THE World Physiotherapy Day is being observed globally today (Sept 8), with the focus this year being on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke under the slogan ‘Move more’ which covers both prevention and recovery. Sedentary lifestyles, uncontrolled blood pressure, diabetes and obesity are driving modern humans the wrong way, and limited access to structured rehabilitation facilities makes things worse. Even a modest increase in physical activity leads to health benefits. This is backed by evidence that keeps getting stronger.

Physiotherapy-led prevention typically combines exercise prescription, structured behaviour change support, and group-based activities. Together, these interventions improve health and reduce the intensity of risk markers. Physiotherapy itself is changing fast. A wave of fresh research shows mobile-health apps, wearable sensors and even virtual-reality games are now woven into rehabilitation programmes, letting patients exercise safely at home while the therapists track heart rate and progress in real time.

Stroke recovery rests on equally strong ground. Physiotherapists intervene early, through proper positioning and gentle mobilisation, range-of-motion exercises, and task-specific training. As recovery progresses, this extends to strength, balance and coordination work, and functional practice geared towards daily activities. The aim is not simply survival, but a genuine return to routine life. Patients treated at an organised stroke unit where physiotherapy runs alongside medical and nursing care are more likely to be independent within a year compared to those treated in a general setting.

Policymakers in Pakistan need to write physiotherapy explicitly into national health strategy, widen insurance coverage for rehabilitation, and invest in training and stable careers to facilitate the patients and encourage young people to join the national physiotherapy workforce to match the need. For Pakistan, where heart disease and stroke are rampant, treating physiotherapy as essential rather than optional is no longer a choice. It is an urgent necessity.

Tayyaba Iqbal
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2026