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Physiotherapy listings

The origins of physiotherapy go back a long way, to the times of Hippocrates and others who are believed to have been the first practitioners of physical therapy, advocating massage, manual therapy techniques and hydrotherapy. In the eighteenth century, after the development of orthopaedics, systematic exercise aided by machinery, was advocated to treat gout and similar diseases. In 1813 Per Henrik Ling, known as the “Father of Swedish Gymnastics,” founded the Royal Central Institute of Gymnastics (RCIG) for massage, manipulation, and exercise. This was a key development for the profession of physiotherapy, and in 1887, Physical Therapists (or PTs) were given official registration by Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare.

In the UK, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy was founded in 1894 by a group of nurses. Physiotherapists were called upon during the First World War, to restore physical function to injured soldiers, and the field of physical therapy became a recognised institution. In 1918 the term "Reconstruction Aide" was used to refer to individuals practicing physical therapy. Following the outbreak of World War I, the Walter Reed Army Hospital was established in Washington DC - one of the first schools for physical therapy.

Treatment through the early half of the 20th century, consisted mainly of exercise, massage, and traction. Some manipulative procedures followed in the early 1950s, to the spine and extremity joints. Later physical therapists started to move beyond hospital-based practice to outpatient orthopedic clinics, public schools, colleges/universities, geriatric settings (skilled nursing facilities), rehabilitation centers and medical centers. Around the 1970, specialisation came about, and in 1974, the International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists was formed. For a fuller explanation see Wikipedia's physical therapy page.