A healthy heart starts with movement

Every September 8, World Physiotherapy Day reminds us of something surprisingly simple: movement can be medicine. This year, the message goes beyond aching backs, stiff knees or recovery after an injury. World Physiotherapy Day 2026 turns the spotlight on how physiotherapy and physical activity can help prevent heart disease and stroke, support recovery and give people a better chance of living independently.

Heart disease remains one of the world’s biggest health threats, yet many of its risks are closely linked to everyday habits. Long hours spent sitting, too little exercise, excess weight and unhealthy routines can quietly increase the danger. This is where physiotherapy has a role that many people may not immediately recognise.

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Physiotherapists do more than help people recover after accidents or operations. They can assess a person’s physical abilities, recommend safe forms of exercise and gradually help them become more active. For someone who has spent years avoiding exercise, or an older person worried about doing too much, professional guidance can make movement safer and less intimidating.

The same support can be valuable for people already living with heart disease. Carefully planned activity can help them rebuild strength, improve fitness and return to everyday routines with greater confidence.

For stroke survivors, the journey can be even more challenging. A stroke may suddenly make walking, standing, balancing or completing ordinary daily tasks difficult. Recovery often requires patience, repetition and consistent support.

Physiotherapy can help survivors practise movement, regain strength and balance, improve fitness and relearn everyday activities. This support may begin in hospital and continue long after a patient returns home. The goal is not simply to exercise a weakened arm or leg; it is to help someone reclaim as much independence as possible.

The message carries particular weight for Bangladesh, where heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and other long-term illnesses are placing an increasing burden on families and the health system. Prevention cannot depend only on hospitals, prescriptions or treatment after illness strikes. Encouraging people to move safely and regularly must become part of everyday healthcare.

That does not necessarily mean joining a gym or following an exhausting workout routine. Walking, taking active breaks from sitting, gradually improving fitness and finding enjoyable ways to move can all contribute to a more active life. For people with health problems or physical limitations, professional advice can help determine what is safe and realistic.

World Physiotherapy Day also challenges an outdated perception: physiotherapy is not only something people need when they are injured or in pain. Its reach extends to prevention, healthier living, long-term illness, heart and lung recovery and rehabilitation after stroke.

Perhaps the most important prescription this September requires no pill bottle. Move more, sit less and make physical activity part of daily life.

A healthy heart needs movement. A recovering body needs guidance. And sometimes, the road back to independence begins with one carefully supported step.

The writer is the chief consultant of Dhaka City Physiotherapy Hospital. E-mail: dreasin20@gmail.com