Dick van der Poel

After his graduation in 1989 at the Hogeschool Haarlem in the Netherlands, Dick moved to Switzerland, where he started his career at the physiotherapy department of a hospital in Bern. In 1992 he moved to Lugano to work in a private clinic. This is where at the end of 1994 he started his own private clinic, which he conducted until his arrival in Cambodia. In 2010, Dick van der Poel established Physiotherapy Phnom Penh in a much smaller setting and on a different location as the current clinic is.

Dick, besides offering general physiotherapy, is specialized in manual therapy methods and physical rehabilitation after injury or surgery. Over the last 25 years Dick has shown particular interest in the treatment of spine related disorders and musculoskeletal disorders. Moreover Dick holds a post graduate degree in sports physiotherapy from Derendingen -Switzerland.

He likes to emphasize that working with orthopedic patients, who are in need of post-traumatic and post-operative rehabilitation, has always had his preference, as these patients are overall well motivated to participate in their physical recovery and improvement can be measured almost on a daily basis.  

In 2004 Dick achieved a bachelor degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine, allowing him, so he says ”to integrate Chinese Medicine into the physiotherapy treatment as often ailments and their symptoms can be explained both in a western and oriental way. It enables me to use a more holistic approach while treating my patients."