Frequently Asked Questions

You can normally book a private physiotherapy or MSK assessment without a GP referral. Your insurer may require a referral or pre-authorisation, so check your policy before booking.

If you are unsure, contact the clinic. A physiotherapy or specialist MSK assessment is an appropriate starting point for many concerns. A scan or procedure should not be selected solely on the basis of website information.

Bring relevant medical reports, a current medicine list and details of allergies. Wear clothing that allows the relevant area to be assessed. You may bring a chaperone or support person; please contact the clinic in advance if you require assistance, an interpreter or another adjustment.

Yes. If further medical or surgical assessment is recommended, your clinician will explain the next steps and discuss the options with you.

Appointment length depends on the service booked. The team will confirm how long to allow when you book.

You do not need to diagnose yourself before contacting us. Tell the team what problem you are experiencing, how it affects you and what you would like to get back to doing, and they can advise on the most appropriate appointment or next step.

Face-to-face consultations are available. Online consultations may be suitable when the required assessment and advice can be provided safely in that format. Scans, dry needling and image-guided procedures require an in-person appointment.

Care may include education, activity advice, exercise, rehabilitation and appropriate hands-on treatment. Recommendations depend on your individual presentation, and outcomes and recovery times vary.

Response to treatment varies. Your clinician will discuss reasonable aims, review your progress and explain other options or referral pathways if you do not improve as expected.

Not necessarily. Many musculoskeletal concerns can be assessed and managed without imaging. Ultrasound may be useful when it is likely to provide information that could affect management. Your clinician will also consider whether another investigation is more appropriate.

Not always. Ultrasound can show changes in selected tissues, but scan findings do not necessarily explain symptoms. Results are interpreted alongside your history and clinical examination.

Ultrasound allows the clinician to visualise selected tissues and guide a procedure towards the intended anatomical location. It can improve placement accuracy for appropriate procedures, but it does not guarantee pain relief or recovery.

Benefit depends on the condition, procedure and individual circumstances. Improvement cannot be guaranteed and any benefit may be temporary. Your clinician will discuss expected outcomes, alternatives and what happens if symptoms do not improve.

Provide a complete list of medicines and allergies and tell the clinician about blood-thinning or antiplatelet medicine, diabetes, infection or antibiotics, pregnancy or breastfeeding, immune problems, recent or planned surgery, recent injections, previous reactions and any change in your health.

Risks depend on the procedure, anatomical area and medicine or substance used. They may include temporary pain, bruising, bleeding, infection, allergic reaction, skin or soft-tissue changes, effects on blood glucose, nerve or tendon injury and lack of benefit. Rare or procedure-specific risks will be explained before consent. Seek urgent medical advice for severe or worsening pain, spreading redness, marked swelling, fever, breathing difficulty or signs of a serious allergic reaction.

There is no single schedule suitable for everyone. The clinician considers the diagnosis, area, substance used, previous response, risks and alternatives before recommending any repeat procedure.

Dry needling uses fine needles within a physiotherapy assessment and treatment framework. Although similar needles may be used, the clinical reasoning and approach are not the same as traditional acupuncture.

Possible short-term effects include soreness, minor bleeding, bruising, light-headedness and a temporary increase in symptoms. Less common or rare complications can include infection, nerve injury and pneumothorax when needling near the chest. Your physiotherapist will explain risks relevant to the area being treated.

Tell your physiotherapist if you are pregnant or may be pregnant, take blood-thinning medicine, have a bleeding disorder, have an infection, have reduced sensation, are immunosuppressed, feel unwell or have previously reacted badly to needling. This list is not exhaustive, and suitability is assessed individually.

Your appointment includes the assessment appropriate to the service booked, an explanation of relevant findings and discussion of suitable next steps. The clinician may recommend a different service if the booked option is not appropriate.

Current fees are listed on our Fees page.

Online consultation fees apply only to services that can be provided safely online. Scans, dry needling and image-guided procedures require an in-person appointment.

Recognised by selected health insurers. Cover, authorisation and reimbursement depend on your individual policy. Please check with your insurer before booking.

Aftercare depends on the treatment or procedure you have. Your clinician will give you advice specific to your treatment and explain what to look out for afterwards.

Seek urgent medical advice for severe or worsening pain, spreading redness, marked swelling, fever, breathing difficulty or signs of a serious allergic reaction.

Physivity is not an emergency service. Call 999 for a medical emergency. For urgent medical advice when it is not an emergency, contact NHS 111.

See our Emergency Information for the symptoms that need urgent assessment.