Tag: physiotherapy
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Best-Known Man in Adelaide
On the 17th January 1890, 21-year-old Hugo Leschen of Adelaide, South Australia was travelling to Stockport on the North train. Just as the steam engine pulled into the station a commotion broke out in a …
The Fall of Singapore
Following the First World War, Australia concluded that Japan’s expansionist ambitions in the Pacific posed the greatest threat to its national security. Britain was equally determined to protect its Asian territories — India, Burma, Malaya …
James Cyriax: Villain or Hero?
James Henry Cyriax was born in London in 1904 into a distinguished family of gymnastic directors — Swedish educated physiotherapists who combined physical education and manual therapy. His maternal grandfather, Jonas Henrik Kellgren (1837–1916), was …
Stolen Statue
In 1812, the Swedish government approved Pehr Henrik Ling’s application to teach gymnastics in Stockholm and receive a salary and premises through state assistance. Ling had developed a comprehensive system that included pedagogical (physical education), …
Earthquake in Pakistan
On the 20th Anniversary, a review of the impact of the 2005 earthquake on the physiotherapy profession in Pakistan. On 8 October 2005 an earthquake of magnitude 7.6 points on the Richter scale shook the …