Physiotherapist Salary: High Job Satisfaction & Growing Opportunities

In the 21st century, the healthy obsession about being physically fit has risen to unprecedented levels. People have realized that a healthy body is the key to a healthy mind. In terms of life expectancy, productivity in the work field, and susceptibility to ailments, physical fitness plays a hugely positive role. And it has rightfully received the attention it has always deserved.

In tandem with the increasing fixation on health, especially physical well-being worldwide, the importance of physiotherapy has also increased. Physiotherapists help prevent illnesses and injuries by emphasizing the necessity of a healthy body. They also play a significant role in the convalescence, recuperation and rehabilitation of victims of grim physical injuries.

The chief aim of physiotherapy is to ease mobility and motion, which are the two basic elements of our elementary physical wellness. This is done by helping patients to identify their bodily strengths and weaknesses. Once identified, they are taught how to consolidate their strengths so that whatever weaknesses they might have do not become deterrents to a sound health.

It is a specialized and holistic approach that physiotherapy incorporates. Each patient is treated by focusing on their individual physical qualities. And since it is therapy, the patient’s personal concerns and requirements are paid great heed. Their input helps physiotherapists prescribe the most accurate health routine, one that is designed according to the needs of each patient.

Physiotherapy is quickly becoming one of the most lucrative medical professions with increasing demand of expert physical health advisers in different spheres of life. Health and well-being are priorities for every age group, from children to senior citizens. The remuneration statistics of physiotherapists are also looking bright.

Thus, with the twin growth in employment prospects and job satisfaction, physiotherapy is proving to be an increasingly smart and profitable career choice. The nature and range of salaries of physiotherapists depend on a number of factors, listed below with appropriate explanations:

Sports Physiotherapist

Sports is one field where people are prone to physical injuries. One often hears of players being rested for games because of various physical injuries like hamstring strain, ligament fracture, tennis or golf elbow, ankle injury, etc. Although most of these injuries are common and temporary in nature, without proper diagnosis and treatment, they can be sources of prolonged and acute pain.

This is where sports physiotherapists come into play. Schools, colleges, sports clubs, national sports teams, all require sports physiotherapists. The more important the institution, the higher is the salary. Physiologists, or physios, as they are colloquially called, in this field must be highly qualified in their knowledge of sports-related injuries. Osteopaths, for example, who specialise in the treatment of injuries related to muscle tissues and bones, are qualified to become sports physios.

The average salary of a sports physiotherapist in India is just over ₹5.50 lakhs per annum, or over ₹45,000 per month. Very highly trained physios who work professionally for national sports teams receive much, much higher pay, naturally. In 2017, the BCCI announced that the salary of Patrick Farhart, the physio appointed by the Indian Cricket Team, amounted to ₹1.17 crore for the period of one year and two months.

Home Visits

Home visits are another source of income for physiotherapists who feel that working in a clinic of one’s own is not going to be cost-effective. Physiotherapists employed by hospitals, nursing homes or other medical establishments might also opt for home visits as an added source of revenue.

Home visits have other advantages as well. Mostly, it involves flexible hours and almost entirely depends on the working routine of the physiotherapist. Home visits can be as frequent or as part-time as the physiotherapist wants. The personal contacts with patients also experience a boost, which usually reflects in the amount earned per visit.

Depending on how frequent they are, earnings from home visits vary from one physiotherapist to another. While the consultation fees for specific diagnoses and particular treatments remain fixed, more or less, it is the number of visits made by the physiotherapist that determines their income.

Average physiotherapy sessions in India usually range between ₹300-₹500. Depending on the kind of injury, it may vary. If it is only a consultation session, i.e. which does not involve any treatment, a physiotherapist earns ₹300-₹500. If it’s muscular pain, back pain, joint pain, or post-surgery treatment/rehabilitation session, the range increases to ₹350-₹500. When it comes to house visits, this increases further because the physiotherapist makes it more convenient for the patient by removing the obstacles of appointment queues and other time-consuming woes.

Physiotherapy Clinic

Many physiotherapists also consider working in physiotherapy clinics owned by themselves. This entails substantial initial investment, mainly in the form of buying various physiotherapy equipment. Treadmills, exercise bikes, pedal exercisers, elliptical trainers, and Upper Body Ergometers (UGMs) are some of the usual physiotherapy equipment required in a clinic.

But with a few years’ experience, as their practices become more settled and widely known, physiotherapists can earn as much as ₹60,000 per month on average. Private chambers like these also meet the physiotherapist’s work routine perfectly as they can decide the working hours that ideally suit their needs.

Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Health Centres

Besides sports clubs, gyms, personal physiotherapy clinics, physiotherapists also find jobs in hospitals, health centres and nursing homes. This is a good indicator of the fact that the vocational field of physiotherapists is wide open.

Government hospitals usually pay less. But working in a private health centre or a nursing home, a physiotherapist who has just begun their professional career, can earn from ₹2 lakhs to ₹2.5 lakhs per year.

But with increasing work experience, their salary also gains a lift. Recent reports suggest that with a few years working as a professional, the average salary that a physiotherapist can earn is ₹3.60 lakhs a year. This can go up to nearly ₹8 lakhs per year depending on the institution that a physiotherapist is working for and the job experience they have acquired.