Who Is The First Physiotherapist In The World?

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Who Is The First Physiotherapist In The World?

People may have practiced physiotherapy tens of thousands of years ago, but only in the last century have we truly recognized how important it is for treating and preventing injuries and complications. Today, physical therapy is widely known for treating pain and injuries. It is hard to imagine a time when people did not use these methods. We looked at the history of physiotherapy and how physiotherapists have developed their practices over time.

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Early History of Physiotherapy

Historians have discovered writings and medical evidence of treatments like hydrotherapy, recuperative massage, and sets of exercises from countries as ancient as India and China, as far back as thousands of years ago. Ancient Greece had the first professional physiotherapist.

As early as 460 B.C., Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician known as the father of medicine, used massage and manipulative therapy techniques to treat certain diseases. At the same time, Hippocrates and Hector began to use hydrotherapy in Ancient Greece. Even Aristotle, a citizen of Greece and a world-famous philosopher, insisted that oil massage could help you fight against tiredness.

Primarily based on the advice of Hippocrates and Plato, the ancient Greeks and Romans used exercise, massage, joint manipulations, hydrotherapy, and light therapy to cure various diseases.

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History of Physiotherapy (1800s to 1900s)

The 1800s witnessed the evolution of the modern concept of physiotherapy with the formation of the Royal Central Institute of Gymnastics (RCIG) in 1813 by Per Henrik Ling. Known as the Father of Swedish Gymnastics, Ling established his institute to help gymnasts recover from injuries. He used various types of massage, manipulation, and training to improve their performance and reduce damage caused by their activities. The education approach and workout regimens of the ancient Greek athletes inspired future generations, especially those in Europe and America.

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Beyond this Institute, other noteworthy landmarks in the 1800s include:

1. The medical doctor Dr. Lorenz Gleich gave the term Physiotherapy (curative therapy of illnesses) in the German language in 1851.
2. In 1894, four nurses—Lucy Marianne Robinson, Rosalind Paget, Elizabeth Anne Manley, and Margaret Dora Palmerin—founded the Society of Physiotherapy Charity in Great Britain.
3. In the same year, the word ‘Physiotherapy’ was coined in the English Language. It appeared in the Montreal Medical Journal only 43 years after the word ‘Physiotherapie’ was coined by a German doctor in 1891 named Dr. Edward Playter.<br />Only in the twentieth century, however, can physiotherapy be said to have had its unified history and the underlined.

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History of Physiotherapy (1900s to 2000s)</h2>

The 20th century brought many achievements in physiotherapy. Much of this progress came from the impact of two world wars. The outbreak of polio also played a major role. Later, the rise of computers changed healthcare and physiotherapy practices.

ustry. Some of the most notable milestones include:

• The founding of the School of Physiotherapy in 1913 at the University of Otago, New Zealand.
• Reed College, founded in 1914 in Portland, United States, originally taught Physical Therapy. Later, it established a branch in London.
• We will focus on the 1916 polio outbreak, when doctors helped patients with paralysis using passive movements. They used manual muscle testing to check muscle strength and worked to restore the function of weaker muscles.
• During the First World War, therapists treated American wounded soldiers using Zander’s Machines and Ling’s Swedish Movements.
• In the 1920s, the second episode of the polio outbreak placed further pressure on the physiotherapists, who were again successful in introducing new treatment techniques.</span>
• The Second World War applied the physiotherapy concept to create special clinics to treat amputations caused by shrapnel, burning, cold, wounds, fractures, nerves, and spinal injuries.</span>
• The year 1954 marks the creation of a 7-hour professional competency test by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) in partnership with the Professional Examination Service.</span>

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