Job File: Physiotherapist

Ah, the eternal backache… With hours spent in our office chairs, aches and pains are never far away. Our postures, our muscular development and our bad habits are all cogs in the wheel that the kinésith;rapeute, the “kiné”, knows by heart. This specialist in motor skills and musculoskeletal disorders plays an essential role in the bureaucratic world. This article will help you to better understand the contours of a problem that is becoming increasingly important as our society evolves.

What is a kinésithérapeute?

A kinacute;sithérapeute (also called physiothacute;rapeute or more commonly kiné) is a health professional specialized in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. He uses a variety of manual and instrumental techniques to improve mobility, reduce pain and restore physical function in patients who come to him for consultation. What's more, he treats a wide variety of cases on a broad sample of populations, from the elderly and athletes to children and rehabilitation patients.

Training and career path to become a kinésithérapeute

In France, to become kinésithérapeute, you need to follow a 5-year professional training course. After a first year common to all health studies, students can choose from the Parcours Accès Santé Spé (PASS), Licence avec Accès Santé (L.AS), Licence Sciences et Techniques des Activités Physiques et Sportives (STAPS) or a Licence de Biologie, l’étudiant pourra intégrer un Institut de Formation en Masso-Kinésithérapie (IFMK).

Throughout these 4 years of study to become a kinésithérapeute, the student will tackle all the theoretical and practical aspects inherent to this discipline, through lectures, but also through immersive internships in health organizations.

Are you interested in learning more about this aspect? Browse our fiche études kinésithérapeute!

Skills and qualities required of a kinésithérapeute

On a daily basis, these professionals must master numerous techniques and adopt specific attitudes requiring certain qualities. Here is a non-exhaustive list:

• Technical and practical skills

Outside the empirical part of diagnosis and assessment of the patient's case, this dimension includes soft tissue manipulation, joint mobilizations, réducation exercises and the use of physical thérapie devices.

• Interpersonal skills and communication

Kinicians must be able to clearly explain treatment plans to patients, motivate them and respond to their questions or concerns. Empathy and the ability to listen enable them to establish a relationship of trust that enhances the quality of care provided.

• Personal values and professional ethics

Kinésithérapeutes must demonstrate patience, perseverance and a keen sense of professional éthics. They must respect patient confidentiality and adhere to high standards of professional conduct. The ability to work as part of a team with other healthcare professionals can also be important in cross-disciplinary treatments.

Interested in this article? Check out our kinésithérapeute salary sheet!

Rôles and responsibilities of the kinésithérapeute

Complementing the previous chapter, let's now take a look at all the tasks involved in defining what a kinésithérapeute by what’he must accomplish on a daily basis :

• Diagnosis and patient assessment

Two crucial steps in the kinésithérapeute's work. He performs detailed physical examinations to identify dysfunctions and functional limitations. He uses specific tests to assess patients' strength, mobility and pain.

• Élaboration and implementation of treatment plans

On the basis of his or her assessment, the kinésithérapeute élabors personalized treatment plans. These may include rehabilitation exercises, manipulative techniques and the use of therapeutic devices. The aim is to restore function, reduce pain and prevent recurrence.

• Follow-up and adjustment of treatments

Regular patient follow-up is essential to assess treatment efficacy and make any necessary adjustments. The kinotherapist must be flexible and ready to modify treatment plans according to patients' progress and needs.

• Advice and prevention for patients

In addition to treatment, the kinésithérapeute plays an important role in the prevention of injuries and chronic pain. He provides advice on lifestyle, correct posture and strengthening exercises. Its aim is to help patients maintain good long-term physical health.

Diagnostics and career prospects

The great strength of kinésithérapie is that it appeals to all social classes and socio-professional categories. Whether you're a salaried employee or a top-level athlete, a material handler or a senior executive, you've had or will have muscular pains, injuries or traumas, and you'll go to see a kinésithérapeute. With this in mind, the kinésithérapeute job offers present a variety of conditions. Let's discuss them together:

• Private practice;

&At any stage of his career, the kinésithérapeute can open his own structure under liberal status. In this case, they operate on their own account and can receive patients under the conditions they have set themselves, with the equipment they have selected and in an organization they have worked out. This type of operation offers great autonomy and a variety of highly stimulating missions, but imposes, in return, administrative and fiscal responsibilities that may not suit everyone.

• Opportunities in sports

This is a popular field for kinésithérapeutes. It enables them to work in close contact with athletes, to provide them with specific, personalized care, to confront extraordinary situations and, for the very best, to work alongside top-level athletes. This environment can be extremely rewarding.

• Kinésithérapie teaching and research

Intrained in kinésithérapieuniversities or research centers, kinésithérapeutes can become teachers or researchers. This enables them to vary their missions and sources of satisfaction by passing on their know-how or actively participating in the evolution of the discipline.

Current issues and challenges facing the kinésithérapeute profession

The world of kinésithérapieis not immune to digital evolution. Numerous digital tools and software applications have entered the practice in recent years, changing the way care and appointments are managed and administered. More recently, the virtual reality system has enabled the development of educational techniques. Patients are immersed in fictitious worlds, enabling them to perform movements that are useful for their motor skills. In an ordinary setting, these patients would not dare perform certain movements for fear of aggravating their injury. What's more, the playful nature of the program helps them to overcome their pain. It’s a new technology that is developing rapidly and can be used to treat many rheumatological, traumatological or neurological cases.

Robots are also making their appearance in this discipline, as they enable immobilized patients to be treated by performing gestures that improve their convalescence. These robots provide active, assisted and passive mobilizations adapted to patients' motor strengths.

All these advances make the doctor's work easier, alleviate the shortage of doctors in isolated areas and improve the quality of care.

In résumé, the métier of kinésithérapeute is rich and studded with défis. Résolutely dynamic, forward-looking through the implementation of innovative solutions, it's a modern career that brings deep satisfaction to those who practise it. In direct contact with every stratum of the population, the kinésithérapeute is an essential link in the human body's wellbeing. It alone embodies the truth of the well-known saying: a healthy mind, in a healthy body.

Did you like this article and want to learn more? Find out more in our fiche métier dermatologue!