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For physiotherapists: genetic analyses and micronutrients kept cleanly apart from therapy

Reviewed by Dr. Daniel Wallerstorfer, molecular biologist and founder of Novogenia · Updated: 15 October 2026 · Reading time: 10 min

A gene that sprinters share

In 18% of healthy white individuals, an entire protein is missing from the fast muscle fibers: alpha-actinin-3. The reason is two non-functioning copies of the ACTN3 gene. It does not make anyone sick; a related protein probably steps in. But when researchers studied top athletes, a clear pattern emerged: elite sprinters carried the functioning variant significantly more often than the control group (Yang et al., American Journal of Human Genetics, 2003).

For your practice, it gets really interesting after that. A review of 19 studies sums it up: the functioning variant is also associated with greater strength gains and with more protection from muscle damage caused by eccentric training, meaning braking movements such as running downhill (Pickering & Kiely, Frontiers in Physiology, 2017).

The logical conclusion: genes show how the engine is built. How it is driven and maintained is up to you – through load, rest and recovery. This article shows what your professional law says about it, how to keep therapy and lifestyle offers cleanly apart, and what applies in Switzerland. For strength and mobility in later life, see Longevity in physiotherapy; for training as a whole, see the Sports & fitness guide.

Your profession: therapy on prescription, room to move in prevention

Physiotherapy is a regulated health profession in all three countries. How much room you have outside prescribed treatment, however, differs considerably:

For you, this means: a lifestyle analysis is not the treatment of a disease but an optional additional service. As soon as it is meant to clarify a complaint, it becomes medical. In Germany, genetic examinations for medical purposes may only be performed by physicians (Section 7 GenDG); in Austria, analyses of a predisposition to a disease must be ordered by a medical specialist (Section 68(1) GTG). More on that line in What you may offer: lifestyle or medicine.

Two doors in your practice: therapy and lifestyle

Two worlds meet in your practice. One is therapy: prescribed, tied to a set of complaints, billed to the health insurer or the patient. The other is an optional lifestyle offer: genetic analysis, counseling, perhaps a personalized micronutrient blend. Think of them as two doors leading into different rooms. Your patient should always know which one they are walking through.

The reason lies in food law. Food supplements are foods. Information about them may not attribute to them the property of preventing, treating or curing a disease, nor refer to such properties, and this also applies to advertising (Art. 7(3) and (4) Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011). If you tell a patient with back pain that the blend “complements the therapy,” you link a food to the treatment of a complaint. So offer the genetic analysis as a separate service, with its own appointment and its own invoice.

What you may write in flyers and on your website is covered in depth in Professional law and advertising: titles, claims.

Athletes in your practice: performance and recovery as talking points

If you treat athletes, a performance analysis is a strong conversation starter. It shows tendencies toward strength or endurance, VO2max potential and recovery. Whether someone leans toward strength or endurance, whether someone tends to need more recovery after hard sessions: such hints help you plan load and rest together. The basis for a return to sport remains your functional testing – genes add to it; they do not replace it. The ACTN3 gene from the beginning of this article is a chapter of Novogenia’s performance analysis; its story is told in Power, endurance and the ACTN3 gene. How to translate results into training is shown in Genetics in training: performance and recovery.

One topic calls for special care: injury risk. In Switzerland, analyses of an increased risk of sports injuries explicitly count as medical (Art. 37(2) GUMV). In Germany, Section 3 No. 7 GenDG also covers traits that, combined with external factors, can trigger a health disorder. So talk about load and recovery, never about predicting injuries, and never use the analysis to clarify a complaint.

Personalized micronutrients: the offer between appointments

A genetic analysis gives indications of how your patient utilizes certain micronutrients. A personalized blend can be built from that: Novogenia calculates it from around 50 genes, a questionnaire and, where available, blood values, which take precedence. Every dose lies between one third and three times the reference intake and never above the EFSA tolerable upper intake level. The genetic traits are well documented; the recommendations derived from them are logical conclusions. More on the calculation in From genetic profile to personalized supplements.

Always ask which products your patient already takes. In case of disease, medication, pregnancy or breastfeeding, a physician decides whether the supplement fits.

And selling? Some health professions have rules on whether and how products may be sold in the practice. Three points are worth knowing:

• Germany: Section 299a of the Criminal Code (StGB) applies to health professions with state-regulated training. It is a criminal offense to accept an advantage in return for unfairly favoring another party in competition, for example when referring patients or sample material.
• Austria: payments for referring people are prohibited, as is comparative or unobjective advertising in freelance practice (Section 39 MTDG). The Trade Regulation Act does not apply to practicing an MTD profession (Section 2(5) MTDG); whether you need a trade license to sell products is something to check with the Chamber of Commerce.
• Switzerland: when working with others, you act independently of financial advantages and advertise only objectively (Art. 16(e) and (h) GesBG).

For practices, a model in which you recommend and the products ship directly to your patients often works well. Which partner model fits your professional law is something to clarify in advance with your professional body, association or a legal advisor.

Switzerland: you may order the analysis – with clear rules

In Switzerland, you have a role that does not exist in this form in Germany or Austria: as a physiotherapist FH with a license to practice, you order analyses of physiological traits such as athletic activity yourself (Art. 37(1) and Art. 40 GUMV). The Human Genetic Testing Act (GUMG) attaches conditions:

• You acquired knowledge of human genetics in your training or continuing education, and you work in the field to which the analysis belongs (Art. 34(1) and (2)).
• The saliva sample is taken in your presence (Art. 34(3)); a kit for use at home is ruled out for these analyses (Art. 13).
• The written information names the lab and any companies and labs abroad that are involved (Art. 32).
• Your patient is told only the results that match the purpose of the test (Art. 33).
• Injury risk and food intolerances stay out: they belong to the medical field (Art. 37(2) GUMV).

The country comparison is in Austria and Switzerland: different rules.

Checklist for your practice

• Therapy and lifestyle offer are kept apart: separate appointment, separate invoice, separate language.
• The analysis is optional; questions about complaints, disease risks or medication go to physicians.
• For athletes: performance genetics as a talking point for load and recovery, not as an injury forecast.
• Your patient has been informed and has consented in writing, including to who sees the report.
• Micronutrients checked against existing products; in case of disease or medication, cleared with a physician.
• Marketing copy without disease or healing claims, and without a professional recommendation on the product.
• Product sales and partner model have been cleared with your professional body, association or Chamber of Commerce.
• In Switzerland: sample taken in your presence, no home kit, no injury risk.

How to explain results in the consultation is covered in The consultation: explaining results.

Frequently asked questions

Related: Longevity in physiotherapy · Sports & fitness guide · Offer for physiotherapy practices

Note: This guide is general information for businesses and professionals and does not replace medical or legal advice. The genetic traits determined in a genetic analysis are well documented (each gene included is backed by at least three independent studies); recommendations derived from them are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven. Regulations can change; errors and changes excepted.