The History Of Physiotherapy And Manual Therapy

Physiotherapy is now an established profession specialising in treating patients with musculoskeletal disorders

. It's origins go as far back as medicine itself with the first documented evidence found in the work of Hippocrates (450-385 BC), referred to as the father of medicine, who advocated traction and manipulation for spinal disorders. The Roman surgeon Galen (131-202 AD) and the Middle Eastern physician Avicenna (980-1037 AD) developed Hippocrates' techniques and provided many illustrations. It appears that manual therapy (the use of one's hands to produce a therapeutic effect) was integral to conventional medicine until the 18th century. It is thought that manual therapy became discouraged by doctors at this time due to the outbreak of tuberculosis which causes severe spinal weakening. Medicine focused its attention on pharmacological and surgical cures while manual therapy became the skill of "bonesetters" - lay persons skilled in the art of manual healing and who passed on their knowledge from generation to generation.

In 1813 Pehr Hendrik Ling founded the Royal Central Institute for Gymnastics in Stockholm, which specialised in treatment by physical exercise and massage. This was the beginning of physiotherapy as we know it today. From this time physiotherapists began to work alongside medical practitioners in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders such as polio. The chartered Society of Physiotherapists was born in 1894. Further revival of manual therapy as a conventional treatment occurred in 1874 when Andrew Still, a medical doctor, developed what would later be known as Osteopathy in the USA. Around the same time Daniel Palmer developed Chiropractic and both set up individual colleges to teach their approaches to others in the USA and later the UK. English medical doctors began to take an interest in manual therapy from the 1920's, in particular John Mennel and James Cyriax and taught large groups of physiotherapists. In this way physiotherapists began to use manipulative techniques and refine methods of assessment in addition to their massage and exercise skills.

Physiotherapists, many of whom had trained and worked with both osteopaths and chiropractors, then began to expand and develop their manual therapy approaches. The 1950's and 1960's was an era of manual therapy revolution with many physiotherapists becoming internationally recognised as key players in manual therapy: Geoffrey Maitland of Australia, Freddie Kaltenborn of Norway, Gregory Grieve from England and Stanley Paris from New Zealand to name but a few. These pioneers eventually organised the International Federation of Orthopaedic Manual Therapy to drive forward manual therapy within the physiotherapy profession worldwide. Since then there have been major advances in Manual Therapy with new scientific evidence underpinning it's mechanisms of action and efficacy. It is now seen as a safe, effective and specialised treatment for the management of musculoskeletal disorders.

At HFS we integrate the highest standards of manual therapy and therapeutic exercise to treat our clients. We also incorporate other tools such as video gait analysis and acupuncture to provide a holistic approach to treatment. We pride ourselves on using the most up to date clinical concepts while having a great awareness and appreciation of those clinicians who have come before us- we believe this is what makes us better at what we do. HFS- Dedicated to Getting Better.

by: joseph

POST COMMENT

Novel And Affordable Employee Benefits That Your Workers Will Cherish How To Build A Cabinet From Scratch: Plans Materials And Tools Alcoholism And Divorce Law Questions General Well-being With Chiropractic And Acupuncture Portable Toilets And Showers For Any Application Across The Uk Ebook Conversion Company Know About Its Role And Usage Addiction Intervention Facilities And Their Advantages Dhow Cruise Dubai And Dubai Yacht Cruises Hp 655733-b21 Effective, Durable And Better Sata Hard Drive A Hip And Trendy Revival As The Freya Tankini Shows Us Sexy Again. Safer Methods Of Eradicating Insects And Bugs A Medication Used For The Treatments Of Heartburn And Gastric Ulcers Diabetes And Its Relation To Oral Health