SPORTS INJURIES WE TREAT
Below are the most common sports injuries we treat. If you don’t see your particular sport or injury, get in touch! There’s a good chance we have the necessary expertise to treat you – and if we don’t, we’ll be able to refer you to someone who does.
Click on a picture to find out more.
RUNNING
Whether you’re a marathon runner, a sprinter, a fair-weather jogger or someone who’s brand new to running, we can help treat your existing problem and analyse how you run to help you avoid future problems.
If necessary, we can refer you to orthopaedic surgeons and sports physicians who have a special interest in running – so we can ensure you get the best care and advice possible for any injury.
Common injuries include:
Achilles tendinopathy
Shin splints
Runner’s knee
ITB syndrome
Lower back pain
Foot and ankle problems
CYCLING
Cycling injuries are numerous and varied, and we have a broad range of experience with them all. Many injuries can easily be avoided – and much of our work involves re-training both athletes and casual cyclists on how to move better on their bikes.
For example:
We’ll often undertake a full biochemical analysis of how you move and your posture on a bike. Often, we’ll ask you to bring your own bike in so that we can put it on a turbo trainer and video you on it.
We can assess your muscle balance, aiming to identify where you might be overusing and underusing important muscle groups.
We’ll look at pedal technique to see how symmetrical and efficient you are.
Having the correct bike fit is also essential to any rider wanting to get maximum efficiency and power while staying injury-free. We work with some of the best bike fitters – including Bespoke Cycling down the road in Jermyn Street (who we’ve worked with for over five years) – and if we think your bike is the wrong fit based on our assessments, we can refer you to them (or the bike fitter of your choice).
SWIMMING
Shoulder and neck injuries often get in the way of improving your swimming. We can offer advice and exercises on how to treat these problems (and address them early in future), while still maintaining a good level of training wherever possible.
Our sports massage therapist Emily is an ASA L2 swim teacher and an ultra-distance swimmer, and she’s as good at identifying the causes of niggles as she is at kneading them out.
More than just niggles? Then you might like to see Paul, who was head swimming physiotherapist at the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Paralympics.
We also work with Swim Canary Wharf, who do video analysis in their own endless pool, then send the video back to us along with thoughts and comments. We then work with them to get you back to the start line!
TRIATHLON
The most common triathlon injuries are overuse/over-training injuries: tri taining repetitively stresses muscles, tendons and the tissues around joints and bones, producing repetitive microtrauma.
If your body can’t keep up with the repair of the damage caused by microtrauma, the body’s tissues eventually break down and the result is pain, inflammation and weakness.
Common injuries for triathletes include:
Swim: shoulder injuries (rotator cuff tears and tendonopathies, and shoulder impingements), back pain and neck pain
Bike: lower back and neck pain, shoulder impingements, anterior knee pain, patella tendinopathy, ITB Syndrome, and achilles and foot pain
Run: plantar fasciitis, shin splints, stress fracture, sprained ankle, ITB Syndrome, anterior knee pain, achilles tendinopathy and lower back pain
SKIING
If you’re unfortunate enough to be injured while skiing, we offer post-injury and post-surgery rehabilitation – e.g. for the knee, ankle, hip or spine.
We also offer Ski Fit assessments to help you identify potential injury risks and resolve any underlying injuries before you go away. Our Ski Fit assessment involves:
Full muscle-imbalance assessments to identify your areas of weakness and instability
Injury-risk assessment and exercise programme
Strength and conditioning sessions to prepare you for the ski season
GOLF
We provide screening sessions and biomechanical assessments of your swing to treat injuries and help prevent recurrence, ensuring you get the most out of your game.
DANCE AND PERFORMANCE
We provide an “on demand” physiotherapy service to performance artists, musicians and many West End theatres (including the Young Vic and Royal Court), in which we guarantee access to a physiotherapist within 24 hours. Often, we’re able to arrange an on-call service to the theatres themselves, and our aim is always to treat the injury, reduce the risk of recurrence, and minimise time away from performance.
Where appropriate, we work closely with choreographers, fight directors, stage managers and crew in order to gain the best outcome for performers. We also offer a bespoke education and prevention service to individual theatres, which can include screening, injury advice, tailor-made lectures and movement risk assessment.
Meet our specialists
Our physios spend a great deal of time with injured runners, cyclists, swimmers, triathletes, skiers and golfers, providing treatment and rehabilitation for all stages of injury recovery. Our therapy is individually tailored and sport-specific – and we consider a number of options (physiotherapy, sports, massage, acupuncture, podiatry, etc.) for each particular situation.
Sarah Lawson
Sarah gained a postgraduate qualification in Sport Medicine in 1997, and went on to work as Outpatient and Sports Injury Manager at the Wellington Hospital. A seasoned triathlete and kitesurfer herself, she specialises in lower limb injuries, back pain, and cycling and running-related injuries. She has a particular interest in ACL rehabilitation.
Paul Martin
Paul has over ten years’ experience at the English Institute of Sport, where he worked across a variety of endurance, technical and speed/power sports. Whether you participate at elite level, higher level, or you simply enjoy participation, Paul has the know-how and experience to help you.
Naomi Murray
Since graduating from King’s College London in 2004 and gaining experience in both public and private sectors, Naomi now specialises in sports injury and musculoskeletal physiotherapy.
She is a keen advocate of kinetic link training (KLT), an exercise routine using cables and free weights to improve strength and conditioning - a useful tool in returning to sport after injury.
Sian MacRae
Sian (Dr Sian MacRae PhD) is a Musculoskeletal Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner and a member of the Association of Foot and Ankle Physiotherapists.
Sian has a keen interest in sport, having worked as a Physiotherapist with the England Women’s Lacrosse squad, attending European and World Cup championships and with rugby teams.
Jane Baker
Jane Baker is a specialist Foot and Ankle Physiotherapist and a member of the Association of Foot and Ankle Physiotherapists.
With over 30 years experience in musculoskeletal practice Jane has spent the last 15 years specialising in physiotherapy and rehab for foot and ankle injuries. Her expertise covers all foot and ankle injuries including pre and post operative rehab, complex foot and ankle injuries, biomechanical problems and injuries.
Charlie Brahmbhatt
Charlie has a Masters in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health at UCL. His physio expertise in private practice is extensive, and he specialises in post injury rehab and return to sport.
With a strong focus on injury prevention and precision exercises for improved performance, Charlie has worked with boxers, tennis players, climbers (boulderers) as well as many recreational runners.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR FIRST APPOINTMENT
When you first arrive at Physio Remedies (and after you’ve filled out a few tedious forms!), we’ll usually have a one-hour session with you, broken down as follows:
+ 1: Full assessment of your issues
Your therapist will ask you questions about what’s happened, what hurts, what treatment you’ve had to date, past injuries/medical conditions, your general fitness, and so on.
+ 2: Physical examination
Your therapist will look at the area of pain, but also the body as a whole. Depending on the injury, you may also undergo a full biomechanical assessment, stability testing, muscle-imbalance testing and more. If you use equipment for your sport (e.g. a bike), we’ll usually ask you to bring it in so we can see how you use it.
+ 3: Treatment and next steps
Once your therapist has a good overview of what’s wrong, they may be able to provide you with some treatment there and then to ease your pain and make you feel more comfortable. They’ll also sit down and discuss their findings and next steps with you.
These next steps may involve regular physiotherapy, massage, pilates, exercises for you to do at home, and more. When you’re given exercises to do in your own time, we sometimes like to record them on your phone (with your permission, of course), so that you have something accurate to follow. Alternatively, we might give you links to exercise programmes created just for you.
Your therapist will never give you too many exercises – and they’ll always check that you’ll realistically be able to fit them into your days.
+ 4: And then?
What happens next depends on your specific injury and the treatment required. Your therapist will outline everything in detail during the first appointment, so that you know exactly what’s going to happen and how long your treatment may take.