GM Nostr! 💪🏼⚡️
Here’s a #throwback Thursday for physical therapy!
A fascinating historical tidbit about physical therapy is that it was pioneered by Sister Elizabeth Kenny, an Australian nurse, who made groundbreaking contributions to the field of physical therapy during the early 20th century. Her innovative approach to treating victims of influenza and later polio patients laid the foundation for modern physical therapy techniques.
Polio, also known as infantile paralysis, a devastating disease in Kenny’s time, with muscle fatigue and spasms in the limbs causing severe pain in many of its victims. When Kenny first encountered children with the condition, she was unsure how to relieve their suffering. On the basis of a recommendation by Dr. Aeneas McDonnell, a surgeon in Toowoomba, she decided to use heat as a pain-relieving measure. Kenny rejected the prevailing medical wisdom of applying dry heat, linseed poulticing, ice packs and immobilizing joints as they provided little comfort. Instead, she stretched cold limbs in warm baths, laying strips of hot moist cloth over affected areas, which appeared to reduce pain in some patients. This approach formed the basis of the Kenny method, which was later adapted to include physical therapies such as the bending and flexing of joints for rehabilitation.
Kenny's successful outcomes with this approach attracted attention from the medical community. However, her techniques faced resistance and skepticism from trained medical professionals who became increasingly outspoken in their criticism of her practices, which ran counter to the standard immobilization techniques (e.g., splints and braces) that were used to prevent skeletal and muscular deformity.
Nonetheless, Kenny persisted in applying her innovative methods, observing that limb stiffness was due to muscle spasms rather than inflammation as widely believed. She developed a working knowledge of nursing and eventually opened a small hospital where she reportedly used this method with success in treating polio patients.
Her revolutionary approach to treating muscle pain and injuries became the basis for modern physical therapy techniques. Kenny's principles of using heat packs, performing range-of-motion exercises, and avoiding rest immobilization which can cause deconditioning were adopted as core tenets in modern PT practice.
While her initial ideas faced resistance from a medical establishment clinging to outdated "rest and ice" protocols for treating musculoskeletal conditions, the successful outcomes of Sister Kenny's approach led to its eventual integration into mainstream physical therapy practice. This historical case highlights how new treatment paradigms can emerge through innovative clinical observations and patient-centered care, even in the face of initial professional skepticism and resistance.
In summary, Elizabeth Kenny's pioneering work revolutionized physical therapy by developing an innovative approach that treated muscle pain with heat and movement rather than ice and rest as was commonly done at the time. Her principles are still core tenets used today in modern physical therapy practice for treating a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions and injuries.
Source:
• Rogers, K. "Elizabeth kenny". Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 May. 2024,
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-Kenny.
• Kamienski, M. “Sister elizabeth kenny: Conviction and controversy”. Phys Ther. 1953 Feb;33(2):81-6,
Nurse Key
Sister Elizabeth Kenny: Conviction and Controversy
S • I • X Sister Elizabeth Kenny: Conviction and Controversy Mary Kamienski Sister Elizabeth Kenny 1952 “Fight Against Polio” seal, issued ...
