How to Set Up a Physiotherapy Clinic for Successful Practice

How to set up a physiotherapy clinic for a successful practice?

Whether you are a fresher or planning to set up your physiotherapy centre, this writing will clear all the confusion. Applying the tips discussed in this post could be a career-changer.

We will try to understand how to arrange the clinical setup so that you can attend to patients seamlessly without any hindrance and become the most sought-after physiotherapist in your town.

All this information I will share is an extract from my 15 years of invaluable experience. Please read the article till the end to take advantage of my experience as an owner of a physiotherapy clinic for 12 years. 

#1: Separate treatment room for gents, ladies

An ideal physiotherapy centre setting should demarcate male and female treatment areas. Female patients do not feel comfortable being in the presence of males, so ideally, you should have a separate treatment area for male and female patients. If your financial status permits, you should purchase two sets of equipment for the different treatment areas.

Having two sets of equipment reduces the treatment time and load drastically. Imagine a situation where one patient receives interferential therapy, and another is waiting for his turn in another treatment area. This would create chaos-like conditions. 

This also reduces stress by reducing the time it takes to transfer the machine from one room to another. However, adding two sets of equipment to your financial constraints is not always possible.

So, what can be done?

Recommended furniture modifications

During the initial days of my career, we, too, were not in a position to afford two sets, but we managed the situation by slightly modifying the furniture.

We installed wheels on the bottom of every stool on which the equipment was to be planted. This made it easy to transfer machines from one location to another, reducing the physical stress of carrying them every time.

Initial equipment guide

If everything is fine, one question may arise: What essential equipment should one use to start his/her physiotherapy centre settings? The answer is simple: all the pain-relieving equipment these are:

1. Ultrasonic therapy (UST)
2. Interferential Therapy (IFT)
3. TENS
4. Traction.

As you grow with your career, proceed to have more equipment installed.

1. Short Wave Diathermy
2. Infrared Lamps
3. Hydorcullator
4. Wax bath

You can place the hydrocullator and wax bath at commonplace since having a double set of these machines is not advisable. They are expensive and rarely used. Also, you should have only one set of short-wave diathermy machines. 

#2 Exclusive room for exercise

Exercise is an integral part of the Physiotherapy treatment process. You should have a separate area for exercise, which is common to both males and females. There is a long list of equipment that can be installed in this area of the clinic.

The equipment I currently have is :

1. Quadriceps table
2. Shoulder wheel
3. Ladder board
4. Shoulder and pulley
5. Pronator supinator
6. Grip exerciser
7. Therabands
8. Dumbbells
9. Ankle exerciser
10. Therapy ball 

Confusion between newcomers or fresher

Around 12 years back, I was also confused; many thoughts would make a round in my brain.

• Should someone have guided me to start physiotherapy practice from scratch?
• Will I be able to find an ideal rental space for physiotherapy?
• How to market my physiotherapy practice?

After 3 years of job experience in Delhi, I finally quit to be my own boss. In 2008, with great enthusiasm and hope, I shifted from Delhi to Rourkela to start my clinical setup journey. 

It was a mixture of excitement and confusion about how to search for an ideal house, how to arrange the equipment, and how to grow. I can understand that this is what you might also be going through.

Being a fresher, I believe this confusion is justified and genuine. After successfully running the clinic for 12 years, I have zeroed into a perfect set-up plan that works for me. Considering your condition, you can extract some ideas from this and apply them to yours. 

Secret#3: Designated room for office & consultation

The consultation room is the first place your patients or clients meet you. It is where a brief conversation occurs between the patient and therapist. They share their problem, concern, and related X-ray and MRI reports with you. You take history by interviewing the patient; you should learn how to take the patient’s history properly. History taking is an art, not a science.

You should be careful when selecting a location for a consultation room. It should be away from all other rooms, yet all rooms should be visible when you sit here. This is to ensure that you can have brief supervision of what’s going on in each room.

Many clinics have examination couches placed here, but it’s not necessary. You can examine your patient in a treatment room itself.

Secret#4: How our clinic is arranged 

I have three clinic branches in three different geographical locations in our city. But I would like to share the one I like the best. It is a 2BHK house with a huge glass window, which makes it well-lit with natural light without using electric bulbs.

It has a small garden on three sides, making it a feel-good factor for our patients. Our clinic is over 1200 square feet and has treatment and exercise areas. Below is a map of our physiotherapy setup arrangement.

Bonus Tips#5 Impress your patient with an exercise chart

Finally, you can create a lasting relationship with your patient during their final session. Word of mouth needs to spread. This will add value to your service and physiotherapy centre setting.

This can be quickly established by advising them on home exercise programs and handing over an exercise chart. I have designed beautiful exercise charts for common joint pain that you may download by visiting my store.

Final words

These principles have worked for me and have been more productive for me. You can apply them to your clinic. What’s your take on this topic? Please give your feedback by commenting below.

The next crucial step is marketing, and I advise you to please read this article: 4 secret tools to grow your physio practice.

Sunit. S. Ekka

Dr Sunit Sanjay Ekka is a physiotherapist in practice for the last 15 years. He has done his BPT from one of the premium Central Government physiotherapy colleges, ie, SVNIRTAR. The patient is his best teacher and whatever he gets to learn he loves to share it on his Youtube channel and blog.