“People often think that only medical rehabilitation can help with movement difficulties. However, this is not always the case. If such difficulties arise due to illness, injury, or exacerbation of a chronic condition, the situation is first assessed by the family doctor. Some patients can receive the necessary help from a physiotherapist who is a member of the family doctor’s team, so medical rehabilitation is not always required,” says Diana Prochorova, senior specialist at the Service Compensation Department of the State Health Insurance Fund.
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The family doctor can refer a patient to a physiotherapist working in their team when they assess that the patient may benefit from the physiotherapy services provided by this specialist. For example, when it is difficult to regain normal mobility after an injury, fatigue occurs more quickly after illness, or due to neck, back, lumbar, sacral pain, joint pain it becomes difficult to walk longer, bend over, or perform usual household chores.
Medical rehabilitation is prescribed when physiotherapy alone is not enough and, according to medical indications, the person needs complex rehabilitation treatment that includes not only physiotherapy but also other medical rehabilitation services if necessary. The decision on the need for medical rehabilitation is made by a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor.
During the first visit, the physiotherapist of the family doctor’s team assesses the patient’s functional status – range of motion, muscle function, physical capacity, pain, and other movement-related indicators. Based on this assessment, they create an individual physiotherapy plan, apply physiotherapy measures, monitor the patient’s progress, and adjust the plan if necessary.
“The causes of each person’s movement difficulties and the possibilities to overcome them differ, so it is first important to assess the patient’s condition. Only then can the most appropriate exercises be selected, taught to perform correctly, and help the person return faster to daily and beloved activities,” explains Skirmantė Jusytė, physiotherapist of the family doctor’s team.
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The physiotherapist working in the family doctor’s team identifies movement disorders, applies physiotherapy measures, teaches the patient to perform exercises independently, and also provides consultations on physical activity, health promotion, and prevention of movement disorders. It is important to provide the person with knowledge and skills that help maintain mobility, physical activity, and independence in daily life for as long as possible.
“The physiotherapist in the family doctor’s team shortens the patient’s path to help. For example, a person suffers from back pain. Instead of traveling from the family doctor to the rehabilitation specialist, then to the physiotherapist, the patient immediately sees the physiotherapist working in the family doctor’s team who can help. This way, the person reaches the necessary specialist faster, which also helps reduce waiting lines,” says D. Prochorova, representative of the State Health Insurance Fund.
The State Health Insurance Fund covers individual and group physiotherapy services provided by physiotherapists working in the family doctor’s team for residents insured by compulsory health insurance, taking into account the patient’s health condition and needs. These services are provided only in person.
Health insurance specialists remind that if movement, physical capacity, or daily activity difficulties arise, you should first contact your family doctor. They will assess the health condition and decide whether the physiotherapy services provided by the family doctor’s team are sufficient or if the patient needs a consultation with a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor regarding the need for medical rehabilitation.
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