Perhaps unsurprisingly, the focus of this year’s World Physiotherapy Day is physiotherapy’s role in COVID-19 rehabilitation, both during and after the acute stage of illness.

It was in the fires of World War I that our profession was forged.

Many young men returned from the battlefields with broken bodies that needed careful repair.

The wounded and injured soon came to rely on therapeutic massage—and in time tools like electrotherapy and hot-air baths—for the restoration of movement and the relief of pain.

Acute management morphed into the management of chronic conditions as time wore on.

The use of exercise-based therapy came to the notice of the medical profession and physiotherapists were established as a legitimate part of the healthcare system.

If a global war was the phenomenon that forged us, then the global pandemic will be our coming of age.

We have had our share of challenges in advocating to some governments that private practice physiotherpists should be able to remain open during lockdowns.

Governments can lack the information, resources and insight to assess such things adequately and we have worked extremely hard to correct this.

Patients and communities have come to our aid to advocate for access to their trusted health professionals at times when they need them most.

I am optimistic that this robust and sustained response will secure the right outcome.

What has been undisputed, however, is that physiotherapy is an essential component of intensive care for COVID-19 patients and in the rehabilitation and recovery phase.

About 12 per cent of COVID-19 patients in Australia will be admitted to hospital and one in five will need to be treated in the ICU.

From improving lung function and capacity while in ICU to helping patients overcome muscle weakness after long stints in hospital, physiotherapists are playing an invaluable role in COVID-19 management and recovery.

I am reminded of how last year an international group of physiotherapists, a number of APA members among them, collaborated on crucial recommendations for managing cases of COVID-19 in the acute hospital setting.

These recommendations, published in Journal of Physiotherapy, proved to be an invaluable and widely accessed resource for physiotherapists around the world battling the early stages of the pandemic.

That physiotherapists urgently came together to make such a substantial contribution to acute patient care demonstrated the capabilities, strength and unity of the profession.

While COVID-19 has further cemented physiotherapy as a leading allied health profession in Australia, it has also highlighted the importance and efficacy of the multidisciplinary approach.

COVID-19 is not managed by any one health professional alone, but by a highly skilled and collaborative team, each member of which contributes their own expertise and skill.

This is a valuable lesson for primary care, particularly in reference to access and funding.

The system remains siloed and does little to facilitate true exchange of information, insight and planning from the team of professionals who typically work with a patient.

We are hopeful that the 10-year primary care reform work the government has invested in, and to which the APA has contributed heavily, will address this important issue.

Until then, we will continue to acknowledge and celebrate our many physiotherapists who work with COVID-19 patients every day.

You have our admiration and our sincerest thanks.

Happy World Physiotherapy Day!