The market for physical therapists - Italy (2024)

1.2 World overview

As life expectancy increases and chronic problems arise, health emergencies that create short- and long-term problems, the physical therapist is increasingly sought after. The physiotherapy market is a segmented market in which both physiotherapy therapies and the production and sale of equipment for specific use are included. In ****, the global physiotherapy market is estimated at $**.** billion. A compound annual growth rate (***) of *.* percent is projected for the period ****-**** under which the world market could reach a total value of $**.** billion by the end of the period.

Physical therapy services market World, ****-****, in billions of dollars Industryarc

europe is home to the largest number of physiotherapists in the world, with Germany in particular employing ***,*** professionals, placing it first among European states, followed by France, with **,*** and Italy with **,***. The gap between Germany and Estonia, which with *** physiotherapists is the European country with the smallest number, is **.** percent.

Number of physiotherapists by European country Europe, ****, units Source:OECD Non-conisdered states have a number of professionals below ****.

1.3 Italian Panorama

With more than **,*** physiotherapists in ****, the Italian physiotherapy services market reached a total value of $*.** billion in ****. A compound annual growth rate (***). As a result, the Italian physiotherapy services market is estimated at $*.** billion in ****.

Physiotherapy market Italy, ****-****, in billions of dollars Insights**

1.4 Impact of Covid

During the pandemic, physical therapists were involved in the front line along with physicians and nurses in the management of patients with COVID-**. The main task of physical therapists was to aituate patients during rehabilitation of the thoracic pulmonary system after weeks of intensive therapy.

Though the role of the physical therapist within hospitals was of paramount improtance, the WP highlights the major problems the profession faced during the pandemic:

Source: ****

1.5 The consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict

The outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in February **** has led to, among other things, a general increase in consumer prices. The price increase does not only affect the consumer goods compartment but also the services compartment. The segment of other paramedical services, of which physical therapy is one of the main segments, is not exempt from this increase. Between January **** and December ****, the consumer price index for other paramedical services increased by *.* points. In percentage terms, the price increase stands at *.* percent. Compared with ****, the increase in consumer prices is **.*%. The increase in prices can be attributed to the increase in operating costs of physical therapy practices, particularly for energy supply, room rents and the purchase of capital goods (***)

Consumer price index for other paramedical services Italy, ****-****, base ****=*** Istat

2.1 Demand in Italy

In order to analyze the demand for physiotherapy services in Italy, trends in the population that continuously practices sports and that of the population over ** are taken into account, assuming that these are the main segments of the population that turn to physiotherapists.

Analyzing the trend in the number of people who participate in sports continuously, between **** and **** shows a growth in the number of subjects. During the period analyzed, the total number of sports people increased from ** million to **.* million, marking a growth of *.* percent. However, while between **** and **** the growth stands at **.*%, between **** and **** the number of sportsmen and sportswomen drops by *.*% (***). The growth in the number of sportsmen recorded between **** and **** suggests an increase in demand for physical therapy services over the period analyzed.

People aged * years and older who participate in sports continuously Italy, ****-****, in millions Istat The increase in average life expectancy, coupled with declining birth rates, results in, among other things, a progressive increase in the percentage weight of the elderly population in the total population. As for the over-** population, between **** and **** the total number of over-**s increased by *.* percent, from *.** million people to *.** million people. Therefore, this also seems consistent to ...

2.2 Interest

the graph represents the proportion of searches for a given term in a given region over a given period of time, compared to when it was most searched (***). Thus, a value of ** means that the keyword was used less often in the region, and a value of * means that there is not enough data for that keyword.

As shown in the graph below, the interest shown by users follows a seasonal pattern: while the fall months (***).

Searches for "physiotherapy" on Google Trends Italy, ****-****, Google Trends search index GoogleTrends

In order to visualize the geographical distribution of interest, a map was created with the index of interest related to fireworks in each Italian region between January **** and December ****. Values are calculated on a scale of * to ***, where *** indicates the location with the highest frequency of searches as a proportion of total searches in that location, and a value of ** indicates a location with half as many searches.

At the aggregate level, the Center has the highest value in the entire peninsula, at ** in **** (***).

MACROREGION INDEX OF INTEREST GOOGLE TRENDS (***) Center ** South ** Islands ** Northwest ** Northeast ** ITALY **

2.3 Geographical distribution of demand

In order to visualize the geographic distribution of demand, two maps were created with the nationwide distribution of the sports and over-** population in each Italian macro-region.

In terms of the number of people who practice sports continuously, the Northwest collects *.** million sportsmen and women in ****, accounting for **.* percent of the national total. This is followed by the Northeast and the Center where the number of sportsmen and women is *.** million and *.** million, respectively (***) while in the Islands these are *.** million or *.* percent of the national total.

In contrast to the population of athletes, the geographical distribution of the over-** population is more uniform along the peninsula. The Northwest of the country is home to **.* percent of the total population over **, amounting to *.** million individuals. The Center, Northeast and South show substantially equal figures of *.** million, *.** million and *.** million people over **, respectively. Finally, the lowest figure is recorded in the Islands, where the population over ** is **.* percent of the national total (***).

3.1 The market structure

in order to analyze the structure of the physiotherapy market in Italy, the total number of physiotherapists, the total number of people employed in the field, and the distribution of specialists in different areas of intervention are considered.

Number of physical therapists

Between **** and ****, the total number of physical therapists in Italy shows an increase. During the period analyzed, the total number of specialists increased from **,*** to **,***, marking an increase of *.* percent. The growth appears to be constant during the entire period, with the only exception of ****, when compared to **** a contraction in the number of specialists of *.*% is reported. In any case, in **** the sector returns to growth and the total number of physical therapists even exceeds the values recorded in **** (***).

Physiotherapists in Italy Italy, ****-****, units Source: ****

Employees

As for the total number of employees, Ateco Code **.**.* "Independent paramedical activities" is taken into account, of which physiotherapy appears to be the main one. Between **** and ****, the total number of employees in the sector shows a growth of **.* percent, from **,*** to **,***. However, while between **** and **** the growth stands at **.*%, between **** and **** the number of employees drops by **.*%. Employment in activities under Ateco Code **.**.* "Independent paramedical activities" Italy, ****-****, in thousands Istat Finally, ...

3.2 Geographic distribution of physical therapists

Analyzing the total number of individuals registered withA.I.FI (***). This is followed by the Northeast and the South, where **.*% and **.*% of the total number of physical therapists are concentrated, respectively. Finally, the Center and the Islands collect **.*% and **.*% of the total number of Italian specialists, respectively.

3.3 The main actors

A list of the main players active in the physiotherapy market in Italy is offered below:

Centro Di Fisiocinesiterapia Serapide s.p.a: founded on June *, ****, is a major institution in the physiotherapy industry in Italy. Based in Pozzuoli, Naples, it offers a range of rehabilitation and physiotherapy treatment services. The company is distinguished by its long history and commitment to providing high-quality care to its patients. It was founded more than four decades ago, indicating an established presence and significant experience in the field.

Neapolisanit s.r.l: founded on December **, ****, is a company specializing in the field of physical therapy, located in Ottaviano, Naples. This company is committed to providing high quality services for the rehabilitation and treatment of patients with various physical needs. With nearly two decades of experience, Neapolisanit S.r.l. has developed in-depth expertise in the management and treatment of physical conditions and has established itself as an important resource in the local community for physical therapy and related services.

Casa Di Cura Angrisani s.r.l: opened on June **, ****, is an outpatient clinic dedicated to rehabilitation, where in an environment inspired by the most modern architectural criteria, highly specialized personnel work. It consists of ...

4.1 Treatments offered

A physical therapist is one who not only does rehabilitative treatments and massage but also deals with prevention and motor performance enhancement, in sports and work, working on movement dysfunctions and pain education. In particular, the phiosotherapist specializes in certain macro areas:

Physiotherapy treatments are multiple, specific and localized for each problem:

Source: ****

4.2 Prices

Analyzing the consumer price index for other paramedical services, of which physiotherapy is the main segment, between January **** and December **** shows an increase in the index itself of **.* points. In percentage terms, the price increase over the period analyzed stands at **.* percent. However, while between January **** and January **** the increase in the index stands at * points (***). The increase over the past ** months is higher than the total increase between **** and ****.

Consumer price index for other paramedical services Italy, ****-****, base ****=*** Istat

A price range for some types of sessions by physical therapists in Italy is proposed below:

(***)

In this second table, however, a range of prices for some specific treatments in Italy is proposed:

(***)

4.3 New supply trends: virtual rehabilitation

Virtual rehabilitation, an emerging frontier in physical therapy and rehabilitation, employs virtual reality and other digital technologies to provide effective and personalized treatments. This innovative approach allows patients to perform rehabilitation exercises in an interactive virtual environment, improving motivation and treatment adherence. It offers opportunities for more accessible and engaging treatments, particularly useful for patients with limited mobility or who live in remote areas. Virtual rehabilitation represents a significant step forward in the field of rehabilitation, combining clinical effectiveness with accessibility and technological innovation.(***)

The adoption of virtual rehabilitation is increasing due to its many benefits in increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of rehabilitation pathways. In ****, the global virtual rehabilitation market is estimated at $***.* million. Sustained growth in the industry is expected in the near future, with a compound annual growth rate (***) of **.* percent by virtue of which the world market could reach a value of $*.** billion by the end of the period.

Virtual Rehabilitation Market World, ****-****, in millions of dollars Psmarketresearch

5.1 Regulations

The reference regulations for physiotherapy services are as follows:

Decree No. *** of September *, ****: regulation establishing the Territorial Orders of the health profession of physical therapists and the National Federation of Orders of the health profession of physical therapists. Decree of March **, ****, of the Ministry of Health: on the establishment of the Registers of Technical, Rehabilitation and Preventive Health Professions. Law of February *, ****, No. **: on the provisions on nursing, midwifery, rehabilitation, technical and prevention health professions and delegation to the Government for the establishment of the relevant professional orders. Decree No. *** of September **, ****: regulation concerning the identification of the figure and relative professional profile of the physiotherapist. Directive ****/**/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council: on the recognition of professional qualifications including physiotherapist.

6.1 Segmentation

• Istituto Prosperius Tiberino
• Centro Studi della Scoliosi
• Villa dei Fiori (Casa di Cura Angrisani)
• Neapolisanit
• Centro di fisiocinesiterapia Serapide S.p.A
• Ospedale Mater Salutis di Legnano
• Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli
• Azienda Socio Sanitaria Spedali CIvili di Brescia