Physiotherapy is a profession synonymous with its hands, however there are many objects we also use. The 100 Objects of Physiotherapy project of the International Physiotherapy History Association (IPHA) aims to tell a story of the profession through its tools.
Some of the objects chosen are iconic, others are idiosyncratic, but all tell stories about physiotherapy from its earliest iterations to today. The exhibition includes everyday objects like ice and towels because they are such a large and persistent tool of the profession. In some cases nothing was also included, such as the empty space of plinth’s face hole – an innovation that allowed patients to more fully relax in the prone position. Some objects have strong historical use but are absent today, whilst others have persisted.
The first stage of the project is now complete with all one hundred objects on display at the IPHA’s website.
The IPHA is now working on the second stage of the project to provide a short descriptor of each object. Stage three aims to provide more information and stories from practitioners and patients on how the objects were and are used, and their effects.
Whilst the IPHA is an organisation that looks to the past it was the first physiotherapy association to adopt the .physio domain extension with the exact match of www.history.physio; summarising what they do in the most succinct manner. The site is fast becoming a treasure trove of stories and images from the profession’s past that go a long way to explaining why we are who we are.
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