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significant developments
Modern physical therapy began to take shape in the late 1800s as a way to treat rampant bone disorders throughout Europe. Rapid advancements in physical therapy techniques developed with the Polio outbreak in 1916 and the onset of World War I. Wounded soldiers and also children with disabilities soon received physical therapy treatments leading to the formal incorporation of PT as a healthcare practice. -
Early beginnings
Originating from a professional group dating back to Per Henrik Ling, who is well known as the “father of Swedish gymnastics,” physical therapy began as massage, manipulation, and exercise. These tactics were used to aid gymnasts in the Royal Central Institute of Gymnastics in 1813. By 1851, the term physiotherapy was coined, in both the German and the English versions. Over time, the word evolved from its respective languages to physical therapy. -
Changes in technology and education/certification requirements
Remote Patient Monitoring technologies are also gaining popularity in physical therapy. After physical therapists develop treatment programs, their patients can use wearable devices to track their progress and even monitor for correct form during exercises. In 1936, students only needed two years of education to practice physical therapy. The requirements increased to a four-year bachelor's degree in the 1960's. By the 1990's it increased again as all programs evolved to a Master's degree. -
Significant associations/organizations/journals
The organization that would become today’s American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) was established in 1924. Through the 1940s, PT treatments were primarily the utilization of massage, traction, and exercises, while manipulative therapies for the joints and spine began in the 1950s. -
Events
Physical therapy practice in the United States evolved around two major historical events: the poliomyelitis epidemics of the 1800s through the 1950s and the effects of the ravages of several wars.