1. Legal status
Microkinesitherapy is a complementary manual therapy. As a result:
• It fulfills the conditions for inclusion on the list of complementary therapies proposed by the Academy of Medicine, although it is not yet on the list.
• It is pending acknowledgment by the National Order of Masseurs and Physiotherapists, which does not accept all new therapies and methods. See the Order’s opinions and procedural overview.
• Microkinesitherapy is a member of the GETCOP and its practitioners conveys to this body (as well as others like it) their assessments, as published in indexed international journals.
2. Recognition
The question of broader recognition of microkinesitherapy can be approached from several points of view:
• Patient’s rights provide the freedom of choice of therapy by the patient, who must be informed of all of the treatment’s attributes. There is demand for this method, which contributes to popular recognition.
• A health professional must choose the treatment method that seems most appropriate to the patient’s request and have his or her consent to perform it. They must offer only techniques that are recognized by the scientific community (evidence-based medicine). Microkinesitherapy has published assessments to meet this criterion. This contributes to scientific recognition for the technique, but it is uncertain which body is responsible for issuing an official declaration to that effect.
• In France and elsewhere, the social security system draws up a list of the medical treatment it covers. Microkinesitherapy is not included in this list. There is no recognition on that side.
• A number of mutual or supplementary insurance companies reimburse microkinesitherapy. There is therefore recognition on their part.