Sister Kenny Institute

The Sister Kenny Institute was a medical facility in Minneapolis, Minnesota, established by Australian nurse Elizabeth Kenny. Kenny developed an alternative method for treating polio, known as the Kenny method. This approach focused on using heat and physical therapy, such as bending and flexing joints, to alleviate pain and aid rehabilitation in polio patients. Despite initial skepticism from the medical community, who favored immobilization techniques, Kenny's method gained significant acclaim in the United States after she opened the Sister Kenny Institute in 1942. Her work was later overshadowed by the success of polio vaccines in preventing the disease.12