A study on the definition and development direction of manual therapy

도수치료의 정의에 대한 고찰 및 발전 방향에 관한 연구

Background: The legal and academic definitions of manual therapy in domestic and foreign countries are reviewed, and problems and improvement plan of manual therapy are established through comparative analysis of the current status and system of manual therapy in Korea and abroad. Design: Review. Methods: In this study, the development direction of manual therapy in Korea was derived by analyzing the definition, application status, and service system of domestic and foreign manual therapy. Results: Firstly, it lays the foundation for a more comprehensive national health promotion by solving problems arising from the current unclear definition of manual therapy. Secondly, the subject of manual therapy is a physiotherapist but the subject of claiming non-benefit costs is a doctor, moreover illegal manual therapy by an unqualified or non-professional who is not a physiotherapist is being carried out in the medical field. Thirdly, in order to provide quality physiotherapy services (manual therapy) under a cooperative relationship between medical staff and physiotherapists, it is appropriate that physiotherapist have a clear "prescription" or "request" by a doctor. Fourth, there is no provision for the preparation of medical records in the current Medical Technicians Act, and this causes safety accidents of patients during manual treatment. Conclusion: As described above, the current manual therapy in Korea is being performed indiscriminately without a clear interpretation, resulting in various problems. I think it is necessary to lay the foundation for institutional and legal re-establishment of manual therapy through additional research on manual therapy in the future.