The History of Physiotherapy

There’s a common misconception that physiotherapy is a modern alternative treatment. In fact, it’s older than most people think. Some assume that it first came into existence in the early 19th century in Sweden, but that’s not entirely true. The history of physiotherapy stretches well beyond the 19th century. In fact, some evidence suggests that it can be traced beyond the Common Era as well.

Several ancient cultures actively practiced it in some form of the other. You can see evidence of it in Greek, Persian, Chinese, Indian, and Egyptian writings. Here’s a brief look at the history of physiotherapy.

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Ancient Accounts

There are several non-western sources of cultures where physical manipulation and therapy was practiced. You might be not be surprised when countries like Persia, China, India, and Egypt were mentioned, these countries have historically strong ties to various forms of medicine.

However, physical manipulation for pain relief was also prominent amongst the ancient people of Bali and Indonesia, the Lomi-Lomi people of Hawaii, the sabodors of Mexico, and the bone setters in Norway and Russia. The practices were wide and varied but their most prominent aspect was the manipulation of the body in some way or the other. This included massages, stretches, ointments, etc.

Perhaps, it won’t be surprising that the first concrete mention of physiotherapy in the west is in the writings by the father of medicine, Hippocrates. The year was 460BC and the famed master introduced the idea of using manual manipulation of the body to address pain. While this is the first mention, many scholars believe that the practice might have been around for some time.

Hippocrates described physical manipulation in such detail, it had to have been a practice that had taken a long time to develop and master. There are two treatments, one to address scoliosis and the other to address prominent vertebrae. In both cases, he suggested exercise after the treatments.

A surgeon named Claudius Galen from Rome was inspired by the works of Hippocrates. He published several texts, of which 97 survive. In 18 of them, he describes Hippocrates manipulations in detail, giving instructions and illustrations. This body of text is still considered a medical document and not a historical text. Some of the physical manipulations are still in use today. Hippocrates also inspired Avicenna of Bagdad, one of the most influential thinkers in the Islamic Golden Age. His Book of Healing served, in turn, as inspiration to other thinkers throughout Europe as it was translated into Latin. Leonardo Da Vinci, in particular, was inspired by it.

These evidences clearly indicated that the roots of physical therapy are ancient and one of the best thinkers in the world believed in its effectiveness.

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The Before 19th Century Accounts

Between those ancient times and the modern world, the physical manipulation and therapy techniques underwent a great deal of change. The writings of the following physicians and surgeons show just how the idea of physical therapy and manipulation kept surviving.

• Andreas Vesalius in 1543 gave a detailed description of the human body.
• Guido Guidi, or better known as Vidus Vidius, mentioned Hippocrates physical manipulation techniques in his book on surgery.
• In 1580, Ambrose Pare advised physical movement to address spinal curvature. He was a renowned French military surgeon.
• Friar Thomas, in 1656, published The Complete Bone Setter, which described such techniques in detail.
• In 1674, Johannes Scultetus published The Surgeons Storehouse, which included several of Hippocrates’ techniques.

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The 19th Century Accounts

As conventional medicine developed, the practice of physical therapy and manipulation slowed down. In the 18th century, all the renowned surgeons and physicians started to discard this practice as unscientific and risky. By the early 19th century, some even disdained it and called it an enemy of the true, scientific medical treatments.

To an extent, attitude is still present today. However, there 19th century saw a very rapid turn in medical practices. While other branches of science had developed with time, medical science seemed to become stagnant. In many cases, practices were even harmful.

At this time, people started to look at alternative medicines and physical therapy and manipulation again started to catch attention. The timeline this field of study followed in this age was comparatively rapid. While PT had experienced virtually no progress for several hundred years, if not a thousand years, the two centuries experienced a revival and the modernization of physical therapy.

Moreover, the entire practice was divided into chiropractic, physical therapy, and osteopathy. All three branches use the same tool, the body movement and manipulation, to achieve results. Here’s a timeline of the therapy in the modern age.

• 1817 – Per Henrik Ling establishes the Royal Institute of Gymnastics. This institute administered therapy through manipulation, massage, and exercise.
• 1887 – Physical Therapist got their first official recognition as they registered as medical practitioners at the National Board of Health and Welfare in Sweden.
• 1894 – Four nurses, Lucy Robinson, Elizabeth Manley, Rosalind Paget, and Margaret Palmer established the Society of Trained Masseuses, which went on to become the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in 1944.
• 1913 – The School of Physiotherapy is established in New Zealand by the University of Otago.
• 1914 – Reed Collage of Portland is founded in Oregon, which trains people in physiotherapy.
• 1917 – 1918 – The treatment is called Rehabilitation Therapy and used to treat injuries of World War I solders.
• 1920s – Sees an outbreak of polio and a growing demand of PTs. The field expands and evolves during this period.
• 1921 – A comprehensive research paper is published and the Mother of Physical Therapy Mary McMillan establishes American Women’s Physical Therapeutic Association, later known as American Physical Therapy Association.

After over hundred years of development, specialized physical therapy facilities for wounded World War II solders are established and physical therapy becomes firmly entrenched in medical science as a valid, effective solution.

If you want to know more about this ancient practice, you can get in touch with us at New Body Physiotherapy and Postural Management. Just fill in this contact us form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. You can also give us a call at 02 9958 2277.

Best Regards,
Corey Iskenderian