Male getting physiotherapy treatment from an aged female doctor
11-6-2009 | IslamWeb
Question:
Assalamalequm,
Is it allowed to get Physiotherepy treatment for back and neck injury sustained from road accident from a femail physiotherepist of old age.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
In principle, it is forbidden for a female doctor to treat men, because examining them requires looking at them, touching them, mixing with them, and being in seclusion with them in some cases, and all these matters and the matters to which they lead are not permissible at all except in case of dire necessity or need and provided that it is not possible to repel this necessity or need except by doing that forbidden matter. For example, if a man is sick and his sickness may cause his death, or that he may lose one of his (five) senses, or that he will experience an unbearable pain and hardship and there is no male doctor to treat him and it is not possible to delay the treatment until a male doctor becomes available, then this becomes a necessity or dire need. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 108109.
However, we do not think that you are in a dire necessity or dire need to be treated by this woman while these days there are so many male doctors. Therefore, you should endeavour to find a male doctor and you should avoid being treated by this woman. The fact that she is elderly is not a sound reason for you to be treated by her, because even though she is elderly, men can be tempted by her.
Even if you are sure that you will not be tempted by her, how could you be sure that she will not be tempted by you?
Allaah Knows best.