Hi all,

I was hoping someone would be able to help me locate some information I've not been able to turn up myself. I'm trying to find what we'd call a physiatrist in English. This is a doctor who specializes in rehabilitative medicine. However, in the French part of Switzerland, I've been unable to find any doctor listed as specializing in physiatry, rehabilitation, or musculoskeletal disorders.

The closest I can come up with are some sports medicine doctors and orthopedists, but neither is quite what I'm looking for. I'm looking for someone who can help treat and correct the muscle imbalances and joint problems that can arise in the months and years following a previous muscle or joint injury. (i.e. chronic problems, not acute ones.)

My questions are:

1. Does a medical specialization equivalent to physiatry exist in Switzerland, and if so, what is it called?

2. If not, is a sports doctor the closest equivalent?

If anyone can provide any insight whatsoever, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

HeatherM (aka 'the gimp')

Hello Heather, I think you're searching a physiothérapeute. Get well soon.

You are not, by chance, looking for a physiotherapist?

Perhaps this link can help you, it is the Swiss association of Physiotherapy. Unfortunately the page is only available in French, German or Italian.

http://www.fisio.org/fr/index.cfm?treeId=50

hope this helps

This person was Head physiatrist, H-INU, Switzerland. She has a contact email address, maybe she can help.

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the help. To clarify, I'm not looking for a physiotherapist. They are trained to treat many problems, and often work closely with doctors, but I'm firstly concerned with getting a diagnosis.

To state the question again, what I'm looking for is a medical doctor who specializes (amongst other things) in identifying and treating disorders arising from muscle imbalance. This specialization does exist in North America, and is called physiatry, but I can't find anything resembling it in Switzerland. I'm sure physiotherapy will come afterwards, but you can't start on the road to recovery until you know what the problem is...

HeatherM

PS-gooner, just saw your message as I went to post this. Thanks for the info!

Hi Heather,
there are doctors who specialise in rehab, however so far I`ve only met those who have specialised in specific fields such as stroke/neurology/cardiac who are based at private clinics such as Valmont or Genolier. The Orthopaedic Hospital at CHUV may well be able to point yoi in the right direction.
jo