Physical Therapy is concerned with the restoration of function and prevention of disability following disease, injury or loss of a body part. As members of the medical team, physical therapists assist patients with temporary or permanent disability to achieve the highest possible degree of recovery. Their goal is to help the patients reach their maximum potential and assume their due place in the society while learning within the limits of their capabilities.
As a clinical science, physical therapy is a process of continuous evolution. The explosion in technology and knowledge in physical therapy itself is like a new clinical practice being undertaken, where relevant findings from scientific and clinical investigations are overwhelming. We are entering a period in which health science curricula worldwide are undergoing dramatic transformations and experiencing significant structural changes which are likely to shape the practice of physical therapy for decades.
New theoretical perspectives and data-based findings are providing considerable challenges that require rethinking of the traditional methods of practice and the ability to function with the flexibility needed to keep abreast of such new developments. Moreover, physical-therapy service provisions have been extended from a medically based institution to a variety of community, educational and social service agencies, as well as a private practice.
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