About Physical Therapy (PT)

(Excerpt from "A Closer look: Focus on Physical Therapy" by Andrew Guccione, PT, PhD, FAPTA)

"Although the use of certain techniques of physical therapy goes back to ancient times, the modern profession of physical therapy developed in the twentieth century, in the wake of World War I. The very first modern American physical therapists were trained to work with soldiers returning from the war, and several groups of ěreconstruction aides,î as they were then called, actually were sent to military hospitals in France to institute early rehabilitation with wounded veterans.

Todayís physical therapist is a direct descendant of these brave women (and a few men). Physical therapists now practice in a wide variety of settings, with patients from all age groups. Many people are familiar with physical therapistsí work helping patients with orthopedic problems, such as low back pain or knee surgeries, to reduce pain and regain function. Others may be aware of the treatment that physical therapists provide to assist patients recovering from a stroke in learning to use their limbs and walk again. If you are old enough to remember the midcentury polio epidemics, you might be aware of the important role that physical therapists played in helping people with this disease minimize or overcome its paralyzing effects. Each of these recollections captures the essence of physical therapists. In todayís health care system, physical therapists are the experts in the examination and treatment of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular problems that affect peoplesí abilities to move the way they want and function as well as they want in their daily lives."

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