This is because the different expertise of our therapists allows us to tackle the cause of your complaints even more specifically, instead of focusing on the consequences.
If you have pain complaints, you have difficulty moving or you have other physical discomforts, a specialized therapist can help you reduce and/or remedy your complaints. But who is the best person to contact with your specific complaint? with a physiotherapist or with a manual therapist? We explain the differences to you here.
The difference between manual and physiotherapy
Manual therapy literally means therapy in which the hands are used. A manual therapist is basically trained as a physiotherapist, after which he or she has followed a specialization course. This specialization makes the therapist qualified to manipulate joints. In manipulation, a short movement, also called impulse, is given in a controlled manner and at a dosed speed, which cannot be stopped. This often produces a snapping or creaking sound. The movement gives a strange feeling but is not painful.
Manual therapy focuses in particular on the manipulation of complaints caused by a posture problem, not only looking at the moment when the complaint arose, but also looking at the person as a whole. Pain in the neck, the joints in the (lower) back or in the hip, can have an origin much earlier, for example due to a wrong (work) posture or stress. If treatment of the complaints is not effective through manipulation, the complaints will be treated by a physiotherapist. Think of sports injuries and rehabilitation, but also guidance for COPD and shop window legs.
Which therapist do you see?
If you come to our practice for the treatment of your complaints, where you can go without a referral from your GP, you will always first receive an intake interview. We will then map out your complaints and discuss with you the best way to treat your complaints. Based on this, we determine which therapist will help you. This can therefore be a physiotherapist or a manual therapist and in some cases also a combination of both.
The reimbursement of both physiotherapy and manual therapy depends on the way in which you are insured. Always consult your health insurance in advance so that you are not faced with unpleasant surprises.