The Benefits of Private Physiotherapy?
Socialized medicine is a wonderful thing, however, there are some drawbacks as I am sure many of you have experienced and one of them is physiotherapy.
What are the weaknesses of Kupat cholim Physiotherapy?
- To see a Kupat cholim Physiotherapist, the average wait for a first appointment is 6-8 weeks.
- After the initial appointment you can wait a further 6-8 weeks until you receive consecutive weekly treatments.
- Unfortunately, Physiotherapists at the Kupot cholim are under a lot of pressure to see as many patients as possible, therefore, treatments are no longer than 20 minutes.
- If you have any questions for the Physiotherapist you are unable to contact them directly and you have to wait for your next treatment.
Under the circumstances, Kupat Cholim Physiotherapists do the best they can. This is by no means a blog criticizing the physiotherapists themselves, however, under such circumstances, waiting 6 weeks to receive treatment after a musculoskeletal injury or surgery greatly impacts recovery. The most important period post injury/ surgery is the initial month, where the greatest gains can be achieved. Often the longer someone waits to receive treatment, the longer the injury will linger and it will be harder to treat and improve. Furthermore, physiotherapy treatments need to occur consecutively each week, especially during the acute phase, as this allows for treatment continuity and a speeder recovery.
From my own experience working in both the public and private health system in Israel, 20 minutes is just not enough time to achieve good physiotherapy outcomes, build patient/ therapist rapport and perform a thorough assessment, conduct treatment and set a plan and goals for future consultations.
What are the benefits of Private Physiotherapy?
- You can see the physiotherapist immediately after injury or surgery.
- After the first treatment you can already set future weekly appointments if necessary.
- The average time for private physiotherapy is 40 minutes, this allows enough time to achieve good outcomes, perform a thorough assessment, conduct treatment, and plan for future treatments.
- Private Physiotherapists are available most days on their phones for discussion and advice post-treatment.
- Private Physiotherapists are allowed to perform some treatments which Kupot cholim Physiotherapists cannot perform.
So, there you go, some good reasons to see a private Physiotherapist.
Have a great week,
Ryan Green