Surgery prep and recovery that starts at home
Physiotherapy for surgery recovery, designed around your procedure and where you are today. A Portuguese physiotherapist builds your programme, tracks your progress, and adjusts your plan as you recover, all from home. No waiting list. No clinic visits. Covered by your private insurance or free through the SNS.
Your recovery doesn't take a day off
Most physiotherapy happens in short appointments, weeks apart. Between them, you're on your own. Sword works differently. A physiotherapist manages your programme from first assessment through to discharge, with clinical oversight that continues between sessions rather than pausing until the next one. Your progress is tracked every session, and your plan adjusts as you improve, not just when you next get an appointment.
- 1,000,000+
people served ¹
- 10.000.000+
care sessions delivered ¹
Why physiotherapy for surgery works from home
After surgery, the window between the operating table and returning to normal movement is where recovery is won or lost. Most people leave hospital with a discharge plan and good intentions, but not the consistent, supervised physiotherapy that starts quickly and keeps pace with healing.
The gap between clinic appointments is where progress stalls, compensations set in, and small problems compound. For most post-surgical rehabilitation, what drives recovery is not the setting but the consistency: a programme that adapts as your body responds, supervised by a physiotherapist who knows your history and catches changes early.
Swollen joints, limited weight-bearing, and low energy make travelling to a clinic difficult in exactly the weeks when it matters most. Home-based physiotherapy removes that barrier. Your physiotherapist tracks movement every session, adjusts your plan as tissue heals and range returns, and is available when something changes. In clinical research, 81% of people on a digital programme completed it in full, consistently exceeding in-person benchmarks.⁴
What it does not replace is hands-on manual therapy (soft tissue work, joint mobilisation, techniques requiring physical contact). Where those remain part of the clinical picture, a clinic visit is appropriate. For most surgery recovery programmes, it isn't.
Why people choose Sword
People choose Sword because it makes consistent recovery realistic. Here's what that looks like.
Real physiotherapy, not just exercises
Your programme is built and managed by a dedicated physiotherapist. They review your progress, adjust your plan, and are available when you need them. This is clinical care, not an exercise library.
Consistency becomes possible
Sessions fit your schedule. No travel, no waiting room, no rearranging your week around a clinic slot. For most people, removing the friction is what makes consistent recovery realistic.
Your plan changes as you do
Your physiotherapist tracks your movement data between sessions. When something shifts (a flare-up, a plateau, a new goal), your plan shifts with it. You don't wait until your next appointment for that to happen.
What Sword can help you with
Sword supports preparation and recovery for the most common orthopaedic procedures, including knee, hip, and shoulder surgery.
Covered more ways than you think
Every Portuguese resident can access Sword through private insurance or the SNS.
Universal access through the public health system, at no cost to you.
No prescription yet? No problem.
We'll sort out the details before you start.
Most plans include it. We'll confirm your coverage and any co-payments when you sign up.
No prescription yet? No problem.
We'll sort out the details before you start.
Getting started is simple
01
Tell us what’s going on
Answer a few questions about your symptoms and coverage. We'll match you with a physiotherapist and confirm your access path.
02
Share your prescription
Have one already? Upload it during enrolment. If you don't have one yet, we'll help you get sorted.
03
Meet your physiotherapist
Your physiotherapist reviews your answers and builds a plan around your condition, your goals, and your pace.
04
Start improving
Your Sword kit arrives at your door. Guided sessions, real-time feedback, and a physiotherapist supporting your progress throughout.
What it's like to use Sword
Your space, your schedule
No treatment room needed, just space to stand and move. Each personalised session is available to you on your own time, wherever you are.
Your programme provides instant feedback
Your programme provides instant feedback. It gives you real-time audio and visual feedback as you move, tracks your form, and sends your progress to your physiotherapist.
Your own physiotherapist with a personalised plan
Supported by a clinical team, based in Portugal, and with you for your whole programme to guide your recovery. Your physiotherapist sees your data as it comes in and adjusts your plan before a small issue becomes a setback.
Continuous support, whenever you need it
Send a message to your clinical team whenever you have a question, and they will respond.
What people say about Sword
Being able to do my treatment from home and on my own schedule is fantastic!
I can't see myself doing physiotherapy any other way. On a scale of zero to ten, I'd give Sword an 11.
I can do my sessions whenever I want and at whatever time I want. I love having this flexibility.
The constant support and full availability of my physiotherapist were the key to my recovery.
I gained a therapist available just for me. Someone who listened to me, pushed me, and genuinely cared about me.
I'm back to one of the activities I missed the most — caring for and carrying my youngest daughter!
Yesterday I walked for about 40 minutes. Two weeks ago this was unthinkable for me — let alone on my own and without crutches!
It far exceeded all my expectations — from the warm, professional, and seamless welcome to the efficient, timely, and motivating support.
Meet the clinical team
Your physiotherapist is based in Portugal and stays with you from your first session through your last. They know your name, your history, and your goals. When something changes, they adjust to make sure your plan matches your specific needs. When you have a question, you get an answer. Sword is built around the expertise of a physiatrist-led clinical team, and our technology makes their care more continuous and personalised.
Ready when you are
Unlimited physiotherapy. On your terms.
Covered by SNS or private insurance.