Unique therapy.

Mr. Eberhardt, when and how exactly did you first come into contact with FPZ?

Oh, the first contact was fateful for my life and my professional career. In 1996, I got out of an elevator at the German Sport University Cologne and saw a notice on the wall looking for students for what was then still called the FPZ concept of back therapy. In short: I applied and was hired.

Why did you choose FPZ back then?

That was the scientific approach of the therapy. The same approach that didn't exist in other forms of therapy back then and, as far as I know, still doesn't today. Today, more than 20 years later, we can draw on an extensive - if not the most extensive - database on the subject of back and neck pain for our work.

You mean the collection of scientifically proven patient reference data? Please describe its advantage for us in two short sentences.

As a center or therapist, I can use it to precisely compare the quality of movement and the strength of the muscles of each individual patient with those of comparable patients. In this way, each patient receives training that is optimally and individually adapted to their requirements, which in almost all cases leads to an improvement in the muscles and a reduction in symptoms. The initial analysis provides the patient with a printout showing them how their spine is doing. The final analysis then shows them their progress in figures and graphs. This is a great motivator for the trainee.

Who actually pays the therapy costs?

The therapy is usually approved for three months. More than 50 health insurance companies currently support it. In standard care, the patient only receives six units per prescription, with a maximum of three prescriptions. With FPZ back therapy, we can provide 24 units. After the therapy units and the final analysis, it is up to the patient to decide whether or not to extend the treatment. In our Düsseldorf center, we have increasingly seen cases in recent years with muscular deficits of 80 to 90 percent - seemingly unimaginable, but a bitter reality. The 18 training units of standard care are certainly not enough, and even the 24 FPZ therapy units are still far too few.

So the patient trains at their own expense from this point on?

Continuing or maintaining muscle strength therefore makes sense for everyone. As therapists, we should have convinced the patients of the positive effect of the therapy after the therapy units have been completed, then it is not difficult for people to decide in favor of their health. At our clinic, we are proud to have a self-payer rate of 75 percent.

With how many employees do you look after the patients and trainees?

We currently have 14 colleagues, but we are looking for more specialists. There are seven colleagues in our team who started working with FPZ back therapy back in the 1990s. This makes us the most experienced FPZ team in Germany.

What are your plans for the future?

We want to change our premises in the next 12 months and are planning to expand the center.

We wish you and your team every success. Is there anything else you would like to say to the public about FPZ?

Absolutely! I would like medicine and politics to recognize the enormous importance of FPZ Back Therapy more clearly. I am sure that our analyses, which are based on scientifically collected reference data and the current condition of the patient, are much more important and meaningful than, for example, an X-ray of the spine. I still see a lot of room for improvement here.