Physical therapy or Physiotherapy

vaidyakalanidhi.Prof.C.K.Ramachandran.
FRCP(E-din),MRCP(Glasgow),MRCP(England), DTM-H(England).

Defining Physiotherapy


A health care profession that provides treatment to individuals to develop, maintain and restore maximum movement and function throughout life. It is applied in circumstances where movement and functions are threatened by aging, injury, disease or environmental factors.
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Defining Physiotherapy (contd.)



It is concerned with improving quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, treatment intervention, habilitation and rehabilitation.

The Physiotherapy Field



It involves the interaction between physical therapist (PT), patients, health professionals, families, care givers, and communities in a process where movement potential is assessed and goals are agreed upon, using knowledge and skills unique to physical therapists.

As a Coordinator


PTs use patients 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 such as xrays, electromyograms, nerve conduction studies and other laboratory results.

On the Move


PTs practice in many settings, such as outpatient clinics, private clinics, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, skilled nursing facilities, extended care facilities, private homes, education and research centers, schools, hospices, industrial workplaces or other occupational environments, fitness centers and sports training facilities.

History of Physiotherapy


Charaka, Susrutha, Hippocrates, Galen etc are believed to have been the first practitioners of physical therapy, advocating massage, manual therapy techniques and hydrotherapy to treat people in 460 B.C onwards.

History (contd.)


After the development of orthpaedics in the eighteenth century several equipments were developed to treat variety of joint disorders by promoting systematic exercises of the joints as well as wasted and week muscles.

History of Physiotherapy - Ayurveda

laaGavaM kmasaamaqyao-M dIptaaoignamao-dsa: Xaya: | ivaBa> Ganagaa~atvaM vyaayaamaadupajaayatao ||

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History of Documentation


Earliest documents on physical therapy date back to Per Henrik Ling Father of Swedish Gymnastics who founded the Royal Central Institute of Gymnastics (RCIG) in 1813 for massage, manipulation and exercise.

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Beginnings


In Great Britain four nurses formed the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in 1894 School of Physiotherapy at the University of Otago in New Zealand in 1913 And in United States' 1914 Reed College in Portland, Oregon, started the course in Physiotherapy.

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Beginnings (contd.)


The first physical therapy research was published in the United States in March 1921 Mary McMillan organized the Physical Therapy Association In 1924, the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation selected physical therapy as a treatment for polio.

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Evolution of physiotherapy


1940s physiotherapy included 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 physiotherapy became an integral part in almost all the teaching hospitals as well as several private institutions of India. Later that decade, physical therapists started to move beyond hospital based practice, to outpatient orthopedic clinics, public schools, colleges, geriatric settings, rehabilitation centers and medical centers.
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Evolution (contd.)


Specialization for physical therapy in the U.S. occurred in 1974, with the Orthopaedic Section of the APTA (American Physical Therapy Association) being formed for those physical therapists specializing in orthopaedics. In the same year, the International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy was formed, which has played an important role in advancing manual therapy worldwide ever since.

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Establishment as a recognized field



During the Second World War, when a large number of soldiers and civilians suffered injuries, the need for putting them back on health track became imperative. The situation gave rise to a new science of healing, now known as Physiotherapy. In short, it is the science of treatment of disease by exercise, massage, heat, light, electricity or other physical agencies. Now, physiotherapists are graduates, postgraduates and even PhDs, specializing in different disciplines of physiotherapy.

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Types of Physiotherapy


Specialization in specific clinical areas gradually developed and different types of physical therapy were classified. Specialties list seven certifications including sports physical therapy and clinical electrophysiology.

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Types of Physiotherapy (contd.)

World-wide the five more common specialties areas are:
    

Cardiopulmonary Geriatric Neurological Orthopaedic Pediatric

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Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy
Manual therapy is used in this field to assist in clearing lung secretions in cystic fibrosis. Disorders, including heart attacks, post coronary bypass surgery, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pulmonary fibrosis can benefit from cardiovascular and pulmonary specialized physical therapists .

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Geriatric Physiotherapy
There are many conditions that affect people as they grow older. These can include the following: arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, hip and joint replacement, balance disorders, incontinence, etc. In these cases, geriatric physical therapy can be applied.

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Neurological Physiotherapy
Neurological disorders include Alzheimer's disease, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, brain injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury, and stroke. Common impairments associated with neurological conditions include impairments of vision, balance, ambulation, activities of daily living, movement, speech and loss of functional independence.
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Orthopaedic Physiotherapy
Orthopaedic therapists are trained in the treatment of post-operative orthopaedic procedures, fractures, acute sports injuries, arthritis, sprains, strains, back and neck pain, spinal conditions and amputations. Joint and spine mobilization or manipulation, therapeutic exercise, neuromuscular reeducation, hot or cold packs, and electrical muscle stimulation (e.g. cryotherapy, iontophoresis, electrotherapy) are modalities often used to expedite recovery in the orthopaedic setting.

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Paediatric Physiotherapy
In a variety of congenital, developmental, neuromuscular, skeletal, or acquired disorders, treatments focus on improving gross and fine motor skills, balance and coordination, strength and endurance as well as cognitive and sensory integration.

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THANK YOU..

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