Role of Physiotherapy in Promoting Physical Activity and Well-Being

Dear Colleagues,

Although the physiotherapy profession is concerned with human function and movement, addressing acute and/or chronic conditions, mobility dysfunctions, and/or pain, mostly arising from the musculoskeletal, neurological, and/or cardiorespiratory systems, its scope over the last decade has broadened. As the biopsychosocial model of care has evolved and been adopted by most medical and allied professions, physiotherapy has taken a more holistic approach, addressing and affecting not only the physical but also the mental and emotional components of their patients. In addition, current evidence on lifestyle factors, such as sleeping quality, sedentary jobs, eating habits, bodyweight, smoking, etc., has been found to affect overall function and recovery. As a result, the role of physiotherapy is being extended into one that promotes both physical activity as well as well-being.

Physical activity in its broadest context refers to any movement produced by skeletal muscles requiring energy consumption and encompasses both exercise and any incidental or programmed activity of any intensity (low, medium, high). Physical activity can be evaluated through a gross range of physical performance tests, functional tests, as well as various context-specific questionnaires. Wellbeing (or well-being), on the other hand, refers to what is intrinsically valuable for someone, his/her self-interest(s), often referred to as wellness or prosperity, taking various forms, such as mental, physical, emotional, or even economic wellbeing, and is usually assessed by a gross variety of self-reported questionnaires targeting the particular ‘wellbeing context’ being explored.

So, both these concepts (physical activity and positive wellbeing) are being promoted by physiotherapists as they both have a large impact on people’s physical and mental health and on both the context of the management of his/her disease/pathology/dysfunction and the prevention/maintenance of healthy living.

We are, therefore, pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, which aims to highlight the role of physiotherapy in promoting physical activity and wellbeing.  

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Systematic/scoping reviews or clinical trials on physiotherapy/rehabilitation interventions promoting physical activity and/or well-being;
• Physiotherapy assessment/validation tools for physical activity and/or well-being;
• Cross-cultural outcomes utilized by physiotherapists for evaluating physical activity and/or aspects of wellness.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Evdokia Billis
Guest Editor

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• physiotherapy
• physical activity
• well-being (wellbeing)
• quality of life
• exercise
• physical health
• mental health