number, 615.82.  However, they may also be shelved by medical speciality (e.g., pediatrics, geriatrics, or psychiatry) or by affected body systems (e.g. the muskuloskeletal system or the nervous system) or by disease/condition (e.g. cancer, dyslexia, myalgia).  It's recommended that you use the catalog (see box to the left) for searching.  This is much more effective than browsing.

If you do not know the exact subject heading describing the topic you need, try doing a keyword search using other word/s related to that topic (such as "recreational therapy") and then click on the subject heading links found within the relevant records to find additional, useful resources. Variation may include:

"physical therapist assistant"

"Physical therapy assistants"

"physical therapy"

"neck pain -- physical therapy"

"Physical therapy for children"

"backache -- physical therapy"

"sports physical therapy"

"arthritis -- physical therapy"

"cervical vertebrae -- diseases -- physical therapy"

"foot -- diseases -- physical therapy"

"evidence-based medicine"

Or these related terms:

"hydrotherapy"

"manipulation (therapeutics)"

"massage"

"occupation therapy"

"phototherapy"

"play therapy"

"recreational therapy"

"rehabilitation"

"thermotherapy"