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Physicians like Hippocrates and Galenus were believed to be the first practitioners of physical therapy
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The gymnasticon was created in the 18th century to treat gout and similar diseases by systematic exercises of the joints
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The earliest documented origins of physical therapy as a professional group date back to Per Henrik Ling
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Physical Therapists were given official registration by Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare
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Four nurses in Great Britain formed the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
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Modern Physical Therapy was established towards the end of the 19th Century
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The physical therapists formed the first professional association called the American Women’s Physical Therapeutic Association
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During World War I, women were recruited to rehabilitate injured soldiers and the field of physical therapy was institutionalized
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The term “Reconstruction Aide” was used to refer to individuals practicing physical therapy and the first school of physical therapy was established at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington D.C. following the outbreak of World War I
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The first physical therapy research was published in the United States
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The American Physical Therapy Association’s first journal, P.T. Review, debuted
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The American Orthopaedic Association recommended that Warm Springs be designated a permanent hydrotherapeutic center
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In the 1940s, the American Physical Therapy Association was created
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The first examination for physical therapy took place
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By 1967 to 1968, all physical therapists had to have their state license because many states had licensure laws by this time
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Specialization areas for physical therapy occurred
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The first National Physical Therapy Month was celebrated October 1992. The goal of the month is to engage with local communities and educate consumers about how physical therapy can help keep people active and fit, and age well.
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The first edition of “A Guide to Physical Therapist Practice” was published to give readers a thorough understanding of the contributions physical therapists bring to health care.
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First Clinical Residency and Fellowship Programs Are Approved for Credentialing. A physical therapy clinical residency was designed to advance a resident’s expertise in the management of patients and clients in a defined area of clinical practice.
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The exam was made available to state licensing boards, and throughout the 1950s, a growing number of states developed state practice acts for physical therapy, along with state licensure for physical therapists. But it wasn't until 2003 after Kansas became the final state achieve licensure for PTs that enactment of the bill meant that physical therapists were now officially licensed in all 50 states.