Physiotherapy in the 21st century: Why do we do it? Excellent question, one might ask. Why does the physiotherapist do this? Physiotherapy needs are very different today than they were many years ago. Today, people are living longer, soldiers are returning from war wounded, and people are surviving cancer. In the 21st century, these people want to live with the same quality of life to which they are accustomed. This is where physiotherapy comes in. 21st century physical therapists provide necessary services to gain people's trust so that we can educate them and give them appropriate treatment to help them live longer, have quality of life, and regain or maintain daily functions. when they suffered some sort of injury. Today, in the 21st century, people as a whole are living longer. The median life expectancy in the United States for the year 2010 was 78.3 years. This is a considerable drop if we consider that in 1959-1961, life expectancy for men was 66.8 years and that for women 73.2 years! The projected median life expectancy for 2020 is 79.51 years. Not only are people living longer, but they are also living more actively. Today's grandparents are not the same as those of the 1950s. They take Zumba classes, run marathons, and work in their gardens – all in their late 60s to mid-70s. 70. Additionally, we have grandparents raising their grandchildren, requiring them to be more physically active. While it's great for people to be as physically active as they age, they still expect everything to work like it did when they were 20 - but that's not the case - osteoarthritis becomes more common. sets in, injuries occur and physical therapy is necessary. Quality of life is a strong desire. This is o...... middle of paper .......2. Fitzgerald, G.K.; Piva, SR.; Gil, Alta.; Wisniewski, SR.; Oddis, CV.; & Irrgang, JJ. Agility and disruption training techniques in exercise therapy to reduce pain and improve function in people with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized clinical trial. Physical. April 2011;91;4:452-469.3. Waldrop, S.; Wojciechowski, M. The “bionic” warrior: advances in prosthetics, technology and rehabilitation. PT Mag Phys Ther. April 2007; 15(4): 60-66.4. Prevention (CDC). Cancer Survivors – United States, 2007. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. March 11, 2011; 60(9): 269-2725. Schwartz, A.L. Managing your side effects. In: Cancer Fitness. New York, NY: Fireside; 2004: 52-85.6. Dean, E. Physiotherapy in the 21st century (part 1): towards a practice informed by epidemiology and the crisis of living conditions. Physiother Practical Theory), July 2009; 25(5-6): 330-353