Physicians like Hippocrates and later Galenus are believed to have been the first practitioners of physiotherapy, advocating massage, manual therapy techniques and hydrotherapy to treat people in 460 B.C.
Physiotherapy focuses on human function and movement and maximising potential. It is concerned with identifying and maximising quality of life and movement potential within the scopes of promotion, prevention, treatment/intervention, and rehabilitation. It uses physical approaches to promote, maintain and restore physical, psychological and social well-being.