Introduction to

physiotherapy
Solomon Fasika Demissie, MSc.PT
Lecturer
Physiotherapy department
University of Gondar

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 Module Introduction

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Introduction to physiotherapy course
• Course description:
– This course is designed to give an introduction
about physiotherapy, professionalism, history
taking for physiotherapy and concepts about
disability and functioning
• Competency :
– The students will behave professionally and able
to take history as part of clinical diagnosis for
physiotherapy

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 Course objectives
1. Evaluate the basic characteristic of a physiotherapist and the
professional guidelines of physiotherapy profession

2. Describe the historical development and background of

physiotherapy as a profession

3. Analyze the role of physiotherapy in health care

4. Explain the concepts of disability and ICF ( International

Classification of Functioning, disability and health)

5. Demonstrate skills of history taking and clinical decision

making procedures on subjective assessment
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 Contents of presentation

• What is physiotherapy

• Historical development of physiotherapy

• Relevance of physiotherapy service

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 What is physiotherapy?
• It is a dynamic health care profession and
responsive to patient/client and societal
health needs

• Provides services to individuals and

populations to develop, maintain and restore
maximum movement and functional ability
throughout the lifespan

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 Continued
• Physiotherapy provides services in circumstances
where movement and function are threatened
by;
– ageing, injury, pain, diseases, disorders, or
environmental factors

• Functional movement is central to what it means

to be healthy

• What is the definition of Health?

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 Scope of physiotherapy
• Physiotherapy practice is not limited to direct patient/client
care, but also includes:

– Public health strategies

– Advocating for patients/clients and for health
– Leading
– Managing
– Teaching
– Research
– Developing and implementing health policy, locally, nationally
and internationally

NB: Please refer the FMHACA document for SOP!

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 Core skills of Physiotherapy

• Therapeutic exercise

• Manual Therapy

• Electro – physical modalities

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 What kinds of health conditions
need physiotherapists attention?

• Discuss for 3 min, in pair

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 What do Physiotherapists do?

• Broad range of physical problems but

particularly those associated with

– Neuromuscular
– Musculoskeletal
– Cardiovascular and respiratory conditions

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 Where physiotherapy is practiced?

• Discuss in group for 5 min and lists down

possible practice areas.

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Where physiotherapy is practiced?
• Physiotherapy is an essential part of the
health and community/welfare services
delivery system

• Physiotherapists practice;
– Independently of other health care/service
providers and
– Within interdisciplinary rehabilitation/habilitation
programs
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 Continued
• Physiotherapists practice in a wide variety of settings; where

Prevention, health promotion, treatment/intervention,

habilitation and rehabilitation take place that may include,

– Community based rehabilitation programs

– Community settings including primary health care centers,
individual homes, and field settings
– Education and research centers
– Fitness clubs, health clubs, gymnasium and spa, Sports
centers/clubs

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 Continued
– Hospitals, Nursing homes, Out-patient clinics
– Occupational health centers,
workplaces/companies, Prisons
– Public settings (e.g. shopping malls) for health
promotion
– Rehabilitation centers and residential homes
– Schools, including pre-schools and special schools
and senior citizen centers

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 What characterizes physiotherapy?
 Physiotherapy is directed towards the movement
needs and potential of individuals and populations

 Making a judgment on his or her own capacity to

provide specific services via self
 Examination/assessment
 Determine diagnosis and prognosis
 Intervention/treatment
 Re-examination

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 Historical Evolution of Physiotherapy
• The evolution was primarily due to injuries
sustained by the soldiers during wars and

• Advances in medicine that kept the soldiers dying

from these injuries

• This dynamic evolution made the physical

therapists develop educational and training
programs that lead to physiotherapy becoming a
profession
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 Historical Evolution of Physiotherapy
• The earliest documented origins of physiotherapy as a
professional group date back to Per Henrik Ling, “Father of
Swedish Gymnastics,”

• He founded the Royal Central Institute of Gymnastics

(RCIG) in 1813 for massage, manipulation, and exercise.

• The Swedish word for physiotherapist (physical therapist) is

“sjukgymnast” = “sick-gymnast.” In 1887, physiotherapists
were given official registration by Sweden’s National Board
of Health and Welfare.
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 Continued.
Other countries soon followed.
• In 1894 four nurses in Great Britain formed the Chartered
Society of Physiotherapy

• followed by The School of Physiotherapy at the University of

Otago in New Zealand in 1913,

• and in the United States’ in 1914 Reed College in USA, which

graduated “reconstruction aides.”

• Mary McMillan was the first ever registered physiotherapist

who published research article
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 Continued…
• Modern physiotherapy was established in Britain
towards the end of the 19th century.

• Soon following, American orthopedic surgeons

began treating children with disabilities and

• began employing women trained in physical

education, massage, and remedial exercise.

• These treatments were applied and promoted

further during the Polio outbreak of 1916.
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 Continued…
• During the First World War women were recruited to
work with and restore physical function to injured
soldiers,

• In 1918 the term “Reconstruction Aide” was used to

refer to individuals practicing physiotherapy.

• School of physiotherapy was established at Walter

Reed Army Hospital in Washington D.C. following the
outbreak of World War I.
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 Continued
• During the world war I between 1914 to 1917

• Between 1920 and 1930 physiotherapists

evolve in treating poliomyelitis

• Then in 1939 during the second world war

physiotherapist has contributed a lot

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 Physiotherapy In Ethiopia
• In the academic year 2002/2003 the Bachelor
of Science degree in physiotherapy started, at
University of Gondar

• In 2006 the first graduates came out from UOG

• There has been a physiotherapy training before

2006 with diploma and physiotherapy
assistance level
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 Physiotherapy in Ethiopia
• The physical rehabilitation services available in
the country are limited and concentrated in the
urban centers

• There are 13 governmental and non-

governmental physical rehabilitation centers
offering prosthetic-orthotic (P&O) services

• Several general and specialized hospitals are

also providing physiotherapy services
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 Taken from; rehabilitation service overview and reference for the medical
service in Ethiopia, December 2011

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Source of staff Number of Last known working status
persons

Pre-2006 various levels of training in & About 50 Practitioners in Ethiopia

out of Ethiopia (incl. diploma and
technician levels)
2006 Gondar University B.Sc graduates
80 All employed (Addis Ababa &
beyond) 2 left Ethiopia to pursue
further education (PT post-grad and
public health)

2007 Gondar University B.Sc graduates 47 All employed within Govt service

2008 Gondar University B.Sc graduates 40 All employed within Govt service

2009 Gondar University B.Sc graduates 54 13 employed within MoH

20 employed within private sector
21 unreported job status
2010 Gondar University B.Sc graduates 35 Unreported job status
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 Continued
• The above statistics indicate a maximum number of
practicing physiotherapy practitioners in Ethiopia,
to be 364

• This number is likely to be significantly lower due to

retirement, relocation and loss of professionals to
other sectors and professions, including Education

– Where several physiotherapists are employed to lecture

of Physiology and Anatomy, and are no longer working
in clinical practice
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 Discussion points
• Students will be divided into six groups.

• Discuss on the following topic;

1. Physiotherapy is at its infant development stage
in Ethiopia; why do you think it is less developed?
2. What are the reasons why physiotherapy is
relevant for Ethiopia?

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 Questions?

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