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Kinesiotherapy History

Kinesiotherapy (formerly Corrective Therapy) is an allied health profession that has been in existence since 1946. The roots of this profession began during World War II. With the increased survival of troops suffering from illness or injury, there was a great demand to return soldiers to active duty. Corrective physical reconditioning units were established to enhance this process.

Early pioneers in the emerging field of rehabilitation medicine were U.S. Surgeon General Major Norma T, Kirk and Dr. Howard Rusk. By 1946, they had overseen the training of physical reconditioning specialists for the armed forces with funding and support from the federal government. Employing exercise and mobility programs, these "Corrective Therapists" in the military provided a program of treatment for convalescing troops, increasing the demand for this specialty in the Armed Forces. The early leads in rehabilitation saw the need to organize and accredit these new specialists accordingly.

In 1953, the American Corrective Therapy Association (the predecessor of the AKTA), realized the need for credentialing process and formally adopted a certification examination to establish a consistent level of competency. The process of credentialing and establishing academic programs has evolved throughout history. In 1980, the clinical training requirements increased from 40 to 1,000 hours.