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World Physiotherapy Day 2026

World Physiotherapy Day has been observed annually on 8 September since 1996, a date that marks the founding of the current World Physiotherapy in 1951.

This date provides an opportunity to recognise the contribution of physiotherapy to health promotion, disease prevention, functional ability and the quality of life of the population.

In 2026, World Physiotherapy chose as the theme for World Physiotherapy Day the role of physiotherapy and physical activity in prevention, management and rehabilitation of cardiovascular disease and stroke. This is the first year of a four-year campaign dedicated to non-communicable diseases.

The campaign highlights the role of physiotherapists in promoting cardiovascular health, identifying risk factors, prescribing safe and personalised exercise programmes, reducing the risk of stroke, and supporting rehabilitation and functional recovery following a cardiovascular or neurological event.

The Portuguese Association of Physiotherapists, a member of World Physiotherapy since 2023, is joining in this celebration and is helping to translate and disseminate the campaign’s official materials into European Portuguese, thereby helping to raise awareness among professionals and the general public.

Folhetos informativos

Posters

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World Physiotherapy Day in pictures

As in previous years, the Portuguese Physiotherapists’ Association is once again organising the initiative “World Physiotherapy Day in Pictures”, inviting members to share up to three photographs illustrating local celebrations, accompanied by a brief description, for subsequent publication.

Entries should be sent to: comunicacao@ordemdosfisioterapeutas.pt

The submission must be accompanied by the declaration of transfer of image rights, available [here].

Note: Images showing users will not be accepted, unless accompanied by the aforementioned statement.

Pedro Maciel Barbosa

Specialist physiotherapist at the Matosinhos Local Health Unit Sub-coordinator for Primary Health Care, Matosinhos Local Health Unit Visiting Assistant Professor at the Porto School of Health Member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Health - SNS Member of the General Council of the Order of Physiotherapists

Carlos Sand

Carlos Areia has been a physiotherapist since 2013, and has worked in various hospitals, clinics and clubs in both Portugal and the UK. He began his academic career at Oxford University in 2016, where he led a clinical trial comparing physiotherapy vs surgery in anterior cruciate injuries in 32 hospitals in England. In 2018 she moved to the neurosciences department, where she developed her own studies on remote monitoring of vital signs, which were implemented during the pandemic. Here he discovered his passion for data, and in 2022, he joined Digital Science as a Data Scientist. He completed his PhD earlier this year, and has more than 60 publications in journals such as The Lancet, BMJ, Cochrane, among others. He is also an honorary lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and a consultant in clinical research.

Eduardo José Brazete Carvalho Cruz

PhD in Physiotherapy from the University of Brighton, UK. Post-Doctorate in Epidemiology from the National School of Public Health at the New University of Lisbon.
Coordinator of the Studies and Planning Office of the Order of Physiotherapists. Coordinating Professor of the Physiotherapy Department of the School of Health of the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal (ESS-IPS). President of the ESS-IPS Technical-Scientific Council. Coordinator of the Physiotherapy Department at ESS-IPS. Integrated Researcher at the Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC) (a partnership between FCM-UNL, the National School of Public Health, the University of Évora, the Lisbon Institute of Global Mental Health and Santo Espírito Hospital, Terceira Island, Azores).

Sara Souto Miranda

Sara Souto Miranda has a bachelor's and master's degree in physiotherapy from the University of Aveiro, and a postgraduate qualification in adult respiratory physiotherapy from the same institution. In 2023 she completed her double doctorate in Rehabilitation Sciences/Health, Medicine and Life Sciences at the Universities of Aveiro and Maastricht (Netherlands) and is currently working as a technical-scientific advisor to the Studies and Planning Office (GEP) of the Order of Physiotherapists, and as a guest lecturer at the Piaget Institute in Vila Nova de Gaia. As a member of the Respiratory Research and Rehabilitation Laboratory at the University of Aveiro (Lab3R), she has carried out applied research in which she has assessed and treated patients with respiratory pathology, having taken part in 6 research projects. Throughout her career she has published 19 scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals with an impact factor, 1 book chapter and more than 50 abstracts in conference proceedings. She was a research volunteer at the Ciro rehabilitation centre (Centre for expertise in chronic organ failure) in the Netherlands, and is currently a member of the Guideline Methodology Network of European Respiratory Society. She was honoured by European Lung Foundation e European Respiratory Society for carrying out patient-centred research, by the Directorate General for Higher Education with a merit grant for his master's degree, and by the Ciro Centre with a grant to support research abroad.

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