Moving Forward Together. Part 4: Advancing Physical Therapy Education for Indigenous Peoples’ Musculoskeletal Health

Abstract

The Moving Forward Together series is a collective effort developed to inform, guide, and inspire musculoskeletal physical thera pists to bring Indigenous health to the forefront of their work in clinical practice, research, and education and to strengthen their roles in allyship and advocacy for Indigenous Communities. In the fourth article of the “Moving Forward Together” series, we highlight how physical therapy educa tion can influence, and have responsibility for, improving students’ knowledge and skills to care for Indigenous Peoples who are living with musculoskeletal conditions. Through a collabora tive process, our group—comprising Indigenous educators from Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia, and Canada—has reflected on current initiatives, explored future directions, and offered sugges tions on how physical therapists can contribute to positive change in Indigenous musculoskeletal education. An interconnected approach positions students to graduate as physical therapists, capable of demonstrating cultural humility to provide reflective, strengths-based, and relational, culturally safe health care to all people with musculoskeletal conditions. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2026;56(5):272-276. Epub 3 December 2025. doi:10.2519/jospt.2025.13740.