Best Paper Awards | Winners

The awards recognise papers that combine methodological quality, scientific innovation, and relevance for physiotherapy practice, education, and research. The Award committee evaluates all original research articles and systematic reviews published in Archives of Physiotherapy during the previous calendar. For the 2026 Award 5 papers in each category were shortlisted and were independently evaluated by the Associate Editors using a numerical scoring system. Papers were assessed across three domains:

  • external relevance
  • internal validity
  • innovation and potential impact

The final ranking is based on the aggregated evaluations provided by the Associate Editors and we are pleased to present the winners.

 

Original paper

Association of physiotherapy dose with motor recovery in early subacute phase after stroke: results from a multicenter Italian study
Silvia Salvalaggio, Nicola Valè, Thomas Bowman, Davide Cattaneo, Cristina Allera Longo, Serena Bocini, Viviana Bonci, Michele Gennuso, Francesca Marazzini, Francesco Giuseppe Materazzi, Elisa Pelosin, Martina Putzolu, Andrea Turolla, Susanna Mezzarobba, Fabiola Giovanna Mestanza Mattos, Simone Gambazza
Archives of Physiotherapy, 15(1), 110-117.
https://doi.org/10.33393/aop.2025.3457
 

Systematic review

Is resistance training with external loads superior to unloaded exercise in the management of chronic low back pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Marco Ranzani, Andrea Pozzi, Daniele Fornasari, Diego Ristori, Marco Testa
Archives of Physiotherapy, 15(1), 297-313.
https://doi.org/10.33393/aop.2025.3533