Semih Kızıltan, Physiotherapist

Semih Kızıltan is a physical medicine and rehabilitation professional who sees patients at Acibadem Altunizade Hospital in İstanbul, Türkiye, where he works within the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation unit. His subspecialty interests are spine health, neuromuscular diseases, the treatment of movement disorders, and pain management within physical medicine and rehabilitation.

He graduated from Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University in 2024 and joined Acıbadem Healthcare Services in the same year. Since then he has been part of the rehabilitation team at the İstanbul hospital, where he assesses and treats patients with musculoskeletal, spinal and neuromuscular conditions.

Clinical focus

A large part of Semih Kızıltan’s work concerns the spine. He treats patients with lumbar disc herniation and cervical disc herniation, as well as lumbar hypolordosis, a reduced curvature of the lower back. He also sees patients with piriformis syndrome, in which a muscle deep in the buttock irritates the sciatic nerve and causes pain in the hip, buttock or leg. In these conditions, the rehabilitation approach usually involves a clinical assessment of posture, movement and muscle function followed by a treatment plan that may include manual therapy and guided exercise.

His practice also covers muscle and nerve disorders, including myalgia (muscle pain) and myopathy (disease of the muscle tissue), and he provides Parkinson’s rehabilitation for patients whose movement, balance and daily activities are affected by the disease. In addition, he treats sports injuries and knee injuries, working with patients to restore strength, range of motion and function after injury. As in all rehabilitation, the approach and the expected course of recovery depend on the individual patient’s diagnosis, general health and goals, and are discussed at the first assessment.

How Semih Kızıltan works with international patients

Semih Kızıltan speaks Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for patients who speak other languages. Before a visit, the international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, for example MRI, CT, X-ray or ultrasound reports, laboratory results, operative notes and discharge summaries, and arranges appointments and the hospital visit. A first consultation typically covers the patient’s history and symptoms, a review of existing imaging and previous treatments, a clinical examination and a discussion of the options. Video consultation is available for international patients, so a patient abroad can speak with him in Turkish or English before deciding whether to travel to İstanbul.