Some Technical Stuff
Jan 21st 2009
+33(0) 6 73 03 73 53
There are many techniques which can be used to help someone recover from an injury. I am qualified to use Acupuncture, which can really help reduce inflammation and spasm, most efficace if used just after an injury but can be used throughout the rehab.
Muscle Energy Techniques or MAPS as now called, these are techniques often used for the spine, for reducing back pain by promoting normal movement, they are gentle techniques, not manipulations and very efficace.
Manipulation, a difficult subject as I am trained to manipulate, however, rarely need to do this as I use the Muscle Energy Techniques more now with longer effect.
Strapping, I find these techniques particularly useful within the ski resort as often clients are here for 1 week and would like to be skiing as quickly as possible. They can be used anywhere on the body to reduce the effects of an injury in the short term, with rehab later to attain a full rehab.
Nags and Snags and Mobilisations with Movement, these are techniques which can be used again to regain “normal” movement within a joint/spine.
Mobilisations, neural stretches and much, much more. The techniques are endless to help aid a client, the tricky bit is knowing when and what technique to use and that just comes down to years of experience.
Massage, I have a sports massage diploma also and I find using massage as an adjunct to the above techniques can help treat the client, looking as a “whole” person, not just the knee or ligament precisely, afterall anyone working in this field knows that the body is great at compensating for a weaker area, sometimes causing additional problems later on. Please don’t be afraid of a sports massage, I hear people saying all the time they are afraid to have this as it was so excruciating when previously they had one. My answer to this is that was not a sports massage tailored to their body, of course I would not use the same pressure on a little petite lady as a large sprinter with legs the size of a ladies waist. A good therapist will adjust their technique appropriately. After a good sports massage you should feel your lets light and easily able to continue sport the next day not battered.
With all my treatments I am constantly hunting the problems but I also see my job as not only treating the problem, but treating the potential problem of the problem!
For more information or advice, please contact me on;
+33 (0) 6 73 03 73 53
george harris on 10 Apr 2009 at 10:44 am #
Hi there Gail,
I was looking over your site and really appreciate the info you give on working in the health professions legally in France.
I am looking to move over in a few years time and would like to find out more about how I can also work ethically and legally.
I have qualifications in Kinesiology (www.ICPKP.com), NLP, Sports Science (Salford University) Massage (I have an ITEC diploma), Tai Chi, Craniosacral Therapy and Metabolic Typing (www.healthexcel.com).
I currently work in a clinic (www.citytherapy.org) and use mostly my Kinesiology, NLP and Metabolic Typing skills.
Do you know what the legal status is of any of these professions? Or if not, do you know where I could find out?
Many thanks in advance.
George
Gail on 16 Apr 2009 at 3:10 am #
Hi George, glad to hear someone reads my blog. I am not sure where you could apply your work, the French are a bit behind the rest of us in Europe, even on their knowledge of physio, so your things maybe a bit radical for them. You could initially write to the Ministere de la Santé, they were the first people I had to register with to be authorised to work in France, they should know who and what you would need to do to work legally in France.
The other thing maybe if you were living near Geneva, the Swiss are a bit more open to new techniques and they pay more, if I was nearer I think I would also work in Swiss as the pay is poor in France.
Hope that helps.
Gail
Cav on 17 Jun 2011 at 2:21 am #
Hi Gail/Sophie
I notice that there was no reply to Sophie’s post back in November re: massage can now be performed by massage therapists!
It does seem that the Federation of French Massage therapists 0172 762656 has finally got their act together and is offering French membership and French insurance for massage therapists. This is great news for Sports therapists, they will be able to now provide the deep tissue massage, MET (Muscle energy techniques), NMT (nueromuscular techniques), STM (soft tissue Mobilisations), peripheral joint mobilisations and sports massage, which they have been qualified to do all along!!!
Its about time that France caught up with the rest of Europe, in fact its probably against European law for France not to recognise Sports therapists as Sports therapists.
I think I speak for most Sports Therapists when I say that we don’t want to be registered as French Physio’s because we are not, but we do want to be registered as Sports therapists and be recognised as experts in treating soft tissue injuries.
There is a place for Physio’s, Sports therapists, Massage therapists and Beauty therapists in ski resorts, so long as everyone provides a high level of treatment in the area of their expertise only.
Rant over!!
Gail on 19 Jul 2011 at 7:27 am #
Hi,
Sorry to be so long in replying, I wasn’t checking the correct page!!
I am glad you have found out some info for sports massage therapists working in France and I agree there is a place for all, sports massage therapists, masseurs and physios and of course sometimes out treatments overlap. I am not sure how the regulatory bodies will deal with all to make sure each type of therapist is doing as they should, but thats for the beurocrats. My main bug bear each year is, of course the fee difference between what people are willing to pay for a massage and what the law for us says we are allowed to charge for physiotherapy, the difference is huge and I hope one day before I retire, the french physios fight to be either liberale and able to make ther fees as the want or to work for the state, with the fixed fees, but pension, insurances and national insurance paid for them as within the system in Britain. At present that is why the physios in france are desperately trying to keep massage rights, as they know its the only way to boost their incomes in the ski stations. But I guess thats for the Ordre of Masserus and Kinés to fight for us, but I doubt it.
Of course I hear you say, but why donn’t I just become a massage therapist and forget the physio with its poor salary, I have thought long and hard about that and the facts are I am trained as a physio, not a masseuse mainly, I enjoy the contact with all types of patients, not just for massage, but nerological, elderly, orthopaedic and of course sports injuries and out patients, if fact I enjoy my job, but I too have so pay charges and 3 kids to pay for, so my choice is either I work more and don’t see my kids as much or I do only massage, reduce my annual charges that way and become a another type of therapist which I am not. To date, I prefer to continue a job which I enjoy greatly and feel I do well as I do not believe money is everything and doesn’t make one happy in life. Voila end of my rant and moan. Why is it the jobs we enjoy doing never seem to pay as much as pushing buttons and moving numbers around? Don’t we do a worthwhile job reducing pain in people by simply using our hands? If we treat animals we would get paid well, it seems treating humans doesn’t seem to be valued by the state and powers to be in this world.
Jane on 31 Oct 2011 at 1:08 pm #
Dear Gail,
It seems that you have been very helpful in assisting people with information re: becoming registered to work as a physio in France.
I am a UK physio and am keen to come and work in France for a short period of time (over the winter season) but want to ensure that I am doing it in the correct way.
I have gone through the intial stages of registration (which took ages!) and have my adeli number and certificate. I understand that there is a 2nd stage of registration to go through to become registered with L’ordre des masseurs et kines-do you know if I have to go through this stage to be able to work temporarily in France or if this is only if I want to live and work permanently in France?
I would be very grateful for any information you are able to give me.
Best wishes
Jane
Leah on 13 Nov 2011 at 1:50 pm #
Bonjour Gail
Je me suis dit que je pourrais à mon tour te poser quelques questions…
Je suis désolée de t’écrire ici mais je n’ai pas trouvé sur ton site web comment répondre à ton sujet “About Me” !!
J’ai vu que tu accordais une grande importance à répondre à aider ceux qui t’écrivent et tu as du mérite
Je suis kiné depuis cette année, j’ai été diplomée de l’école de Toulouse. Je suis à la recherche d’information concernant le travail du physiotherapist en Angleterre et je pense que tu dois être au courant !! En fait j’ai mon ami qui est parti travailler à Cancer Research UK à Cambridge et je voudrais aller le rejoindre dès que je peux. J’ai appris que le HPC n’accordait les équivalences qu’au bout de 4-5 ans d’expérience, alors je vais quand même monter mon dossier, on ne sait jamais.
En attendant, j’aimerai en savoir un petit peu plus sur le système anglais de prise en charge. Est ce que c’est la même chose qu’en France ? Est ce qu’il y a des cabinets de kinés comme on en trouve ici? (en lien avec le système de sécurité sociale ou non?)
Comment ça se passe pour les kinés qui travaillent à l’hopital ?
J’ai entendu dire qu’en Angleterre il fallait avoir exercé 2 années à l’hopital avant de pouvoir exercer en libéral, est ce vrai ?
Et au niveau des revenus, est ce que tu sais si ça change beaucoup que ce soit pour l’exercice en libéral ou en hospitalier ?
J’ai cru comprendre que tout était géré par le NHS et que l’exercice libéral non? aaaah je suis perdue !!
Je suis désolée pour toutes ces questions !! Tes réponses me seront d’une grande aide !!
A très vite j’espère,
Cordialement,
Leah
Gail on 17 Nov 2011 at 6:11 am #
Bonjour Leah,
Le système est un peux différent, tu trouve beaucoup d’info via le Chartered Society of Physiotherapists site, obligé a écrire en anglais! Je crois tu as besoin a faire un dossier pour NHS et faite un stage avec le HPC, Health for Professionals Council, je crois. Après ca se faite (ils vérifier tout tes diplomes), tu peux travail publique dans les hôpitaux et cabinets NHS multi-disciplinary avec les infirmier etc, salarie ou privé (liberale) dans un cabinet privé, non salarie normalement, mais plus que les seances ici!; Normalement ils veux plus que 5 ans travail après diplome avec plusieur formations en addition de ton diplome (on fait acupuncture la aussi).
Alors, peut être mieux tu contact le CSP pour tout l’info courante. Si jamais ce trops, tu peux aussi travail plus facilement comme Sports Massage Therapist, pas dans le système NHS liberale. Bon courage.
Gail
Katie on 24 Nov 2011 at 4:39 am #
Hello!
I’m a student physio student in the UK but would like to work in France when I graduate (my family lives there).
Could you give me any tips and information on what I would have to do to register so I would be able to work in France?
Many thanks!
Katie
Gail on 27 Nov 2011 at 4:25 am #
Hi, I mailed you the other week with all the info, hope you got it. Good luck.
Maria on 06 Feb 2012 at 7:24 am #
Hi,
Can you give me an idea of the salary ranges for working as a physio in France?
I have 20 years of general orthopedic experience in private and hospital setting. I’m interested in working 20 hours or so a week.
Thanks so much.
Gail on 23 Feb 2012 at 2:57 pm #
Hi, the salary ranges are so different depending on where you work if its a rivate hospital or general, if you are in private practice or not. Best to contact the hospital/cabinet where you would like to work andx discuss your salary.
Debi on 29 Feb 2012 at 4:16 am #
Hi Gail,
Have read your blog with much interest. I am a principal physio (qualified for 30 years!) running a 5 physio practice in England who has been going through the registration process in France over the last year!
I now have my ‘Attestation’ and have registered with the OrdreMK locally in my departement which is Charente-Maritime. the reason for doing this is that we have a house there and I would like to be able to work in both places – UK and France. I have also taken out french professional liability assurance.
My next step is get my Adeli number and register at the social security. Like you, I want to pay whatever taxes are due – but I am not going to be in France very much at first, so only want to pay taxes appropriate to what I earn. I have done a bit of research into MicroBNC and can see that as professions liberales we are limited to how we can structure things. I was just wondering, if you don’t mind saying which type of business structure you are and whether you have to pay a fixed amount of tax/social security payments or whether it is dependent on earnings.
Thank you in advance.
Gail on 08 Mar 2012 at 3:23 pm #
Hi, sorry for the delay in replying, yes you should probably register with your local comptable (accountant) after you start working in france, they will advice probably the micro type of account, you wwill pay a ppercentage of your income, if it is quite small, in fact you may not have to pay income tax, but will pay your URSSAF, which is the oobligatory to cover all those on maternity leave, the dole etc!, charges for professional tax for your departement and your local town where you work, yes lots of taxes, if you count around 47% of your income for charges/taxes you will not be too disappointed! You will have to pay for a pension too, even though you probably won’t get much at the end, its obligatory in France, unlike Britain where you can chose to opt out. Unfortunately sometimes you pay more than you should the first 3 years as they don’t know at the start you won’t be working all the year, they should adjust this after the 3 years, bienvenue en France!
Hope that helps, best to get the comptable to do all the paperwork, he will organise your SIRET no which will let the tax people know where you are and you will get your Carte Vitalle, which is your card for getting your health care, like the National Insurance in Britain, after that you will probably need a Mutuelle you pay the rest of the costs, it depends of course