Back and neck pain
Almost all of it gets better. What people actually want to know is when.
Physiotherapy
A 45-minute assessment in our gym, then a written exercise plan. No GP referral needed.
Lower ground floor · from £95
The physiotherapy service runs from the lower ground floor, which is a proper gym rather than a room with a plinth in it. That matters, because most musculoskeletal problems are diagnosed by watching someone squat, reach or walk, not by pressing on the sore bit.
You do not need a GP referral. Most insurers accept self-referral for physiotherapy, though a few still ask for a GP letter — we will tell you which before you book.
You leave the first appointment with three or four exercises, written down, and an honest estimate of how many sessions this is likely to take. If the answer is one, we say one.
First assessment 45 minutes · £95. Follow-up 30 minutes · £68. Six-session block · £380.
What is included
What you get for £95
- A 45-minute first assessment with movement testing
- Hands-on treatment where it helps, and only where it helps
- A written exercise programme with photographs
- Direct referral for imaging where it would change the plan
- Rehabilitation in the gym rather than instructions to do it at home alone
Step by step
What happens
Assessment
History, movement screen, and a working diagnosis explained in ordinary words.
The plan
Exercises, a load and progression plan, and a timescale. Written down before you leave.
The work
Follow-ups every one to two weeks at first, then spaced out as you improve.
Discharge
You leave with a maintenance programme. We would rather see you three times than twelve.
Who you will see
Ewan Shaw
Consultant Physiotherapist, MSK lead · HCPC PH094412
Ewan leads the musculoskeletal service and works out of the lower-ground gym. He came from a mixed NHS and sports background — eight years in MSK outpatients, four seasons with a Scottish Premiership rugby side.
FAQs
Physiotherapy: common questions
Do I need a scan?
Usually not. Most back and shoulder pain does not need imaging and scanning early can make things worse by finding things that were never causing the pain. Ewan will tell you when a scan will genuinely change the plan.
Will my insurance cover it?
Most policies cover physiotherapy. Some require a GP referral first and some cap the number of sessions. Check with your insurer and get an authorisation code before your first appointment.
How many sessions will I need?
For a straightforward acute problem, two to four. For a long-standing one, six to eight. You get an estimate at the first appointment and we revise it out loud if it changes.
Do you do pelvic health physiotherapy?
Yes. Marta Lindqvist holds an MSc in pelvic health and sees post-natal recovery, pelvic floor problems and post-surgical rehabilitation.
Related
You might also need
Women's health
Contraception, coils, cervical screening and period problems, with appointments long enough to examine properly.
Private GP appointments
A 30-minute appointment with a GP. Same doctor each time if you want one.
Book physiotherapy
From £95. See what is free in the next two weeks before you call.