Essay On Physical Therapy

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Physical therapy (PT) is a health profession that uses mechanical force and movements (bio-mechanics or kinesiology), manual therapy, exercise therapy, and electrotherapy, to remediate impairments and promote mobility and function. Physical therapy is used to improve a patient's quality of life through examination, diagnosis, prognosis, and physical intervention. It helps patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility - in many cases avoiding expensive surgery and often reducing the need for long-term use of prescription medications and their side effects.It is performed by physical therapists (also known as physiotherapists in other countries). In addition to clinical practice, other activities included in the physical therapy profession consist of research, education,…show more content…
In 1887, PTs were given official registration by Sweden's National Board of Health and Welfare. Physical therapists became registered as a professional organization in Britain in 1894 and the United States in 1921. The first physical therapy school was established in 1914 at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and graduated "reconstruction aides." When the polio epidemic became widespread in the United States in 1916, the need for muscle testing and muscle re-education to restore function grew dramatically. The United States entered World War I in 1917, and the Army recognized the need to rehabilitate soldiers injured in the war. As a result, the Army Medical Department developed 15 “reconstruction aide” training programs in 1917 to respond to the need for medical workers with expertise in rehabilitation. During the 1920s the partnership of physical therapists with the medical and surgical communities grew, and the profession of physical therapy gained public recognition and

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