Physiotherapy Techniques and Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults: What a Systematic Review of Randomized Trials Found

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who work with older adults in outpatient, home health, community wellness, skilled nursing, or residential care settings, and who want a clear account of what the current randomized evidence does and does not establish about physiotherapy and depressive symptoms in this population.

Licensed physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. Occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and other rehabilitation professionals who treat older adults may also find the material relevant. Physical therapist assistants work under the direction and supervision of a physical therapist; evaluation, diagnosis, and plan-of-care decisions rest with the supervising physical therapist.

Intended audience

Physical Therapy

Level

Introductory

Delivery format

Online, asynchronous, self-paced course: interactive reading with audio or video, and a scored post-test.

Based on

Poveda-López JL, Jiménez-Sánchez C, Roy JF, Lafuente-Ureta R, Aguilera-Gonzalo A. Effectiveness of physiotherapy techniques on depressive symptoms in older adults: a systematic review. Front Public Health. 2025;13:1671788. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1671788. PMID: 41041383. PMCID: PMC12483849.

This course reports the content of that single systematic review. Every finding, number, and conclusion described here comes from that publication. Where the review’s authors offered recommendations, those recommendations are attributed to them rather than issued as guidance from this course.

A note on scope

The review examined physiotherapy added to the care older adults were already receiving, including antidepressant medication that participants were permitted to continue. It did not test physiotherapy as a replacement for pharmacological or psychotherapeutic treatment, and it makes no claim about that comparison.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Describe the population, the interventions, and the depression outcome measures included in this systematic review of physiotherapy for depressive symptoms in older adults.
2. State the overall direction and the consistency of the results the review reported across the included randomized controlled trials.
3. Explain the limitations the review's authors identified — including varied protocols, blinding problems, and low certainty of evidence — and the conclusion they drew about what research is still needed.

1. Start Here: How This Course Works
2. Podcast: Physiotherapy and Late-Life Depression — What Eight Trials Showed (about ten minutes)
3. Depression in Later Life and Why Physiotherapy Was Examined
4. Inside the Review: Searching, Screening, and Judging Quality
5. What the Trials Reported About Depressive Symptoms
6. Where the Evidence Falls Short
7. What These Findings Could Mean for Rehabilitation Practice
8. Key Takeaways
9. Post-Test and Course Evaluation

Quinn Millington, PT, DPT, ECS is the instructor of record: the licensed clinician who reviewed this course and signed off on it. The name and credentials print on the certificate.

Disclosures. This course was developed by The ConEd Solution, which has a financial interest in its sale. No outside funding or sponsorship was received. The instructor of record has no affiliation with the authors of the source publication or their institutions.

This course awards 0.5 contact hours (30 min). How you earn them:

1. Complete the course. Every lesson, in order.
2. Pass the post-test. Score 80% or higher. Retakes are allowed.
3. Complete the evaluation. A short form rating each learning objective and the course.
4. Download your certificate. It is issued on completion and stays available in My Account.

The episode time is its measured length. Reading, post-test and evaluation times are estimates.

This course is designed to satisfy the quality requirements state boards set for continuing education. Requirements vary by state, and confirming that a course fits your renewal is up to you. Each state’s own acceptance statement is in the credit panel on this page.

1. Poveda-López JL, Jiménez-Sánchez C, Roy JF, Lafuente-Ureta R, Aguilera-Gonzalo A. Effectiveness of physiotherapy techniques on depressive symptoms in older adults: a systematic review. Front Public Health. 2025;13:1671788. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1671788. PMID: 41041383. PMCID: PMC12483849.
2. This course reports the content of that single systematic review. Every finding, number, and conclusion described here comes from that publication. Where the review's authors offered recommendations, those recommendations are attributed to them rather than issued as guidance from this course.
3. A note on scope
4. The review examined physiotherapy added to the care older adults were already receiving, including antidepressant medication that participants were permitted to continue. It did not test physiotherapy as a replacement for pharmacological or psychotherapeutic treatment, and it makes no claim about that comparison.