一般認為，臺灣的物理治療服務萌芽於1950年代，少有文獻以收集和整理史料的方式，勾畫出臺灣日治時期（公元1895~1945年）物理治療的相關情況。本文介紹三個內容：(1)1945年前日本的物理治療；(2)1945年前臺灣的物理治療；(3)臺灣有物理治療但未有正規物理治療師的年代。綜合有限的史料，臺灣的物理治療首於1930年代出現，在民間的服務是以光線治療和經皮電刺激療法為主；運動療法、行走訓練和輔具使用的普及情況尚無足夠資料作判斷。

In most people’s minds, physical therapy service in Taiwan was originally developed in the 1950s. Whether or not physical therapy existed in Taiwan during Japanese colonial period (1895–1945 AD); however, it has not been fully investigated. The present article illustrates three components: (1) physical therapy in Japan before 1945; (2) physical therapy in Taiwan before 1945; (3) the era in which physical therapy was not necessarily performed by physical therapists in Taiwan. Based on collected documents, physical therapy in Taiwan firstly appeared in the 1930s, as phototherapy and electrotherapy gained a certain popularity. But, documents on therapeutic exercises, gait training, and usage of assistive devices are lacking.