Physiotherapy in Australia is growing rapidly, both in numbers and in the breadth of what our profession contributes to Australians’ health. 

As of March 2026, Australia has more than 50,000 registered physiotherapists, while the APA represents close to 37,000. 

We are approaching the size of the psychology profession and are on track to become Australia’s third-largest regulated health profession. 

To borrow a line from Uncle Ben in Spider-Man, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ 

Physiotherapists prescribe behaviours every day: exercise, walking, pacing, symptom monitoring, sleep routines and gradual return to valued activities. 

These recommendations may be clinically sound but they still have to survive real life. 

Every year on 8 September, World Physiotherapy Day celebrates the contribution physiotherapists make to improving health and wellbeing around the globe.

It is an opportunity to recognise the expertise, compassion and leadership of our profession while reflecting on how physiotherapy continues to evolve to meet today’s greatest health challenges.

This year is particularly significant. Following consultation with member organisations, World Physiotherapy has launched a four-year focus on non-communicable diseases, the leading cause of death and disability worldwide.

Krzysztof ‘Kris’ Grzywniak APAM does not fit the mould of the typical early-career physiotherapist. His journey into the profession was not a straight line from school to university to clinic.