Although the beginning of manual therapy dates back to prehistoric times, the first applications for therapeutic purposes were during Hippocrates' lifetime (460-380 BC). Physiotherapists started using manual therapy methods after World War I.

Dr. James Cyriax and Osteopath Alan Stoddart are important names who pioneered the inclusion of manual therapy methods in physiotherapy practices.

Manual therapy reflects selected passive or active assistive techniques such as stretching, mobilization, manipulation and muscle energy-related methods performed by the physiotherapist using hand maneuvers. Each application; It aims to modulate pain, reduce or eliminate soft tissue inflammation, improve contractile and non-contractile tissue repair, increase flexibility and/or stability, and normal range of motion to return to function and facilitate movement.