They help patients, adults and children alike, to recover from physically limiting lesions and diseases, and perform exercises with them that contribute to develop and maintain their autonomy. In this World Physical Therapy Day, that focuses on the importance of such care, we pay tribute to all physiotherapists and in particular to the nearly 150 working daily in 18 services of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in hospitals and clinics of Hospital da Luz network. This year, the motto of the World Physical Therapy Day, which was established by World Physiotherapy, is to “Prevent and treat arthritis” , in particular some forms of inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis. This way, attention is drawn to the decisive role of physiotherapy to help people affected by these health conditions, and also to the importance of a regular practise of such exercises in the management of any form of inflammatory arthritis. In the photos, Hospital da Luz Lisboa physiotherapists (above) and Hospital da Luz Guimarães physiotherapists (below). How can physiotherapy help in the case of arthritis: Supports the development of skills to manage pain, swelling and stiffness; Increases strength, resistance, mobility and the level of activity; Establishes an individualized exercise plan.
