Physical therapy
A healthcare profession restoring movement and function through physical interventions.
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Physical therapists use patient history, physical examination, and sometimes imaging studies to diagnose and manage conditions.[1] A person's ability to move and carry out daily functional tasks can be limited by illnesses or injuries, and physical therapy is the healthcare profession that addresses these issues.[1]
Last updated 2026-10-08 from the source article.
Quick Facts
- Field
- Healthcare profession
- Known for
- Promoting, maintaining, or restoring health through physical interventions and patient education
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Physicians like Hippocrates and Galen are believed to have first practiced physical therapy, using massage, manual therapy, and hydrotherapy around 460 BC.[2] In 1569, Italian physician Hieronymus Mercurialis introduced the term "medical gymnastics" in his book "De Arte Gymnastica".[3] The earliest documented professional group of physical therapists began with Per Henrik Ling, who founded the Royal Central Institute of Gymnastics in 1813.[4] In the UK, the first doctorate in physiotherapy was awarded in 2009 to Nicola Petty from the University of Brighton.[5]
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy was created in 1894 by four nurses.[5] After World War I began, the inaugural school for physical therapy was founded at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C.[6] Global health events, such as polio outbreaks, necessitated rapid progress in physical therapy, leading to its modern form being established near the end of the 19th century.[7] The institutionalization of physical therapy occurred during World War I when women were brought in to help restore physical function to injured soldiers.[6]
In 1974, the Orthopaedic Section of the APTA was created, marking the specialization of physical therapy in orthopedics within the U.S.[8]
What the research sources say
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy was founded by four nurses in 1894 and was granted its Royal Charter in 1920.[5] Physiotherapy became an all-graduate entry profession in 1992.[5] The APTA's Physical Therapy Outcomes Registry ceased operations after the 2022 MIPS reporting year.[9] APTA continues to promote value-based physical therapist services and the elimination of unwarranted variations in practice.[9]
The CSP organized the first WCPT Inaugural Congress, which took place in 1953.[5]
References
- Wikipedia, "Physical therapy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Occupational Outlook Handbook – Physical Therapists", bls.gov (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Physical therapy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wharton M. A. Health Care Systems I, Slippery Rock University. 1991. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Physical therapy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Conti A. A. (2014). "Western medical rehabilitation through time: a historical and epistemological review". TheScientificWorldJournal, 2014, 432506. https://doi (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Physical therapy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Fysioterapeut – nytt name på yet suk gymnast sedan 2014" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, "History of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy", Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. facts only, no text reused. csp.org.uk
- Wikipedia, "Physical therapy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Missouri Women in the Health Sciences – Health Professions – Development of the Field of Physical Therapy", beckerexhibits.wustl.edu (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Physical therapy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Neumann, "Historical Perspective—Polio: Its Impact on the People of the United States and the Emerging Profession of Physical Therapy", Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 2004, p. 479–492 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Physical therapy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "History: Abridged version of IFOMPT History", International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists (IFOMPT), 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "ABPTS homepage", American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. facts only, no text reused. abpts.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Physical therapy (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Physical therapy (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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