What happens when an osteopath, a physiotherapist and a specialist examine the same patient together? Exactly what modern healthcare is all about: the person is viewed as a whole and treated as a whole.
With functiomed In Zurich, this collaboration has been part of everyday life for over twenty years. Prof. Martin Spring founded the Centre for Functional Medicine in 2004 and has, step by step, turned it into one of the leading centres in Switzerland: Today, over 50 staff members work there: osteopaths, around 15 physiotherapists, specialists in orthopaedics, traumatology and rheumatology, as well as specialists in occupational therapy, medical massage and performance diagnostics. And when the world’s best track and field athletes compete at Weltklasse Zürich, the functiomed team has been on hand as the medical partner for many years.
Martin Spring himself embodies research, teaching and practical experience all in one: he helped establish Switzerland’s first university degree programme in osteopathy, taught for many years as an associate professor in Fribourg, and wrote a specialist book on the aetiology of diseases in 2022.
We are now embarking on this journey together: functiomed is part of the SPP network.
Why take this step?
Right from the start, our vision went beyond physiotherapy alone. Over the last two years, we have built up a strong network of around 25 practices and health centres, because physiotherapy is the gateway to good health: hardly any other therapist spends as much time with patients. We are now expanding on this foundation. Here are three reasons why functiomed is the ideal partner for this:
- Interdisciplinarity in practice. Every day, functiomed demonstrates that osteopathy, physiotherapy, active training and conventional medicine achieve more together than any single discipline can on its own. It is precisely this model that we want to embed within our network.
- A Chief Medical Officer of distinction. Martin Spring will be responsible for our overall therapeutic approach going forward: quality standards, treatment programmes and the expansion of osteopathy. He remains CEO of functiomed and will be sharing his expertise across the entire network with immediate effect.
- The SPP Academy. Together with Martin, we are building a in-house academy Focusing on: further training and professional development, interdisciplinary case discussions, and exchanges between practices. For you as a therapist, this means new avenues for development, right from the comfort of your own practice.
What does this mean for our network?
Above all, one thing: more opportunities. Modern, evidence-based physiotherapy and active training remain the cornerstones of SPP, both today and in the future. That is why they feature in our name. What we are adding is an extension: osteopathy, medical expertise, prevention and a professional exchange made possible only by a network. For us, health is a continuous journey: from regaining health, through staying healthy, to achieving optimal performance and quality of life. Our practices retain their name, their team and their local identity, whilst gaining a glimpse of the future.
Martin Spring puts it this way:
«I have spent over twenty years building functiomed into what it is today. With SPP, I can now roll out this concept across the whole of Switzerland and make the latest research findings on modern treatment approaches available to all patients in the network.»
We would like to say: A warm welcome to the Network, it worked! We’re looking forward to everything that lies ahead.
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