Mini Review Volume 3 Issue 5 - February 2018 DOI: 10.19080/JYP.2018.03.555625 J Yoga & Physio Copyright © All rights are reserved by Krishna Nand Sharma Historical Roots of Physical Therapy Equipment for Cerebral Palsy Krishna Nand Sharma 1 *, Kuki Bordoloi 2 , Ankita Kashyap 3 , Mrityunjay Sharma 4 and Jyoti Sharma 5 1 Victoria University, Uganda 2 Guwahati Medical College, India 3 Department of Medicine, Gajraraja Medical College, India 4 Department of Respiratory Medicine, Banaras Hindu University, India 5 Undergraduate Student, MGH Medical College, India Submission: January 18, 2018; Published: February 08, 2018 *Corresponding author: Krishna Nand Sharma, Victoria University, Victoria Towers, Plot 113, Jinja Road, P.O. Box 30866, Kampala, Uganda, Tel: +256778866339, Email: Introduction Physical therapy is an integral part of Multidisciplinary (MDT) Approach for paediatric rehabilitation to promote both psychological and functional independence of the cerebral palsy children. It also increases the quality of life of both the child and their family [1-3]. The use of various devices and equipment in physical therapy has been documented [4]. This article explores the roots physical therapy and the use of physical therapy equipment in cerebral palsy. History of physical therapy Though the first physical therapy would have started as manual therapy when the first human would have fallen and then rubbed the injured part to get relief from pain, there are many well documented evidences too. The legendary physicians like Hippocrates and later Galenus had used physical therapy in forms of massage, hydrotherapy and other manual therapy techniques in 460 B.C. [5,6]. The root of term ‘physiotherapy’ goes back in the 19th century when Per Henrik Ling- the Father of Swedish Gymnastics founded the Royal Central Institute of Gymnastics in 1813 for “sjukgymnast” (sick-gymnast) which included massage, manipulation, and exercise [7]. The first use of the word physiotherapy is found in German Language as the word “Physiotherapie” in 1851 by a military physician Dr. Gleich [8]. 43 years of the German term “Physiotherapie”, Dr. Playter [9] coined the word “Physiotherapy”. He wrote in the the Montreal Medical Journal -“The application of these natural remedies, the essentials of life, as above named, may be termed natural therapeutics. Or, if I may be permitted to coin from the Greek a new term, for I have never observed it in print, a term more in accordance with medical nomenclature than the word hygienic treatment commonly used, I would suggest the term, Physiotherapy” [9]. History of cerebral palsy The story begins in 1830’s, when William John Little -a British surgeon started doing research on Cerebral Palsy which used to be an unnamed condition then. In 1861, he referred explained that it was the birth injury due to circumstance during labor in which “the child has been partially suffocated.” Since he was the first person to write about this disability, it is referred to as Little’s Disease [10]. The term Cerebral Palsy was first used in 1889 when Sir William Osler published his book Cerebral Palsies of Children [11]. Physical therapy in cerebral palsy The first Cerebral Palsy Clinic in United States of America (USA) was held 70 years ago on the 25th August, 1947 at the J Yoga & Physio 3(5): JYP.MS.ID.555625 (2018) 001 Abstract Physical Therapy is an integral part in the management of cerebral palsy children and use of different equipment is very common. This article explores the roots physical therapy and the use of physical therapy equipment in cerebral palsy. Keywords: History; Physical therapy; Physiotherapy; Cerebral palsy; Inventions