Does anyone know why the son from this week's episode referred to having to go through "physiotherapy" for his leg? That is the name used in Canada, England, and other countries, but in the United States it's always called physical therapy. Was this just a goof by the writers, or do you think there was some other reason for it?

-- SPT '01 (buckeye4life@ivillage.com), January 07, 2001

Answers

I live in New York, and I was told to do "physiotherapy" as well. I think the two terms are used interchangeably... I take it that it means the same thing.

-- samira (matb_west@chickmail.com), January 07, 2001.

The terms do mean the same thing but are not really used interchangeably (or at least they're not supposed to be). The best parallel I can think of is how in the United States you ask someone where the bathroom is, but in England you ask where the loo is. It would be a little strange to hear someone ask about the loo in the U.S., but you probably would still know what they meant. The profession is referred to as "physical therapy" in all the literature, laws, licensing boards, professional associations, practice acts, and other official entities, so that's why it struck me as a little odd that someone in Chicago wouldn't be using the American name (if a doctor had presumably told him he would need the intervention). Then again, maybe he was originally from Canada . . . :)

-- SPT '01 (buckeye4life@ivillage.com), January 08, 2001.

Or perhaps, was the actor himself Canadian, or brought up there? It might have just slipped out of his mouth, and they didn't want to re- shoot or cut the scene. Or maybe one of the writers of this episode was Canadian/ English. As long as they got the point across:)

-- samira (matb_west@chickmail.com), January 08, 2001.