physical therapy physical therapy physical therapy (pt), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. it is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient education, physical intervention, rehabilitation, disease prevention, and health promotion. physical therapists are known as physiotherapists in many countries. physical therapy / physiotherapymilitary physical therapists working with patients on balance problems, orthopedic, amputee, examining patient's strength, flexibility, joint range of motion balance and gait.icd-9-cm93.0-93.3meshd026761 disability theory and models disability theory ableism / disablism medical model social model education mainstreaming individualized education program (iep) special needs special school special education learning disability therapy physical occupational speech societal implications disability rights movement inclusion normalization people-first language pejorative terms sexuality and disability personal assistance unlicensed assistive personnel (adls) orthotics and braces prosthetics assistive technology assisted living mobility aid physical accessibility universal design web accessibility socioeconomic assistance social security disability insurance supplemental security income ticket to work disability living allowance disabled students allowance disabled persons railcard freedom pass assured income forthe severely handicapped groupsorganizations national telecommuting institute society for disability studies disabled peoples' international (dpi) visitability wethe15 parasports special olympics paralympic games deaflympics invictus games culture disability in the arts disability art disability in the media disabilitylists the career has many specialties including musculoskeletal, orthopedics, cardiopulmonary, neurology, endocrinology, sports medicine, geriatrics, pediatrics, women's health, wound care and electromyography. pts practice in many settings, both public and private. in addition to clinical practice, other aspects of physical therapist practice include research, education, consultation, and health administration. physical therapy is provided as a primary care treatment or alongside, or in conjunction with, other medical services. in some jurisdictions, such as the united kingdom, physical therapists have the authority to prescribe medication. overview physical therapy addresses the illnesses or injuries that limit a person's abilities to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives. pts use an individual's history and physical examination to arrive at a diagnosis and establish a management plan and, when necessary, incorporate the results of laboratory and imaging studies like x-rays, ct-scan, or mri findings. electrodiagnostic testing (e.g., electromyograms and nerve conduction velocity testing) may also be used. pt management commonly includes prescription of or assistance with specific exercises, manual therapy, and manipulation, mechanical devices such as traction, education, electrophysical modalities which include heat, cold, electricity, sound waves, radiation, assistive devices, prostheses, orthoses, and other interventions. in addition, pts work with individuals to prevent the loss of mobility before it occurs by developing fitness and wellness-oriented programs for healthier and more active lifestyles, providing services to individuals and populations to develop, maintain and restore maximum movement and functional ability throughout the lifespan. this includes providing treatment in circumstances where movement and function are threatened by aging, injury, disease, or environmental factors. functional movement is central to what it means to be healthy. physical therapy is a professional career which has many specialties including musculoskeletal, orthopedics, cardiopulmonary, neurology, endocrinology, sports medicine, geriatrics, pediatrics, women's health, wound care and electromyography. neurological rehabilitation is, in particular, a rapidly emerging field. pts practice in many settings, such as private-owned physical therapy clinics, outpatient clinics or offices, health and wellness clinics, rehabilitation hospitals facilities, skilled nursing facilities, extended care facilities, private homes, education, and research centers, schools, hospices, industrial and these workplaces or other occupational environments, fitness centers and sports training facilities. physical therapists also practice in the non-patient care roles such as health policy, health insurance, health care administration and as health care executives. physical therapists are involved in the medical-legal field serving as experts, performing peer review and independent medical examinations. education varies greatly by country. the span of education ranges from some countries having little formal education to others having doctoral degrees and post-doctoral residencies and fellowships. history exercise to shoulder and elbow to increase motion following fracture and dislocation of humerus is being given by an army therapist to a soldier patient. physicians like hippocrates and later galen are believed to have been the first practitioners of physical therapy, advocating massage, manual therapy techniques and hydrotherapy to treat people in 460 bc. after the development of orthopedics in the eighteenth century, machines like the gymnasticon were developed to treat gout and similar diseases by systematic exercise of the joints, similar to later developments in physical therapy. the earliest documented origins of actual physical therapy as a professional group date back to per henrik ling, "father of swedish gymnastics," who founded the royal central institute of gymnastics (rcig) in 1813 for manipulation, and exercise. up until 2014, the swedish word for a physical therapist was sjukgymnast = someone involved in gymnastics for those who are ill, but the title was then changed to fysioterapeut (physiotherapist), the word used in the other scandinavian countries. in 1887, pts were given official registration by sweden's national board of health and welfare. other countries soon followed. in 1894, four nurses in great britain formed the chartered society of physiotherapy. the school of physiotherapy at the university of otago in new zealand in 1913, and the united states 1914 reed college in portland, oregon, which graduated "reconstruction aides." since the profession's inception, spinal manipulative therapy has been a component of the physical therapist practice. modern physical therapy was established towards the end of the 19th century due to events that affected on a global scale, which called for rapid advances in physical therapy. soon following american orthopedic surgeons began treating children with disabilities and began employing women trained in physical education, and remedial exercise. these treatments were applied and promoted further during the polio outbreak of 1916. during the first world war, women were recruited to work with and restore physical function to injured soldiers, and the field of physical therapy was institutionalized. in 1918 the term "reconstruction aide" was used to refer to individuals practicing physical therapy. the first school of physical therapy was established at walter reed army hospital in washington, d.c., following the outbreak of world war i. research catalyzed the physical therapy movement. the first physical therapy research was published in the united states in march 1921 in "the pt review." in the same year, mary mcmillan organized the american women's physical therapeutic association (now called the american physical therapy association (apta). in 1924, the georgia warm springs foundation promoted the field by touting physical therapy as a treatment for polio. treatment through the 1940s primarily consisted of exercise, massage, and traction. manipulative procedures to the spine and extremity joints began to be practiced, especially in the british commonwealth countries, in the early 1950s. around the time that polio vaccines were developed, physical therapists became a normal occurrence in hospitals throughout north america and europe. in the late 1950s, physical therapists started to move beyond hospital-based practice to outpatient orthopedic clinics, public schools, colleges/universities health-centres, geriatric settings (skilled nursing facilities), rehabilitation centers and medical centers. specialization in physical therapy in the u.s. occurred in 1974, with the orthopaedic section of the apta being formed for those physical therapists specializing in orthopedics. in the same year, the international federation of orthopaedic manipulative physical therapists was formed, which has ever since played an important role in advancing manual therapy worldwide. education main article: physical therapy education educational criteria for physical therapy providers vary from state to state, country to country, and among various levels of professional responsibility. most u.s. states have physical therapy practice acts that recognize both physical therapists (pt) and physical therapist assistants (pta) and some jurisdictions also recognize physical therapy technicians (pt techs) or aides. most countries have licensing bodies that require physical therapists to be a member of before they can start practicing as independent professionals. canada canadian physiotherapy programs are offered at 15 universities, often through the university's respective college of medicine. each of canada's physical therapy schools has transitioned from 3-year bachelor of science in physical therapy (bscpt) programs that required 2 years of prerequisite university courses (5-year bachelor's degree) to 2-year master's of physical therapy (mpt) programs that require prerequisite bachelor's degrees. the last canadian university to follow suit was the university of manitoba which transitioned to the mpt program in 2012, making the mpt credential the new entry to practice standard across canada. existing practitioners with bscpt credentials are not required to upgrade their qualifications. in the province of quebec, prospective physiotherapists are required to have completed a college diploma in either health sciences, which lasts on average two years, or physical rehabilitation technology, which lasts at least three years, to apply to a physiotherapy program or program in university. following admission, physical therapy students work on a bachelor of science with a major in physical therapy and rehabilitation. the b.sc. usually requires three years to complete. students must then enter graduate school to complete a master's degree in physical therapy, which normally requires one and a half to two years of study. graduates who obtain their m.sc. must successfully pass the membership examination to become members of the ordre professionnel de la physiothérapie du québec (ppq). physiotherapists can pursue their education in such fields as rehabilitation sciences, sports medicine, kinesiology, and physiology. in the province of quebec, physical rehabilitation therapists are health care professionals who are required to complete a three-year college diploma program in physical rehabilitation therapy and be members of the ordre professionnel de la physiothérapie du québec (oppq) to practice legally in the country according to specialist de van gerard. most physical rehabilitation therapists complete their college diploma at collège montmorency, dawson college, or cégep marie-victorin, all situated in and around the montreal area. after completing their technical college diploma, graduates have the opportunity to pursue their studies at the university level to perhaps obtain a bachelor's degree in physiotherapy, kinesiology, exercise science, or occupational therapy. the université de montréal, the université laval and the université de sherbrooke are among the québécois universities that admit physical rehabilitation therapists in their programs of study related to health sciences and rehabilitation to credit courses that were completed in college. to date, there are no bridging programs available to facilitate upgrading from the bscpt to the mpt credential. however, research master's of science (msc) and doctor of philosophy (ph.d.) programs are available at every university. aside from academic research, practitioners can upgrade their skills and qualifications through continuing education courses and curriculums. continuing education is a requirement of the provincial regulatory bodies. the canadian alliance of physiotherapy regulators (capr) offers eligible program graduates to apply for the national physiotherapy competency examination (pce). passing the pce is one of the requirements in most provinces and territories to work as a licensed physiotherapist in canada. capr has members which are physiotherapy regulatory organizations recognized in their respective provinces and territories: government of yukon, consumer services college of physical therapists of british columbia physiotherapy alberta college + association saskatchewan college of physical therapists college of physiotherapists of manitoba college of physiotherapists of ontario ordre professionnel de la physiothérapie du québec college of physiotherapists of new brunswick/collège des physiothérapeutes du nouveau-brunswick nova scotia college of physiotherapists prince edward island college of physiotherapists newfoundland & labrador college of physiotherapists the canadian physiotherapy association offers a curriculum of continuing education courses in orthopedics and manual therapy. the program consists of 5 levels (7 courses) of training with ongoing mentorship and evaluation at each level. the orthopedic curriculum and examinations take a minimum of 4 years to complete. however, upon completion of level 2, physiotherapists can apply to a unique 1-year course-based master's program in advanced orthopedics and manipulation at the university of western ontario to complete their training. this program accepts only 16 physiotherapists annually since 2007. successful completion of either of these education streams and their respective examinations allows physiotherapists the opportunity to apply to the canadian academy of manipulative physiotherapy (campt) for fellowship. fellows of the canadian academy of manipulative physiotherapists (fcampt) are considered leaders in the field, having extensive post-graduate education in orthopedics and manual therapy. fcampt is an internationally recognized credential, as campt is a member of the international federation of manipulative physiotherapists (ifompt), a branch of the world confederation of physical therapy (wcpt) and the world health organization (who). scotland physiotherapy degrees are offered at three universities: robert gordon university in aberdeen, glasgow caledonian university in glasgow, and queen margaret university