Physical therapy – or physiotherapy – is a profession which works for the health and fitness of human life. It helps people with injury and disabilities through manual therapy and sometimes electrotherapy. Physiotherapy helps people to regain the normal functions of life. It uses physical approaches to promote, maintain and restore physical, psychological and social well-being.
Second largest paramedical profession in the Netherlands
In the course of the last fifty years physiotherapists acquired a prominent place in healthcare. Currently it is the second largest paramedical profession in the Netherlands, with 34,000 BIG-registered physiotherapists. BIG is short for the “BIG Act” and translates to “Individual Health Care Professions Act”. The Netherlands currently has a about 9000 registered physiotherapy practices.
Branches of physiotherapy
Physiotherapy has many branches, for instance:
- Orthopedics physiotherapy
- Sports physiotherapy
- Pediatrics physiotherapy
- Musculoskeletal physiotherapy
- Gynecological physiotherapy
- Neurological physiotherapy
- Rehabilitation therapy
- Rheumatology
Treatment
Physiotherapy treatment is often provided regarding the following diseases:
- Muscular disease (e.g. neck pain, back pain and sports injuries)
- Cardiovascular diseases (e.g. chronic heart diseases and rehabilitation after a heart attack’
- Neurological disease (e.g. stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease)
- Respiratory disease (e.g. cystic fibrosis, asthma and chronic respiratory disease)
How does physiotherapy help?
Physical therapists usually work in physiotherapy practices, healthcare centers or rehabilitation centers. They provide treatment through various manual therapy techniques and electrotherapy therapy treatments. They also provide proper guidelines for posture and exercising. Patients usually need multiple treatment sessions and DIY exercises before physiotherapy helps.
A physical therapist is highly-skilled at helping you find the right type and level of exercise. Physical therapists provide you with a care plan and keep you on the right recovery track. When you deviate too much from the plan or fail to do the DIY exercises, they help you get back to the program.
Reimbursement through health insurance
Physiotherapy is one of the main reasons to take out supplementary health insurance in The Netherlands. The degree of reimbursement depends on the chosen insurance and insurer, and can vary from a few treatments to the entire treatment process. In the Netherlands, people can visit a physiotherapist directly if they have physical complaints.