Physical Therapy Forged From Rich History

Realistically, the concept of physical therapy predates the written record. Even our primitive ancestors were not estranged from the advantages of rehabilitation. But as a viable institution on paper, physical therapy boasts a compelling history worth telling. Nationalists and zealous historians of the like will of course claim that it was born of their people, but most unbiased parties agree that physical therapy was probably started by the ancient Greeks. Thus the concept of physical therapy, which was at its founding more or less of a few staple guidelines, was unveiled to the rest of the world.

The history of the physical therapy that we know is best exposed through the epidemics and wars that took place during the early and mid 20th century, as they were the very events that necessitated its revival. Britain had allegedly adopted physical therapy as a nationally recognized profession just before these events, in the latter decades of the 19th century (although there was already a "small" poliomyelitis issue before then). The majority of the participants in the field were women. Other industrialized nations, including America, followed suit soon after.

The upper east coast of the United States was hit hard by a poliomyelitis epidemic in the early 20th century, giving rise to a prominent boom in the physical therapy industry. The men and women of the industry rose to the challenge and exposed the true rehabilitative power of physical therapy. This in turn prompted the government and the people to encourage the growth of such a useful trade through supportive legislation and public approval.

Popularity aside, burgeoning physical therapists knew that their job security depended on the general public realizing that physical therapy was more than just a useful reaction to a crisis situation. Their need for permanence was satisfied after the World Wars and the Korean War, where their services were called upon heavily once again. From that point on, especially after the poliomyelitis was eradicated in the early 60s, physical therapy was engrained into American society. The professionals in the field now face their biggest challenge yet, the baby boomers.