Cultural and Social Determinants of Physical Therapy Rehabilitation in Saudi Arabia: A Narrative Review

Background: Modern rehabilitation approaches, encompassing physical, emotional, and social aspects, are gaining momentum in healthcare systems worldwide; however, their acceptance and effectiveness vary across different cultural contexts. Objective: This narrative review aims to produce a culturally informed overview of barriers and enablers, highlighting possible strategies to better align evidence-based rehabilitation with Saudi sociocultural realities. Methods: Drawing on literature from 2010 to 2024, this narrative review was conducted by searching the peer-reviewed literature from PubMed, Scopus, and the Saudi Digital Library using focused keywords. PICO framework was used to define inclusion and exclusion criteria. Relevant studies addressing cultural influences on rehabilitation adoption were included. Results: 1565 articles were initially identified from PubMed, Scopus, and the Saudi Digital Library. After careful screening, eight articles were included in the narrative review. We witnessed key factors relevant to the context of Saudi Arabia deriving health-seeking behaviors to be modesty, fatalism, family support, and religion. Factors possibly associated with the influence of physical therapy rehabilitation were gender, communication barriers, traditional healing practices, and culture and parental involvement. Conclusions: In Saudi Arabia, rehabilitation service utilization and practices may be prone to cultural factors. It is of utmost importance that healthcare providers step in and make sure that they sensitize themselves with cultural-specific awareness, knowledge, and competency to deliver optimal rehabilitation healthcare services that meet the standards and needs of the Saudi community.