Tag: Manual therapy

The New Zealand Private Practice Boom

In the years before 1974, private physiotherapy practices were few and far between in New Zealand. Patients either paid the full cost of treatment themselves, or claimed against private insurance schemes which had highly unregulated fee structures and were unwilling to negotiate fees with physiotherapists locally or nationally.  With the

When Giants Collide: The Birth of Manipulative Physiotherapy

The following article is based on an article titled “History of IFOMT” by David W Lamb, Freddy M Kaltenborn and Stanley V Paris.  The three authors were pioneering leaders in their field and drivers of the formation of the, now known as, International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists (IFOMPT).

The Bonesetters of Brittany

In the Brittany (Western France) of yesteryear, there was a dearth of medical doctors practicing in the rural areas and when one could be found, his professional services were rarely affordable. Traditional healing treatments and remedies were therefore widely used; one of the local healers most commonly consulted was the

Forty Years of Dutch Manual Therapy

Introduction The 40th anniversary of the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Manuele Therapie (NVMT) in 2021 was a trigger for this historical review by Huub Vossen and Anton de Wijer.  Their writings were translated to English via an online translation application and edited by Glenn Ruscoe.   The genesis of manual therapy As

Request for help: The Historical Genesis of Manual Therapy

This post comes from Cameron MacDonald, IPHA Exec member, who trained originally in Australia and has been a practicing clinician and researcher in the USA. Cameron is currently working on a Ph.D. provisionally titled: Identifying the basis of manual therapy for the physiotherapy, chiropractic, medical and osteopathic professions: Is there

Mobilising a Profession: Geoffrey Maitland

…Maitland’s emphasis on very careful and comprehensive examination leading to the precise application of treatment by movement and followed in turn by the assessment of the effects of that movement on the patient, form the basis for the modern clinical approach. This is probably as close to the scientific method

A history of Spanish physiotherapy

In 2011the Spanish physiotherapy journal Cuestiones de Fisioterapia ran a special issue on the history of physiotherapy in Spain (link to full pdf of the journal). Very generously, the authors included English translations of many of the abstracts. Thanks to Glenn also for translating a version of the editorial through Google

Robin McKenzie: History’s Greatest Physios – People’s Choice Award

Robin McKenzie has received many awards, honours and titles during his career, and added to them is the International Physiotherapy History Association’s History’s Greatest Physios – People’s Choice Award.  The Award is based on the greatest number of nominations for inclusion in the list of History’s Greatest Physios. Robin Anthony

The history of manipulation

IPHA member Cameron MacDonald, along with Peter Osmothely, Robert Parkes and Darren Rivett have recently published an article in the Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy looking at the ongoing debate around the regulation of manipulative therapies in America. In the article, they take an historical approach to the question

The Man in the Middle of Modern American Physical Therapy

I think one of the best things PTs can do when they come out of school [is to] go in a hospital.  Work inpatient/outpatient.  Learn the medical side of things.  Learn things about illness, learn things about other disciplines… Mike Rogers has been a practicing physical therapist specializing in orthopedic

Translate »