Physical Therapy Equipment List by Category and FDA Class

This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice.

A physical therapy equipment list is easiest to use when each item is tied to what the federal regulation calls it. Under 21 CFR Part 890 (Physical Medicine Devices), the items in a physical therapy or occupational therapy clinic fall into named device types, and each type has a risk class. This page lists the equipment by category, names the regulation section for each, and shows which items are Class I and which are Class II or III. It is written for clinic staff, buyers and students who need to know what a clinic’s equipment is, not which brand to buy.

What counts as physical therapy equipment?

Physical therapy equipment is the set of devices a clinic uses to restore motion, build strength, apply heat or cold, deliver electrical or ultrasound energy, position patients and support walking and daily tasks. In U.S. regulation, most of these are medical devices described in 21 CFR Part 890. Subpart F covers physical medicine therapeutic devices (exercise, heat and cold, stimulation, traction, tables). Subpart D covers physical medicine prosthetic devices, which also holds the mobility and daily-living items occupational therapists use.

The FDA sorts devices into three classes: “Class I includes devices with the lowest risk and Class III includes those with the greatest risk.” Class I is regulated by General Controls, Class II by General Controls and Special Controls, and Class III by General Controls and Premarket Approval (FDA, Classify Your Medical Device, checked 2026-10-31). The FDA page adds that some Class I devices are exempt from premarket notification; for many Part 890 types the regulation states this exemption itself, “subject to the limitations in 890.9”.

This page lists devices. Disposable supplies such as covers, tapes and cleaning products are a separate topic, covered in the physical therapy clinic supply checklist. For the general definition of a device, see what is a medical device.

Exercise and strengthening equipment

The regulation splits exercise equipment by whether it measures and whether it is powered. Nonmeasuring equipment is defined as “devices intended for medical purposes, such as to redevelop muscles or restore motion to joints,” and the listed examples are a prone scooter board, parallel bars, a mechanical treadmill, an exercise table and a manually propelled exercise bicycle. Powered versions (a powered treadmill, a powered bicycle, powered parallel bars) are a separate section. Equipment that adds instrumentation, such as a therapeutic exercise bicycle with measuring instrumentation or a rowing machine with measuring instrumentation, is Class II.

Resistance bands are a common item in this group; see how resistance bands work and the TheraBand color chart for resistance values.

Hot, cold and compression equipment

Heat and cold devices span Class I and Class II depending on how they work. A silica-gel moist heat pack and a gel cold pack are Class I; a pad that is electrically powered or a pack with pumped water is Class II. See moist heat packs and the hot and cold therapy selection guide.

Electrotherapy and ultrasound devices

Devices that deliver energy to tissue carry the higher classes. The powered muscle stimulator (“an electrically powered device intended for medical purposes that repeatedly contracts muscles by passing electrical currents through electrodes”) is Class II. Ultrasonic diathermy for therapeutic deep heat is Class II, while ultrasonic diathermy for all other uses is Class III. For the device itself, see what is therapeutic ultrasound.

Treatment tables, traction and positioning

The regulation draws a line between the plain table and the multi-function table. A plinth is “a flat, padded board with legs” and is Class I; a multi-function physical therapy table, “a motorized table equipped to provide patients with heat, traction, and muscle relaxation therapy,” is Class II. Power traction equipment, used with traction accessories such as belts and harnesses, is Class II, while the accessories themselves are Class I. See what is a plinth.

Mobility and daily-living aids (occupational therapy equipment)

Occupational therapy equipment overlaps with the same regulation. A daily activity assist device is “a modified adaptor or utensil (e.g., a dressing, grooming, recreational activity, transfer, eating, or homemaking aid)” and is Class I. Canes, crutches, mechanical walkers and mechanical wheelchairs are Class I; a powered wheelchair is Class II. Nonpowered communication systems, such as an alphabet board or a page turner, are Class I, while powered communication systems are Class II. Related guides: canes, walkers, crutches and gait belts. For the profession itself, see what is occupational therapy.

Equipment by category and FDA class

Each row below follows the current text of 21 CFR Part 890 on ecfr.gov, checked 2026-10-31. Exemption from premarket notification is stated per section and is limited by 21 CFR 890.9.

Equipment (FDA device type)	Examples named in the regulation	21 CFR section	Class
Nonmeasuring exercise equipment	Prone scooter board, parallel bars, mechanical treadmill, exercise table, manually propelled exercise bicycle	890.5370	Class I
Powered exercise equipment	Powered treadmill, powered bicycle, powered parallel bars	890.5380	Class I
Measuring exercise equipment	Therapeutic exercise bicycle, manually propelled treadmill or rowing machine with measuring instrumentation	890.5360	Class II
Cold pack	Fabric envelope with hydrated silicate gel	890.5700	Class I
Moist heat pack	Silica gel in a fabric container	890.5730	Class I
Hot or cold disposable pack	Sealed plastic bag with chemicals that activate	890.5710	Class I
Water circulating hot or cold pack	Pumped heated or chilled water through a plastic bag	890.5720	Class II
Powered heating pad	Electrical dry-heat pad	890.5740	Class II
Paraffin bath	Tub of liquid paraffin for hands or fingers	890.5110	Class II
Infrared lamp	Lamp emitting about 700 to 50,000 nanometers for topical heating	890.5500	Class II
Powered muscle stimulator	Electrical stimulation through electrodes	890.5850	Class II
Ultrasonic diathermy	Ultrasonic energy beyond 20 kilohertz for deep heat	890.5300	Class II (deep heat); Class III (other uses)
Therapeutic massager	Electrically powered massager	890.5660	Class I
Plinth	Flat, padded board with legs	890.3520	Class I
Multi-function physical therapy table	Motorized table with heat, traction and muscle relaxation	890.5880	Class II
Power traction equipment	Used with belts and harnesses	890.5900	Class II
Traction accessory	Accessories used with traction	890.5925	Class I
Daily activity assist device	Dressing, grooming, eating or homemaking aids	890.5050	Class I
Cane / crutch	Standard cane, forearm cane; crutch	890.3075 / 890.3150	Class I
Mechanical walker	Four-legged metal-frame walker	890.3825	Class I
Mechanical wheelchair / powered wheelchair	Manual; battery-operated	890.3850 / 890.3860	Class I / Class II
Nonpowered communication system	Alphabet board, page turner	890.3700	Class I
Powered communication system	Powered counterpart	890.3710	Class II

Common mistakes when reading an equipment list

• Mixing devices and supplies. Treatment furniture, modalities and mobility aids are devices with a class; covers, linens and cleaning products are consumables and belong on a supply list.
• Assuming powered and nonpowered versions share a class. A moist heat pack is Class I (890.5730) but a powered heating pad is Class II (890.5740); a plinth is Class I (890.3520) but a multi-function table is Class II (890.5880).
• Assuming a measuring version is the same as a plain one. Exercise equipment with measuring instrumentation is Class II (890.5360); the nonmeasuring version is Class I (890.5370).
• Treating Class I as meaning no rules. The FDA states General Controls apply to all medical devices in Classes I, II and III.

FAQ

What is on a physical therapy equipment list?

Exercise equipment, hot and cold packs, electrotherapy and ultrasound devices, treatment tables and traction, and mobility and daily-living aids. The table above names the 21 CFR Part 890 section and FDA class for each.

What counts as occupational therapy equipment?

Occupational therapy equipment overlaps with the same regulation: daily activity assist devices (dressing, grooming, eating and homemaking aids, 890.5050), canes, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs and communication systems are all Part 890 device types, and all but the powered wheelchair and powered communication system are Class I.

Are all physical therapy devices Class I?

No. Heat packs, plinths and nonmeasuring exercise equipment are Class I, but powered muscle stimulators, multi-function tables, power traction and measuring exercise equipment are Class II, and ultrasonic diathermy for uses other than deep heat is Class III.

Sources

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Classify Your Medical Device (https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/overview-device-regulation/classify-your-medical-device), checked 2026-10-31.
• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR Part 890, Physical Medicine Devices, (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-H/part-890), subparts D and F, checked 2026-10-31.