In the fifth article of the ‘Moving Forward Together’ series, we explore the role of allyship and advocacy in improving the musculoskeletal health of Indigenous Peoples. Aligned with the truth telling and healing required in response to the ongoing impacts of colonisation, these are important concepts for physical therapists to understand and act upon to improve musculoskeletal health outcomes for Indigenous Peoples. Our group – comprising Indigenous clinicians and/or academics from Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia and Canada, alongside non-Indigenous colleagues—collaborated to conceptualise allyship and advocacy in the context of musculoskeletal physical therapy. Using a socioecological model, we propose actions and share resources to support the physical therapist in allyship and advocacy, and to drive change in clinical, education and research organisations and systems.
Toovey et al. (Thu,) studied this question.