This is a collection of our latest and greatest content from our talented writers.
Tag: Featured
Celebrating Pehr Henrik Ling’s 250th Birthday
Today is the 250th anniversary of the birth of the Pehr Henrik Ling. Ling developed a systematic approach to physical exercise known as the Swedish system of gymnastics. The approach was based on anatomical and …
The Origins of French Physiotherapy
When we think about the history of physiotherapy, the story we usually tell is largely an English-speaking one: the development of massage, exercise and physical rehabilitation in Britain, Scandinavia, Australia and North America, followed by …
The Vote of ’76
In August 1976, Australian physiotherapy underwent one of the most significant transformations in its history. By an overwhelming vote, the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) abolished a long-standing ethical rule that required patients to obtain a …
Derangement from Cyriax to McKenzie
You may have heard the term “derangement” and immediately thought of Robin McKenzie’s Derangement Syndrome. But the story of the term goes back further. McKenzie was strongly influenced by the work of British orthopaedic surgeon …
Spanish Physiotherapy 1903 – 2024
In his new book, Fisioterapia 1903–2024: Lento reconocimiento como ciencia propia (y hay quien lo niega, todavía) (Physiotherapy 1903–2024: Slow Recognition as a Distinct Science [and There Are Still Those Who Deny It]), physiotherapist Lendoiro-Salvador …
Agnes Wenham – Paediatric Pioneer
Agnes Wenham, a physiotherapist who trained in Sweden and England, was a well-known character in the profession, especially in Johannesburg, where she practised for many years. She moved to South Africa from the United Kingdom as …
Olive Millard – An Extraordinary Life
It is rare to find physiotherapists writing about their experiences (Nicholls, 2021), which makes Olive Millard’s (1952) autobiography Under My Thumb so important. A summary of Millard’s professional career is written by Goldstone (2024) and …
Ukraine’s Short History of Physical Therapy
Before the restoration of Ukraine’s Independence in 1991, rehabilitation occurred within the Soviet paradigm, which set itself in opposition to Western ideology – not out of rational consideration, but out of the need to be …
The Making of World Physiotherapy
On the 8th September 1951, delegates representing seventeen national physiotherapy associations met in Copenhagen, Denmark to establish the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT); now World Physiotherapy. Seventy-five years later it represents more than 600,000 …
History Quiz
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of World Physiotherapy (formerly the World Confederation for Physical Therapy – WCPT) on 8 September 2026, we’ve created a special 75-question challenge to put your knowledge of the profession to …