Physiotherapy only works if the fysiotherapeut understands exactly what’s wrong, and that means describing your pain precisely, in Dutch. “It hurts here” and a vague gesture won’t get you the right treatment. Here is the body-part and pain vocabulary to explain yourself, plus the thing expats get wrong: how physio is (and isn’t) covered.
First: you can usually just go
A common misconception is that you need a doctor’s note. You usually don’t. For most complaints you can book a fysiotherapeut directly, without a verwijzing (referral), under Directe Toegankelijkheid Fysiotherapie. As physiotherapy guides explain, a referral from your huisarts is generally only needed for conditions on the official chronische lijst (chronic list), or if your insurer requires one.
The body-part vocabulary
Point and name it:
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| de rug / onderrug | back / lower back |
| de nek | neck |
| de schouder | shoulder |
| de knie | knee |
| de enkel | ankle |
| de pols | wrist |
| de heup | hip |
| de spier / pees | muscle / tendon |
The pain vocabulary (the crucial part)
How it hurts tells the therapist almost more than where:
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| stekend | stabbing |
| zeurend | nagging, dull |
| stijf | stiff |
| uitstralend | radiating |
| gezwollen | swollen |
| het doet pijn als ik… | it hurts when I… |
A strong sentence: “Ik heb een zeurende pijn in mijn onderrug die uitstraalt naar mijn been.” (I have a nagging pain in my lower back that radiates into my leg.)
The cost surprise
Here’s what catches expats out, confirmed by the government on what the basic package covers: for ordinary (non-chronic) complaints, physiotherapy is not in the basisverzekering. You pay yourself, or use aanvullende (supplementary) insurance, which typically covers a fixed number of sessions. As the Consumentenbond’s physio-coverage overview notes, for chronic-list conditions the basic insurance only pays from the 21st treatment, you cover the first 20.
So check your polis before booking a course of sessions. This sits inside the wider healthcare-insurance glossary.
Where it connects
The fysiotherapeut is one of the Dutch healthcare appointments where precise vocabulary pays off, alongside the optician for your eyes, the apotheek and drogist for medicine, and reading a dentist’s begroting (quote). The common thread: say exactly what’s wrong, and check what your insurance actually covers. It builds on the everyday body-part vocabulary head to toe.
The bottom line
At the fysiotherapeut, you can usually go without a verwijzing, but you must describe the problem precisely: name the body part (rug, schouder, knie, nek) and the type of pain (stekend, zeurend, stijf, uitstralend). And know the money: ordinary physio isn’t in the basisverzekering, chronic-list care only pays from session 21. Learn the anatomy-and-pain words, check your aanvullende cover, and you’ll get the right treatment without a billing shock.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches the medical Dutch these appointments need, the body parts, the pain words, the ‘waar doet het pijn’ questions by real situation in five-minute lessons, so you can explain exactly where it hurts instead of pointing and hoping.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a referral to see a physiotherapist in the Netherlands?
Usually no. For most complaints you can go straight to a fysiotherapeut without a doctor’s referral (this is called Directe Toegankelijkheid Fysiotherapie). A verwijzing (referral) from your huisarts is generally only required for conditions on the official chronic list, or sometimes by your insurer. The therapist does an intake screening first to check physio is appropriate for your complaint.
Is physiotherapy covered by Dutch health insurance?
Mostly not by the basisverzekering. For ordinary (non-chronic) complaints, physiotherapy is not in the basic package, so you pay yourself or use aanvullende (supplementary) insurance, which typically covers a set number of sessions (often around 9, sometimes 16 to 24). For conditions on the chronic list, the basic insurance only pays from the 21st treatment onward, you cover the first 20 yourself or via supplementary cover.
How do I describe my pain to a Dutch physiotherapist?
Be specific about location and type. Name the body part (rug = back, schouder = shoulder, knie = knee, nek = neck, enkel = ankle) and the kind of pain: stekend (stabbing), zeurend (nagging/dull), stijf (stiff), uitstralend (radiating). Add when it hurts: ‘het doet pijn als ik buk’ (it hurts when I bend over). The clearer you are, the faster the fysiotherapeut can treat the right thing.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for doctor and physio appointments?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches the medical Dutch these appointments need, the body parts, the pain words, the ‘waar doet het pijn’ questions, in five-minute lessons built around real situations, so you can explain exactly where it hurts instead of pointing and hoping.
