The growth of clinical standards and the birth of the MPA conference

The maintenance of high standards of academic training and clinical practice has been a paramount feature of MPA since the inception of the group, with an Academic Standards Committee being part of the organisational structure of the MTAA from the very beginning.

By the early 1970s it was becoming apparent that more comprehensive courses were needed to maintain a high standard and keep pace with the expanding body of knowledge. The MTAA was the first body to recognise this need, and approached two Australian physiotherapy schools. As a result, the first full-time 12-month diploma courses were run in 1974 in Adelaide and Perth. In a huge show of professional support, these courses were initially funded largely by private donations from MTAA members. At the same time, to encourage high standards internationally, Australia, through the MTAA, was a founding member of the International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapists (IFOMT) in 1974.

Graduate diploma programs became available in Sydney in 1978, and in Melbourne in 1980. These programs included advanced training in peripheral musculoskeletal conditions in addition to spinal manipulative therapy. Programs were later developed at the University of Queensland, Curtin University of Technology and, most recently, the University of Western Australia.

To keep membership standards in line with these developments, in 1978 the MTAA changed its eligibility criteria to completion of one of the formal, 12-month postgraduate programs.

The year 1978 also saw the MTAA hold its inaugural Biennial Conference in Sydney – the first of a long-running series which evolved into the well-known MPA Biennial Conference, the fourteenth of which was held in 2005 in Brisbane. The MPA Biennial Conferences have achieved an international reputation for showcasing the quality and breadth of musculoskeletal research and clinical excellence.

The late 1970s saw another first - the MTAA became the first organisation in Australia to support musculoskeletal research by founding the Back Pain Research Foundation (WA, 1979). The aim of the foundation was to encourage and provide funding for research into manipulative therapy and related topics. This foundation continued until the early 1990s, when its accumulated funds were transferred to the newly established Physiotherapy Research Foundation.

The MTAA continued to introduce new ideas to the physiotherapy profession, with the first formal Mandatory Continuing Education Scheme established in 1983. This scheme, which was later adapted and successfully incorporated into the membership requirements of the APA, made it mandatory for all MTAA members to continuously update their clinical knowledge and skills in order to maintain their association membership. Further in 1983 the Australian College of Physiotherapists introduced a program of fellowship by specialisation. Successful candidates became Fellows of the College, the highest clinical professional qualification available to physiotherapists in Australia. This process of specialisation was developed with some input from the MTAA, with three of the four founding members of the MTAA (Geoffrey Maitland, Brian Wilson, Patricia Trott) becoming the first Fellows by Specialisation.

The group continued to strive for the upkeep of high professional standards, and set up a national committee in 1993 to put together a nationally coordinated program of continuing education and professional development courses. The aim of the program was to provide all members with ongoing opportunities to update their skills and clinical knowledge by providing access to courses and research updates from the best in the profession.