06/09/2026
The theme for this year’s World PT Day on 8 September is the role of physiotherapy and physical activity in the prevention, management, and rehabilitation of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Cardiovascular Disease:
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally.
- Each year, cardiovascular disease (CVD) claims over 20.5 million lives - representing over 30% of all global deaths. 85% of these are due to heart attack and stroke.
- Physiotherapists can help to prevent CVD. They:
1. can help identify people at higher risk of heart disease
2. design safe, personalised exercise programs
3. encourage regular physical activity
4. promote early detection and early action
5. spot warning signs
- Physiotherapists can help people manage their CVD, become more active, and reduce the chance of further cardiac events, such as a heart attack.
Stroke:
- 1 in 4 of us will have a stroke in our lifetime, but almost all strokes can be prevented.
- Just 30 minutes of exercise five times a week can reduce your risk of stroke by 25%.
- Physiotherapists play an important role in reducing stroke risk, especially by supporting people to be more physically active and manage long term health conditions.
- Rehabilitation is an important part of recovery after a stroke - it helps people get back to doing everyday activities, improves quality of life, and supports independence.
- Exercise-based physiotherapy has been shown to improve physical function, mobility, balance, and quality of life at all stages of stroke recovery — from hospital care to long term community rehabilitation.
