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Kinesiotherapy History

In 1982, the Council on Professional Standards for Kinesiotherapy (COPS-KT) was established. In 1986, mandatory continuing education requirements were set to maintain registration. In that same year, Professional Evaluation Service (PES), a national testing service was contracted to standardize and administer the national certification examination.

Following completion of a baccalaureate program in exercise science or equivalent, individuals who successfully pass the certification examination become Registered Kinesiotherapists (RKT). RKT's who meet continuing education requirements set by COPS-KT qualify for listing on its national registry.

The name Corrective Therapy was formally changed to Kinesiotherapy in 1987 and the national organization became know as the American Kinesiotherapy Association.

In the continuing effort to meet and maintain the highest standards for rehabilitation, Kinesiotherapy was formally recognized as an allied health profession by a national accrediting body, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), in April 1995. This attainment culminated many years of moving forward in health care excellence.

Adapted from "Kinesiotherapy - Then and Now, by Warrant Smith, RKT, March 1994. Synopsis by Susan Raich, RKT and Lorie Hansen, MS, RKT