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A Description of the Trials, Reviews, and Practice Guidelines Indexed in the PEDro Database

CG Maher, PhD, is Director, Musculoskeletal Division, The George Institute for International Health, PO Box M201, Missenden Road, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia, and Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, Lidcombe, NSW, Australia
AM Moseley, PhD, is Senior Research Fellow, The George Institute for International Health and Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney
C Sherrington, PhD, is Senior Research Fellow, The George Institute for International Health and Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney
MR Elkins, PhD, is Research Physiotherapist, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney
RD Herbert, PhD, is Associate Professor, The George Institute for International Health and Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney

Address all correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Maher at: cmaher{at}george.org.au

This perspective provides an overview of the randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in physical therapy. Data from the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) are used to describe key events in the history of physical therapy research and the growth of evidence of effects of interventions used in the various subdisciplines of physical therapy. The 11,494 records that were identified reveal a rich history of physical therapy research dating back to the first trial in 1929. Most of the randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in physical therapy have been published since the year 2000. This rapid growth presents a challenge for physical therapists who want to keep up to date in clinical practice.