Everything you need to know about private physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is a widely used treatment that supports people who have been affected by an injury, illness or disability. It aims to help in restoring movement and function.

What is physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy is a treatment designed to ease pain and improve moment. It will typically be used or recommended when you have had an illness, injury or disability that's resulted in pain or difficulty with movement.

Some of the most common uses of physiotherapy are for:

• Bone joint and muscle issues, conditions such as arthritis, back pain and sports injuries can benefit from physiotherapy
• Heart attack recovery or issues with heart and circulation problems or high blood pressure
• Stroke recovery, where you may have movement issues following a stroke
• Following surgery, helping you to improve your movement and strength

What to expect from physiotherapy treatment

Whilst it may vary depending on the physiotherapist you use, you can expect to have an initial assessment to begin with.

This will involve looking at your medical history and symptoms, along with a physical examination of your movement and strength.

Your physiotherapist will then create a treatment plan, with the most suitable and appropriate next steps to improve your health, movement and strength.

This will usually include a personalised exercise programme along with manual therapy such as massaging, joint mobilisation and stretching.

The length of your treatment programme will depend on the cause of the issue and how much support is needed. For example, minor injuries like a sprain could be a few weeks, but for more severe conditions it could be months or years of physiotherapy.

How much is private physiotherapy?

Without health insurance cover or a plan in place you will need to pay directly for private physiotherapy treatment.

In the UK you can expect private physiotherapy to cost around £40 to £80 for an initial consultation, followed by £35 to £60 for follow up sessions.

You can get free physiotherapy with the NHS, however, you’re likely to face a long waiting list.

Waits for physiotherapy on the NHS can be from 6-18 weeks, so it’s worth considering how waiting would affect your quality of life.

Having an active health insurance policy could give you access to private physiotherapy if it’s included in your core cover. As well as many other benefits that come with the policy.

It’s worth considering how being prepared with cover could save you money if you needed to call upon private physiotherapy.

Does private health insurance cover physiotherapy?

Some private health insurance policies can include physiotherapy in their core cover, which means it comes as standard. It may also be that you need to add it onto your cover as an optional extra.

For example, a policy with AXA health insurance includes physiotherapy in your standard in-patient or day patient cover.

The Exeter Health Insurance also offers up to three sessions of post-operative physiotherapy within their core cover.

Bupa Health Insurance out-patient cover includes physiotherapy for eligible treatments as part of the core cover. 

It’s worth noting though it does vary by insurer and what options of health insurance are best suited for you.

You can get a free, consultation with Usay Compare, that will give you a comparison of the leading UK insurers, advice and recommendations to find the most suitable policy for you at the best price.

Can I get private physiotherapy with pre-existing conditions?

You can get private physiotherapy for pre-existing conditions, however, it's likely that you'll need to pay-out-of-pocket, even with a health insurance policy that includes physiotherapy, as pre-existing conditions aren't usually covered by health insurance.

Having a free consultation when purchasing or switching health insurance will allow you to fully understand exactly what you're covered for and what exclusions apply.

What are the benefits of private physiotherapy?

Private physiotherapy can have a range of benefits that support your health and well-being, including:

• Faster access to treatments – With long NHS waiting lists for physiotherapy, going private can get you quicker access to the treatment you need and get you back on track much faster
  
  
• Increased flexibility – Booking private physiotherapy comes with more flexibility around appointment times to suit you, with the NHS you’ll get given an appointment time that can often be difficult to change
  
  
• Choice of where you’re treated – Going private typically means choosing where you want the treatment done, you can book this with location and comfort in mind
  
  
• Wider range of specialists – You’ll have more access to a range of specialists and can choose who you want to see, giving you much more control over your physiotherapy treatment

If you’re looking to get full cover for your health and peace of mind that when you need to call on it, you’ll get fast access to treatments along with a range of benefits to improve your health and well-being, get in touch with one of our expert advisers for a free consultation.

We’ll compare quotes from leading UK insurers, whilst providing advice and recommendations to benefit your future health.

Fill out the form below, or give us a call on: 01285 864670.