Outpatient clinics in Japan?

[Termy]

Hello,

Does anybody know if there are outpatient clinics or primary health care centers in Japan where you can meet physiotherapists / physical therapists (and/or other health professions) for assessment if you have some kind of an injury, pain etc? Or are there only hospitals?

 

[thomas]

Most larger hospitals have emergency wards that treat walk-in patients. Probably others can help you further, but there are clinics specialised in pain treatment and sports injuries, most of which take Japanese health insurance.

What particular kind of treatment are you looking for?

 

[Glenski]

Also, where are you, or where do you plan to be in Japan?

 

[Termy]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not looking for treatment myself. I am a swedish guy working in Sweden as a physiotherapist at a public outpatient clinic. I'm trying to figure out how that works over in Japan (also studying japanese on my spare time). Here in Sweden we have outpatient clinics everywhere basically, but in Norway for example those don't exist at all and instead you have to go to private practitioners.

 

[johnnyG]

There are 接骨院 all over the place. I go to one where I know the doc--he takes a look & makes a diagnosis, then passes me off to other staff for treatment. Usually it's been for things like a stiff neck (too much computer time), or maybe over-exercising. Nothing particularly important or exciting. After many years off, I returned to swimming some years ago. While I was getting back into shape for that, the physio/massage people helped by showing me some pre- and post- stretching to keep certain areas from kinking up like they were. This particular doc also has a dojo upstairs from his clinic (he and his now-grown kids are all judo experts), and he's the closest thing to a sports medicine doc that I know.

His treatment usually helps. Always begins with some electrical stimulation, then either direct to massage, or a machine or two and then massage. The massage people at this place are excellent, they really work you over. I've sometimes gone when I don't really have a problem since the massages are so good.

Since it's covered by insurance, it's cheap.

 

[Termy]

There are ﾂ静堋最凪?ｰ@ all over the place. I go to one where I know the doc--he takes a look & makes a diagnosis, then passes me off to other staff for treatment. Usually it's been for things like a stiff neck (too much computer time), or maybe over-exercising. Nothing particularly important or exciting. After many years off, I returned to swimming some years ago. While I was getting back into shape for that, the physio/massage people helped by showing me some pre- and post- stretching to keep certain areas from kinking up like they were. This particular doc also has a dojo upstairs from his clinic (he and his now-grown kids are all judo experts), and he's the closest thing to a sports medicine doc that I know.

His treatment usually helps. Always begins with some electrical stimulation, then either direct to massage, or a machine or two and then massage. The massage people at this place are excellent, they really work you over. I've sometimes gone when I don't really have a problem since the massages are so good.

Since it's covered by insurance, it's cheap.

Thanks a lot mate, that's some good information there, especially the ﾂ静堋最凪?ｰ@.

 

[Glenski]

Termy,
Are you looking for such work here? Is that the main reason you are asking these questions?

If so, you're going to need very high fluency in the language (spoken, written, reading) and probably have to pass a qualifying exam here for your specialty, maybe even graduate with a degree in the field from a J uni.

 

[Termy]

Termy,
Are you looking for such work here? Is that the main reason you are asking these questions?

If so, you're going to need very high fluency in the language (spoken, written, reading) and probably have to pass a qualifying exam here for your specialty, maybe even graduate with a degree in the field from a J uni.

I might be looking for such work in the future, but I realize I have a long way to go (years). I'd need to pass the JLPT1 and then the "National Physical Therapy Examination". Before that, I've been thinking about perhaps doing year or two at a japanese language school, and/or maybe some university foreign student exchange program at some point in the future.