Frequently Asked Questions

Who can be treated at your centre?

Do you only treat musicians and dancers or can professionals from other trades come too?

We are specialised in injuries caused by the constant activity required by stage arts. This is how we have acquired our knowledge, how we have built on our experience and developed tools that can be used on all activities and trades that involve repetitive work, sustained postures and bad ergonomics.

I am an artist but my injury wasn’t caused by my activity. Can you still treat me?

If your injury makes your artistic activity difficult, no matter what the cause is, it can be treated at our centre. It is always important to understand the requirements of the patient’s activity regardless of the nature of their injury. Treatment should be adjusted to suit his activity. For instance, a slightly twisted finger could be of no importance for most people, but tragic for a violinist. An injured lip would only matter aesthetically to the majority of people, but it could mean incapacity to play a wind instrument if it is not treated properly, difficult as that may prove. A badly treated injury on your ankle cartilage could cause slight occasional pains, but it could mean serious limitations for a dancer. We here at the Institut know how some treatments, however valid for most people, are simply unacceptable for artists.

I am an amateur artist; can you treat me or is it only for professional artists?

All procedures and treatments used at the Institut are applicable to any stage artist, no matter what their professional or educational level might be.

 

What is the usual procedure?

What do I need to do to be treated at the Institut?

Firstly, we will diagnose you as accurately as possible, trying to discover the main causes behind the affection. An appointment will be required. The patient will be examined; tests will be made along with an analysis to determine postural, technical or tensional factors involved in the patient’s artistic activity. Once all the information is gathered, a physiotherapeutic strategy will be designed. If this involves our physiotherapy team, appointments can be made after your visit.

If a different doctor in a different centre has already diagnosed me, can I still come to do physiotherapy? Do I need to be diagnosed again by your doctors?

Our treatments aren’t based only on an accurate diagnosis, but also on a study of the possible causes behind it; then we plan the best possible therapeutic strategy, specific to each individual case. We will need to confirm the diagnosis taking into account our long experience dealing with stage artists’ diseases and injuries. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to have a medical appointment at the Institut before starting any treatment.

If I have my medical visit at the Institut, do I need to do physiotherapy with you as well? Could I do my treatment in some other centre, closer to where I live?

Our philosophy is to give complete attention. That doesn’t mean our patients have to use all the services we offer. We understand some of them might only be interested in our help diagnosing their problem. Others won’t be able to have their treatment at the Institut due to distance or transport. In any case, everyone can come and we will try and point you in the right direction and ensure you are treated in the best possible way somewhere else. Apart from the instructions given at the medical appointment, we can also provide you with a medical and physiotherapeutic report that will help other professionals treat you.

Do you have any other centres in other cities where I can be treated?

We are currently located in Terrassa and all our team and equipment are based there.

I would like a second opinion. Can you help me?

It is absolutely no problem for us to share our experience with patients who have been in other centres beforehand. We can contribute to a more complete diagnosis with our views as experts in stage artists.

Who will examine me? What is their specialty?

All patients are first examined by Dr Jaume Rosset i Llobet. He is an expert in orthopedic surgery and sport medicine. He has been treating stage artists for over 20 years. If he thinks it necessary, another member of the team or an external consultant will join the case.

Can I have a diagnosis and get to know if I can be cured on my first visit?

Most illnesses can be diagnosed and a prognosis can be determined on the same day of your first visit. If our knowledge, equipment and procedures aren’t enough at the time, we will then design a strategy to get there as soon as possible.

Do you have any experts in hand affections?

All of our professionals have a long experience in hand and upper limb affections, as these areas represent a large number of the problems treated at the Institut. Nevertheless, one of the doctors in our team is a hand surgery expert, who will personally treat those cases where his experience and expertise are necessary.

Can I book my physiotherapy sessions online and avoid the telephone?

If you are already a patient at the Institut, you will be able to check our availability online. All you need to do is ask for an access code, which will let you look at our online calendar for the time and date that best suit your availability. Then you will have to contact us to let us know your preference (either a phone call or an email). Your appointment won’t be booked until you have received our confirmation.

I don’t have a specific problem, but I’d still like to do some prevention. Is it possible?

Apart from treating artists who suffer from pathologies, the Institut also works on trying to prevent them and enhancing artistic performance. Our techniques and our long experience allow us to detect certain aspects that can be improved, both physical (posture, muscular balance, coordination, strength, stamina, agility, breathing, etc.) and psychological (tension, stage fright, mental blocks, etc.). We can also help future musicians choose which instrument will suit better their physical qualities.

Is there a very long waiting list?

Waiting time is quite variable. Medical appointments can usually be made within two weeks. Physiotherapy sessions should never be over one week apart. Treating dystonia, because of its very specific requirements, is a different matter; waiting time could go up as much as several months. We are currently working on reducing it.

I would like to consult my doctor over the telephone. Is that a possibility?

While medical examinations are taking place, interruptions are kept at a minimum. Therefore, doctors aren’t able to take phone calls, with the exception of urgencies. Emailing your concerns to the Institut (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) is the easiest way to contact your doctor. However, if you would prefer to use the phone, you can call us.

When could I use videoconference instead of an actual visit?

Although videoconference cannot replace actual visits to the centre completely, it is quite a useful tool to make communication between doctors and artists easier. It allows us to give you a second opinion if you have already been diagnosed by other professionals or inform you on how to proceed when faced by an injury that hasn’t been looked at by other professionals (tests that will be required, what experts you should consult, existing possibilities, risks, etc,). It is also useful to keep track of the evolution of those patients whose treatment and therapy was designed by a professional from our centre.

What treatments are used at the Institut?

We believe the patient should have an active role in their treatment. Once the affection has been diagnosed and its causes have been established, a plan of action will be determined. It could include a medical approach (usage of drugs in small doses through Mesotherapy or ozone injections), physiotherapy (manual techniques and electrotherapy), physical reconditioning (improvement of physical qualities such as strength, stamina, plasticity, balance, proprioception, etc.), posture work, tension work and psychological and cognitive work. The patient has to be part of the implementation of these treatments and procedures, and has to help decide which strategy to determine and why. The therapeutic team (doctor, physiotherapist and patient) will assess the results and new treatments will be implemented until symptoms disappear and causes are determined.

Do you do surgical interventions at your centre?

Most diseases we treat can be cured without surgery. However, when a decision is made between doctor and patient and surgery is considered the best option to treat the problem, our surgeons will lead those operations. The premises at the Clínica de la Mútua de Terrassa are often used for this kind of procedure.

 

What do I have to bring on my first visit?

What do I need to bring to my medical examination?

In order to make the diagnosis more efficient, we would like to have as much information on the patient and their illness as possible (x-rays, scans, medical reports, analysis and electromyography results, etc.). If you are musician, we recommend you bring your own musical instrument with you. If you are a dancer, please bring the shoes you would usually wear when performing.

It would be hard for me to bring my own instrument. Do you have any at the centre?

Although we prefer the musician to bring their own instrument, if this were not possible, we do have a selection of instruments that can be used by the patient during their medical examination (piano, double-bass, cello, violin, harp, guitar, electric guitar, trombone, conga and a drum kit).

 

Timetable

Are medical appointments held both in the morning and in the afternoon?

We want to make things as easy as possible for both patients and doctors, so we are open both in the morning and in the afternoon.

What are the times for physiotherapy sessions?

Physiotherapy sessions can be scheduled both in the morning and in the afternoon.

Are you open on Saturdays?

Although we do not have medical appointments on Saturdays, we are open in the morning for physiotherapy sessions.

 

How do I pay?

Is the Institut a private institution or is there any other way for me to join?

The Institut is not partners with any medical insurance company or the National Health Service (Seguridad Social). This means the patient will have to pay the expenses for any appointments and sessions at the Institut.

What methods of payment do you accept?

You can pay in cash or by credit card, after each medical visit or physiotherapy session.

I have a private medical insurance; can you still treat me?

We aren’t partners with any private medical insurance company. Some of them will cover most or any expenses generated by the patient. If this is the case, once the patient has made payment for any services provided by the Institut, theywill have to ask their insurance company for a reimbursement.

Could the National Helath Service (Seguridad Social) cover my expenses?

We don’t know of any patients that have been directed to us by the National Health Service. However, we do know about exceptional cases where patients have managed to get a partial reimbursement after presenting medical reports, invoices and proof that the services required could not be provided by the National Health Service.

Could I have an estimate of how much my treatment will cost?

After your first visit and once we have a diagnosis we can design the best treatment. This will determine how many sessions are required and what their cost would be.

What is included in the price of the first medical visit?

The purpose of the first medical visit is reaching a diagnosis, finding out about the causes of the affection, and determining a treatment. The first visit consists of questions on the patient’s medical and professional record and on symptoms and circumstances that could be related to the problem. It includes a physical examination and the analysis of the professional activity (playing, dancing, etc.). If necessary, we have high definition ultrasound equipment (which shows us the state of tendons, muscles, ligaments, joints, etc.) and specific tests such as labial stroboscope and strain gauge, which help us measure muscular strength and resistance. These tests are very useful to detect injuries (i.e. facial muscles ruptures, elongation or fatigue), to design treatments and to keep track of certain artists’ recovery processes (such as wind instrument musicians and actors, who use their facial muscles in a very intense and constant way). All of this is included in the price of the first medical appointment.

 

How to get there.

Is it easy to get to the Isntitut using public transport?

There are two train lines that link Barcelona and Terrassa: RENFE and FFGC. RENFE have a train station (Terrassa-Est) that is located 15 minutes away from the Institut on foot. If you would like to use FFGC, you would have to take the bus (no. 1 from FFGC station in Terrassa to Montserrat stop, near the Institut).

Is it easy to park in the area?

You can often park just in front of the Institut. If that weren’t possible, there is a free parking lot close by (accessed by the roundabout connecting Salamanca and Pontevedra Streets).

 

Other

Any books you would recommend?

Our Fundació Ciència i Art has several publications on the subject (if you care to visit the divulgació tab, you should be able to find them); these include leaflets, posters and books. They could provide you with useful information on preventive aspects, exercises, performance enhancing, functioning of the body while playing an instrument, etc.

Can I speak to a patient who has the same problem as me?

When an artist sustains an injury or suffers from an affection related to their professional activity, they often feel lonely, with a lack of support, or simply not understood. Talking to a fellow artist who has gone or is going through the same can be very helpful. In fact, one of the things that patients value the most of our centre is the chance to meet fellow artists in similar situations whom they can share opinions and experiences with. Although we don’t rule out other means of contact (email addresses or phone numbers) you must understand confidentiality regulations don’t allow us to share any information about other patients. Some patients do sometimes authorise the sharing of their contact details with other patients.

I am a schoolteacher and I think there is a lot to be learned from what you do. Do you have any workshops, courses or other activities on your subject?

One of the goals of our Fundació Ciència i Art is to train teachers, students, artists and health professionals on these subjects. We do have workshops and talks and also courses on posture, performance enhancing, body/mind integration, artists’ diseases, breathing, tension control, etc.

I would come a long way to be treated at your centre and I am thinking of staying in Terrassa for a few days to undergo your treatment. What is your recommendation on where to stay?

We have a list of hotels, hostels and rooms that have been recommended by our own patients. If you are interested, we will send you a copy.

Introduction

Who we are and what we do.

Introduction

Our Philosophy

How we work.

Our Philosophy

Accounts

Read about our patients' opinions.

Accounts

logo peu

Would you like to talk about it?

There are several ways in which you can contact the Institut.

icona telefon

Call us

(+34) 93 784 47 75

icona formulari

Email us

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Send us an email

logo whats

Whatsapp

(+34) 626 62 07 44