5 Key Trends Shaping the Future of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitative Care in 2025

Physical therapy (PT) and rehabilitation care are areas of healthcare delivery prime for the adoption of technology solutions that can augment the reach of clinicians, fill key gaps across the care continuum, and improve patient outcomes. Following a few years of significant advancements in technology built to enable and uplevel clinicians in this field, Here are five key trends poised to transform rehabilitative care in 2025 and beyond.

1. Bridging the mind-body divide: Physical injury and recovery are inherently tied to the brain, particularly when it comes to dual-tasking—the ability to perform a motor task while simultaneously completing a cognitive task. Research consistently demonstrates that dual-task impairments are prevalent after injuries, including concussions, ACL tears, and other musculoskeletal conditions. However physical therapists and sports physicians continue to treat the brain and body as separate entities. Evidence demonstrates the necessity of integrating the two for successful rehabilitation and reducing the risk of re-injury.

Incorporating neurocognitive training into every phase of ACL rehabilitation, for example, not only optimizes recovery but also retrains the brain to effectively coordinate with the musculoskeletal system, significantly lowering the likelihood of re-injury (1). As the field evolves, technology platforms that embed neurocognitive assessments and training into physical therapy programs will start to become the new standard. By 2025, these innovations will likely impact patient outcomes, offering a more holistic approach to recovery that bridges the long-standing mind-body divide.

2. Bringing physical care to the home: A shift toward home-based care models and advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and computer vision (CV) technology are expanding rehabilitation care and capabilities to remote locations more than ever. This allows PT to move from traditional clinic settings into the comfort of patients’ home.  Remote patient monitoring and AI-enabled analytics will maintain care quality while expanding access to vastly more patients.  These technologies empower physical therapists to remotely monitor patients, track their progress, and provide real-time feedback, all while maintaining the same standard of care as in-person sessions. This shift is impactful for patients in rural or underserved areas, who can now receive expert guidance without the need for frequent travel or compromising on care quality. This also helps to reduce the strain on overburdened healthcare systems.  Wearables and smart devices equipped with sensors collect data on movement, posture, and activity levels, which are then analyzed by AI systems to detect patterns and inform therapists on evidence-based adjustments. This not only ensures that patients stay on track with their recovery plans but also allows therapists to identify and address potential issues before they escalate.

3. AI will augment, not replace, rehab providers: The integration of AI into the field of rehabilitation is not about replacing PTs but empowering them to deliver higher-quality care to more patients with less administrative burden. With demand for physical therapists steadily increasing, AI offers a way to streamline clinician workflows by automating repetitive tasks, such as documentation, patient scheduling, and progress tracking. This allows providers to dedicate more time to hands-on patient care and clinical decision-making.  Also, AI-driven tools can analyze significant amounts of research data to support evidence-based recommendations, ensuring that care plans are both efficient and effective.

At its core, PT relies on the empathy and connection that providers bring to the patient experience. While technology cannot replicate this emotional connection, it can complement it by enhancing decision-making, reducing cognitive overload, and enabling providers to focus on the personalized aspects of care. Additionally, with insurance reimbursements declining and workloads increasing, AI has the potential to alleviate these pressures by improving efficiency and helping providers meet these demands for services. Patients will continue to seek the expertise and empathy of skilled therapists, but AI will serve as an important bridge in ensuring that care is accessible, evidence-based, and scalable in an evolving healthcare world.

For example, with AI technology that analyzes a range of objective patient data like joint range of motion, movement velocity, and error detection, as well as subjective measures such as rate of perceived exertion (RPE)- this data allows the AI to support clinicians in creating highly tailored, evidence-based treatment plans that align with clinical judgment and patient needs. Optimizing patient recovery, care efficiency, and outcomes. Also, this will give the patient feedback in real time regarding their performance and movement.  Not only does this give an opportunity for patients to feel empowered by having a more active role in their rehabilitation, but also ensures all the exercises are performed with proper form, lowering the risks for re-injury. 

4. Remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) is rapidly gaining momentum as a key trend in rehabilitation, driven by advancements in wearable technology, computer vision, and mobile applications. These tools allow physical therapists to remotely track patient progress, ensuring real-time adjustments to therapy plans while maintaining high-quality care. For patients, this means access to rehabilitation services without needing frequent in-person visits, which is especially beneficial for those with mobility challenges or who live in rural and underserved areas.

Insurance companies have recognized the potential of RTM and telehealth therapy, with many now providing reimbursement for these services. This shift not only validates the effectiveness of remote care but also expands access to rehabilitation for individuals who may have previously faced barriers due to geographic, financial, or logistical challenges.

Wearables, such as activity trackers and sensor-equipped garments, play a vital role in RTM by collecting precise data on movement, posture, and overall activity levels. Meanwhile, computer vision technology analyzes motion patterns and provides real-time feedback to ensure patients perform exercises correctly. Mobile apps enhance this ecosystem by enabling seamless communication between patients and providers, offering reminders, progress updates, and personalized exercise programs.

5. Technology for objective testing and insurance reimbursement. The integration of technology into rehabilitation is changing how objective testing is conducted, allowing clinicians to make more informed decisions while enhancing transparency in the insurance reimbursement process. Tools such as wearable sensors, motion capture systems, and force plates provide precise, quantifiable data on key metrics like range of motion, strength, balance, and gait mechanics. These technologies eliminate the subjective variability of traditional assessments, offering clinicians a standardized way to track progress and identify areas which require further intervention. By using this objective data, therapists can create tailored treatment plans that are evidence based and improve patient outcomes while streamlining recovery pathways.

The data collected through these technologies play an important role in justifying care to insurance providers. Objective measurements can help to validate the medical necessity of rehabilitation services, support claims for extended therapy sessions, and demonstrate measurable patient progress over time. With insurers increasingly requiring outcomes-based care, technology-enabled objective testing provides the documentation required to meet these criteria. This approach not only helps to secure reimbursement but also improves trust between patients, providers, and payers by proving the effectiveness while showing value of rehabilitation. As these tools become more accessible, they will be pivotal for advancing patient care and aligning clinical practices with the evolving demands of healthcare.

About Jessica Wulke

Jessica Wulke, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, CSCS, is a dual board-certified specialist physical therapist in orthopedics and sports in Dallas, Texas. She is the Clinical Implementation Manager at Academy Medtech Ventures (AMV), a company integrating neurocognitive training into rehabilitative care to transform patient outcomes. At AMV, Jessica works with clinics to understand pain points, reframe the value of a brain+body approach, and improve the tech’s accessibility. Jessica has extensive experience treating professional athletes and continues to treat athletes in the NFL and Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. Jessica spent 10 years at Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation as a clinic manager, sports residency mentor, and sports physical therapist. 

1- Gokeler, A., Benjaminse, A., Hewett, T. E., Paterno, M. V., Ford, K. R., & Myer, G. D. (2013). Postural control deficits following ACL injury: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 43(10), 746-762. https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2013.4504

2- Grooms, D. R., & Onate, J. A. (2016). Neuroplasticity and neurocognitive adaptations to anterior cruciate ligament injury and rehabilitation. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 11(2), 258-271.