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Objective: A description of the health services rendered to patients at the physiotherapy unit of the Hospital Comarcal of Monforte de Lemos (Lugo, Spain). Material and methods: A cross-sectional study, carried out on the subjects who underwent treatment at the physiotherapy unit of the Hospital Comarcal of Monforte de Lemos during april, may, and june, 2002. A total number of 136 patients were functionally evaluated and personally interviewed at the hospital, using a closed questionnaire twice, at the beginning and the end of the treatment. Results: 136 individuals: 66,9 % female, 33,1 % male. The greatest age frequency was found within the 60-70 age bracket. The pathologies dealt with were: lumbar section (31,6 %), shoulder (24,3 %), neck section (19,1 %), knee (13,2 %), hand (6,6 %), central neurological (5,9 %), elbow (5,9 %), dorsal (4,4 %), peripheral neurological (2,9), foot (2,2 %), hip (0,7 %), and others (3,7 %) (some patients suffered from more than one pathology). At the end of the treatment, recovery was full in 8,8 %, and partial in 91,2 % of the cases. Conclusions: Female population receiving health care doubles the number of males. There is no treatment age limit. However, the most numerous patients were the older ones. The greatest treatment number comes from outpatients, most frequently those receiving traumatologic treatments, followed by those who require rheumatologic services, consequently, the pathologies most frequently dealt with are osteoarticular. An important patient number have found an improvement in all the features analysed at the beginning and the end of the treatment In most cases, a complete recovery was not possible, sequelae, although slight, are almost always present. © 2005 Asociación Española de Fisioterapeutas.
