Artificial Intelligence Empowers Physical Therapy for Older Adults: A Perspective

Population aging has increased the demand for rehabilitation services due to multimorbidity and age-related functional decline. Physical therapy plays a central role in maintaining mobility and independence in older adults; however, increasing clinical complexity challenges the delivery of individualized care. This perspective aims to synthesize current applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential to enhance assessment, monitoring, and intervention in geriatric physical therapy.

This perspective synthesizes recent peer-reviewed literature on AI in geriatric physical therapy, identified through thematic selection across key clinical domains, including fall prevention, osteoarthritis, frailty and sarcopenia, mobility monitoring, telerehabilitation, and AI-enabled clinical decision support.

AI applications in geriatric physical therapy span key domains, including fall risk prediction, osteoarthritis management, identification of frailty and sarcopenia, and monitoring of physical activity and mobility. AI-enabled technologies, such as telerehabilitation, virtual reality, wearable sensors, conversational agents, and predictive analytics, facilitate continuous monitoring, personalized intervention, and improved patient engagement across the care continuum. These approaches support proactive, data-driven rehabilitation and may enhance clinical decision-making.

AI represents a promising supportive tool to augment geriatric physical therapy by improving efficiency, personalization, and accessibility of care. Nevertheless, its implementation should prioritize human-centered design, ethical considerations, and integration with clinical expertise.