# Prevalence of Patients With Pain Consulting Physiotherapists (PHYSIODOL Survey). A Nationwide Survey in France

## TL;DR

This study finds that pain is the main reason patients visit physiotherapists in France, with chronic pain being especially common.

## Contribution

This is the first nationwide survey in France assessing the prevalence and characteristics of pain in physiotherapy consultations.

## Key findings

- 58.7% of patients seen by physiotherapists in France presented with pain.
- Chronic pain was reported more frequently than acute pain.
- Self-employed physiotherapists reported more mixed acute and chronic pain profiles.

## Abstract

Pain, whether as a symptom or a chronic disease, is the leading cause of medical consultations but there is no data on whether this is also the case in the practice of physiotherapy.

To assess the prevalence of patients with pain consulting a physiotherapist in France.

A questionnaire to be completed online was sent to physiotherapists practicing in France, asking them about the presence of pain in the patients they treated in the previous five days. The questionnaire was sent through representative healthcare organisations and professional societies, from January to September 2024.

A total of 845 questionnaires were completed by physiotherapists, representing 52,497 patient consultations. Overall, 58.7% of patients seen by physiotherapists presented with pain, and pain was the main reason for consultation in 39.5% of patients. Physiotherapists reported a higher proportion of patients with chronic pain than with acute pain. Differences in pain characteristics were observed according to professional practice context: self‐employed physiotherapists more frequently reported pain located in the head or trunk and mixed acute and chronic pain profiles, whereas salaried physiotherapists more often reported acute pain and lower limb pain.

Pain is the major reason for physiotherapy consultations, and chronic pain is commonly encountered. Differences observed between self‐employed and salaried physiotherapists likely reflect variations in care contexts, referral pathways, and predominant fields of clinical activity. These results should inform health authorities of the role of physiotherapists in pain management and promote the development of standardised undergraduate and postgraduate pain education programs.

This is the first nationwide and representative study to assess the prevalence and characteristics of pain among patients consulting physiotherapists. The results demonstrate that pain, particularly chronic pain, is a major reason for physiotherapy consultations in France. The evaluation of current educational programs and the implementation of standardised pain education for physiotherapists should now be undertaken to ensure best practices and ultimately improve patient outcomes.