Are we being unfair to physical therapy agents?

Abstract

Physical therapy is the treatment of physical dysfunction or injury by the application of various modalities. It has been used for therapeutic purposes since ancient times for a variety of disorders. Due to study limitations, physical agents' clinical efficacy data are limited, despite being very widely used. Through our review of the literature, it is apparent from the publications that the numbers of patients are small and that the application methods are uncertain. In this review, the physiological effects, clinical effectiveness, and indications of physical therapy will be discussed according to literature. The role and importance of physical agents in therapy will be evaluated, and we will attempt to answer the question, "Are we being unfair to physical therapy agents?" © 2014 by Turkish Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.