The history of physiotherapy dates back to the time of Hippocrates. Even in those times, patients were treated with methods such as massage, manual therapy, or hydrotherapy, which utilized the healing properties of water. However, professional physical therapy practices first emerged in the early 17th century in Europe. The Royal Central Institute of Gymnastics (RCIG), established in Sweden in 1813, is known as the first institution where physical therapy was practiced. Massage, manipulation, and exercise were conducted at this center. Sweden officially began granting official registration to physiotherapists in 1887 through the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare.

In Turkey, the foundations of the physiotherapy profession were laid with the establishment of the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation at Hacettepe University by Prof. Dr. İhsan Doğramacı in 1961. The Faculty of Health Sciences at Sakarya University of Applied Sciences was established in 2020 and admitted its first students in the 2020-2021 academic year. The techniques of physical therapy, which initially consisted of massage, traction, and exercise, have expanded over time, granting physiotherapists the authority to work in hospitals, medical centers, private education and rehabilitation centers, sports clinics and clubs, and many other fields.

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