"I'm sick, can you please direct me to the cheapest doctor that will do an adequate job?"
- No one, ever, probably.
How often do we purchase sessions with a therapist based on price or convenience? "I need a physiotherapist, do you know the closest, least expensive one?"
This presumes that all Physiotherapists are the same, which in part is due to the lack of diversity within the physiotherapy space in Sydney - Australia (though this is also seen in America as well).
Standards in Physiotherapy
It's a catch-22 as a consumer -- you don't know what to do but need to hire someone. The problem? How do you know if the local physio around the corner can manage your specific injury, pick out compensations, and how your lifestyle may contribute to your issues?
A major change as an American living in Sydney is that Australia still offers a range of degree types, from Bachelor’s level to Doctor of Physiotherapy. Subsequently, this increases the public’s perception that all physiotherapists are the same. Compounding this misconception is that most treatments are passive, relying heavily on massage or machine treatments with minimal exercise.
The result is similar across the board, is it any wonder the public’s perception is what it is?
Either said treatment helps buy you time until you feel better or you end up in a situation where you have a recurring chronic pain that comes back. Worse, you bounce around from clinician to clinician in search of the elusive therapist who can legitimately help you.
Why Do Some Therapists Cost $200+ per hour?
It comes down to the market rate based on what everyone else in the area is doing that will determine the costs. This also is built on the assumption that on average, most professionals manage and treat people similarly.
Price often acts as a filter for quality, though this is not always the case as seen online with flashy marketing that may provide poor quality services or products.
So can the $70 physiotherapist within your insurance group help your daughter with her ACL physiotherapy post-surgical rehab? Maybe.
I bet that a $200 per hour Physiotherapist who can outline more than following a standardized protocol that has continued to produce a 1 in 5 re-rupture rate might be a better solution.
Yes, it's a lot more money, but if you want the job done right, you hire once and you hire right. I'd rather spend three months with a more knowledgeable, more expensive therapist than 9 months with a less pricey, less experienced one if it means I'll get the best long-term results.
I expect all my patients to leave me with some level of knowledge about their issues and how to go about managing their bodies on their own if needed.
Too often the movement industry writes articles about how the consumer needs to become more educated, pushing the onus on them. While I agree a more educated customer is beneficial, I also feel that the industry needs to take more accountability by raising their expectations around standards of practice. Only then will people stop associating physiotherapy with a massage, dry needling, shockwave, trigger point work, or insert whatever modality that only provides temporary relief instead of being a long-term solution.