subject: Is Physical Therapy A New Treatment? [print this page] There are a lot of things that we think of as "new age" in today's society, but the truth is that many of these practices have actually been around for a very long time. Take, for instance, physical therapy. Now more than ever, doctors are referring their patients to physical therapists for a variety of different ailments. These ailments can range from loss of motion due to a neurological condition or an accident, to sports injuries and more. But unlike many people believe, physical therapy is not "new age" -- it has actually been around for a very long time.
The History
In fact, physical therapy may have been around as far back as the B.C. era. Hippocrates, a well-known historical physician, often advocated for massage and hydrotherapy for his patients. It wasn't until the eighteenth century, however, that orthopedics was truly developed, and that's when physical therapy started to take on a whole new meaning. At that time, machines were created that were supposed to help someone who needed to treat a disease by moving their limbs for them, or by making them exert force to move their muscles. These machines were used to treat everything from a cold to gout. The man who is known as the Father of Swedish Gymnastics, Per Henrik Ling, founded the Royal Central Institute of Gymnastics in 1813. Patients who went there could find cures in things like exercise, massage, and muscle manipulation. The therapists who worked there were eventually called physical therapists and, by 1887, they were given an official title by the National Board of Health and Welfare in Sweden.
It wasn't long after that other countries started to follow suit. The country of Great Britain developed the School of Physiotherapy, and New Zealand and the United States soon did the same. More and more research and money were put into physical therapy and discoveries were made as to what physical therapy could help with and what it couldn't. Treatment always consisted of massage, exercise, and later on, traction. Soon physicians began to learn how the joints could be manipulated and at one point it was even believed that physical therapy could help polio.
Today, physical therapists are in high demand. Their training is long and intensive and they have to know a great deal about the human body and the mechanics of it. They learn to specialize in different things, and they are often referred to by physicians for their vast knowledge. If your doctor has suggested that you visit a physical therapist to get treatment, you should take this recommendation seriously. Physical therapists are able to help the body in a variety of ways, and are able to help a number of different conditions. Most insurance companies will cover physical therapy visits because they know that it's the best way to ensure the full recovery of a patient. Those who do not have insurance will find that most physical therapy centers have payment options available.
