Clinic, teleconsultation or HOPP: which solution should you choose for your rehab?

The comparison at a glance

The three solutions meet different needs. None is strictly better than the others: the right choice depends on your injury, your budget and the time you have available.

In-person clinic, in detail

An in-clinic session remains the only solution that allows a direct physical examination and manual techniques (massage, passive mobilisations). It’s the reference for injuries that need hands-on contact or specialist equipment. In exchange, you need a prescription, a waiting time to get an appointment, and travel for every session.

The physio’s take: The real criterion that should point you towards a clinic isn’t how severe the pain feels, but the need for a hands-on technique or a physical exam that no remote format can replace.

Classic teleconsultation, in detail

Teleconsultation with a physiotherapist works like an in-clinic session, but remotely: same prescription, same national health insurance reimbursement, same physio following you over time. The only difference is the absence of manual techniques, since everything happens in front of a screen.

Tip: Before a teleconsultation session, clear a bit of space around you. The more clearly your physio can see you move, the more accurate their remote assessment will be.

HOPP, in detail

HOPP is neither a clinic nor a classic teleconsultation: it’s a fixed-price digital programme, designed by FIFA-certified sports physios. No prescription, no appointment to wait for, you start your assessment and your programme immediately. In exchange, it isn’t reimbursed by national health insurance.

The main difference from a classic teleconsultation: your programme adjusts every day to how you feel (RPE), without waiting for your next session. With the Expert plan, you can also talk with a sports physio via video call.

Our take: HOPP has never claimed to replace a clinic for everything. Its strength is treating common injuries that don’t need a hands-on technique right away, at the point where waiting for an appointment costs you precious time.

Which solution for which situation?

In the most complex cases (post-surgery, long-standing injury), combining approaches, for example clinic follow-up supplemented by a HOPP programme between sessions, often gives the best results.

How to choose your type of care after a sports injury?

There isn’t a single right answer: the choice depends on your injury, what you’re looking for and your constraints. Here are the four criteria that should really guide your decision.

1. The severity and type of your injury

Muscle pain, tendinopathy or a mild sprain can be very effectively managed remotely, with a suitable exercise programme and regular follow-up. Conversely, a severe injury, a post-surgery situation or a case that requires a direct physical exam (palpation, manual tests, passive mobilisations) needs in-clinic care, at least for the initial assessment.

2. Whether you need manual techniques or not

If you’re looking for massage or passive mobilisations performed by a professional’s hands, only a clinic meets that need. If your priority is understanding your injury, having a structured exercise programme and being followed through your progress, distance isn’t an obstacle: it’s often even easier to fit into your daily life.

3. Prescription, reimbursement and budget

Clinics and classic teleconsultation require a prescription and are reimbursed by national health insurance, with a waiting time to get an appointment. HOPP works on a different principle: fixed price, no prescription, but no health insurance reimbursement. The right choice depends on whether you prioritise financial cover or speed of access.

4. How quickly you need it

For pain that’s just appeared and that you want to treat right away, waiting for an in-clinic or teleconsultation appointment can delay your recovery by several days, or even several weeks. A programme like HOPP lets you start an assessment and suitable exercises immediately, which is often decisive in the first days after a common sports injury.

Does online follow-up with a physio really work?

Yes, for the majority of common sports injuries (tendinopathies, muscle pain, mild sprains), well-structured remote follow-up is effective: it allows a precise assessment, a personalised exercise programme and regular adjustments as you progress. Its limit is clear: it doesn’t replace manual techniques, like massage or passive mobilisations, which require the physical presence of a practitioner.

What online follow-up can do

A precise assessment based on a detailed questionnaire and functional tests that you carry out yourself, guided step by step. A strengthening, mobility and return-to-sport programme suited to your injury and your level. Continuous adjustment based on how you feel (pain, fatigue, progress), which a weekly in-clinic session doesn’t always allow at the right pace. Education about your injury, to understand why it happened and how to avoid a recurrence.

What online follow-up doesn’t replace

A direct physical exam by palpation, specific manual tests, and of course the manual techniques themselves (massage, passive mobilisations, manual therapy). For a severe injury, a post-surgery situation or an uncertain diagnosis, an initial in-clinic assessment is still recommended, before or alongside remote follow-up.

Is online follow-up serious and reliable?

Teleconsultation with a physiotherapist is a recognised and regulated practice in France, on the same footing as an in-clinic consultation. At HOPP, programmes are designed by FIFA-certified sports physios, which guarantees an approach based on the same rehab principles as classic follow-up, simply adapted to a digital format.

Frequently asked questions