Rehabilitation Medicine with Sanitas
A physiotherapist treats you. A rehabilitation doctor works out what treatment you need in the first place. The two get confused constantly, and picking the wrong one wastes months.
How this differs from physiotherapy
The two get confused constantly, and the distinction is simple.
A rehabilitation doctor is a doctor. They assess what has been lost, diagnose why, and design the recovery programme. They can order scans, prescribe medication, give injections and refer on.
A physiotherapist delivers the hands-on treatment within that plan.
For a straightforward problem – a stiff shoulder, a pulled muscle – go straight to a physiotherapist. For something complex, where several things are wrong at once or recovery has stalled, the rehabilitation doctor is the right starting point.
When it is the right choice
After a stroke. After major joint surgery where recovery is not going to plan. Following a serious accident. With long-term nerve or muscle conditions. Persistent pain that has not responded to the obvious treatments. And after prolonged illness where general strength and function have gone.
What a programme involves
An assessment, then a plan that usually combines physiotherapy with other elements – occupational therapy, speech therapy after a stroke, aids and adaptations, pain management – and regular review to change course when something is not working.
Note that the session limits which apply to physiotherapy still apply to the physiotherapy within a rehabilitation programme. Ask early how many sessions you have.
Waiting periods
None on consultations. Complex diagnostic tests carry 6 months.
See every Sanitas waiting period in one place, including how switching from another insurer waives nearly all of them.
Where the rehabilitation specialists are
239 clinics across 43 provinces, with 362 named specialists between them – and you can book any of them yourself, without a referral.
- Madrid – 53 clinics, 123 specialists
- Seville – 21 clinics, 26 specialists
- Valencia – 14 clinics, 19 specialists
- Barcelona – 11 clinics, 28 specialists
- Malaga – 9 clinics, 7 specialists
- Cadiz – 9 clinics, 6 specialists
Ask us and we will check who is near you and what languages they work in.
What you pay
Nothing at the clinic on a no-co-payment plan. A fixed amount per visit on a co-payment plan, and rehabilitation means repeat visits.
Find a rehabilitation specialist near you
Browse rehabilitation in the Sanitas directory – by province, with addresses, phone numbers and a map.
