Find out how to find the best physiotherapist in London for you. Follow our checklist for considering what makes a good physio and what’s most important to you.
At Central Health we are one of the longest established and most respected London physio practices, with a wealth of expertise across a wide range of physiotherapy services, with hundreds of 5 star reviews from both clients and medical consultants. Does that make us the best physiotherapists in London?
Who Is the Best Physiotherapist in London?
It depends… Your physiotherapy needs are personal to you and so it’s really about finding the best physio for you. The purpose of this article is to help you consider the attributes of a good physiotherapist, think about those that are most important to you and how to then go about finding your best physiotherapist.
What Makes a ‘Good’ Physiotherapist?
This can be quite a confusing question if you don’t know what you are looking for. Not all physiotherapists and physiotherapy practices are comparable. Obviously all physio practices are set up to help their clients, that goes without saying. Ultimately, it’s why most physios decide to become physios and is one of the many things we look for when recruiting new physiotherapists to our team.
“The feeling we get, when you get better, brings us to work everyday.”
Central Health Physiotherapy
The main thing to look for is someone who has knowledge about the problems you are having and, more importantly, knows what to do about it in a way that works for you. A good physio will ask you questions and really listen to your answers. The job of the physio is to get to know you, your problem and how it affects your life. It’s what we call holistic physiotherapy.
How to Find Your Best Physio in London
To find a physio is pretty simple. Just type in to your preferred search engine ‘physio near me’ or ‘physio in london’ and, hey presto, you have a long list of options.
So what now? We’ve put together a checklist to help you whittle down the list of contenders:
- Location
Ideally, the clinic should be easily accessible to you. However, sometimes it’s worth travelling a little bit further if it means you get to see a physiotherapist that is best for your needs. - Home Visits and Online Physiotherapy
If travelling is difficult or too time consuming, you might value physiotherapists who provide physiotherapy at home or can provide you with physiotherapy online. Online video physio consultations can be particularly convenient and effective for follow-up appointments. - Cost
Most people like to know exactly how much their physiotherapy will cost them. To avoid any surprises, look for physiotherapists who provide clear and transparent pricing on their website. Sometimes it’s worth paying a little bit more if it means that you get the expertise and other service attributes that are most important to you. - Client Reviews
Check their client reviews (more on this in a bit) for indications that the physiotherapists do all they can to get their clients back to fitness as quickly as possible. A good physiotherapist will never overtreat and will minimise the number of physio sessions, saving you unnecessary expense. - The Right Skills
The team should be listed on the website (you can find ours here for an example) with details of their expertise and specialities. Read the physiotherapist bio’s and find ones that resonates with you and your problem. For example, if you’re training for the London Marathon, finding a physio who runs themselves can provide an extra level of insight and empathy.
Being able to put a face and name to physios is a good starting point for getting a feel for what a physiotherapy company is about and their values. - The Right Experience
Have a look at how experienced the team is. From our many years of recruiting physiotherapists (our first physio clinic was established way back in 1994!) we have found that a minimum of 4 years post grad experience is a good rule of thumb (of course there are exceptions to the rule).
Conversely, just because someone has been qualified for a very long time doesn’t mean they will have the best experience or skills to help you with your problem. The next point can help you determine this. - The Right Quality
It can be reassuring to know that your physiotherapy clinic has a long track record of providing excellent quality of treatment and customer service. Check their client reviews with a trusted third party reviews service, such as Google Reviews or TrustPilot. Ideally, also find out what medical consultants (who work with the physios to provide joined up care) say about them. If you’re interested, you can view our client and consultant reviews here. - Caring & Friendly
If you’re not too familiar with physiotherapy or, perhaps like a lot of people following the arrival of the Covid pandemic, feel a bit more anxious about going out these days, finding friendly physiotherapists who go the extra mile to provide care and reassurance can be big qualities when finding the best physiotherapist for you; Physiotherapists who will take the time to explain everything to you, answer any questions you may have and are passionate about empowering you to get back to fitness as quickly as possible.
Again, browse their website and customer reviews to get a feel for the physiotherapy team’s approach.
Digging a Little Deeper – Understanding Physiotherapy Acronyms
There are lots of acronyms across medical professions and physiotherapy is no different. It’s difficult enough to make a decision when looking for the best physiotherapist in London, so it can be helpful to be clued up with some of the most commonly used physiotherapy acronyms. So here we go:
Physiotherapy Qualifications:
- B.Sc (hons) – Bachelor of Science
Most people will be familiar with this. But did you know physiotherapy has been an all graduate profession since 1994? Meaning that all Chartered Physiotherapists would be Graduates of a Physiotherapy related degree. However, Physiotherapy has only been a protected title since 2001! - Universities now also offer a pre-registration M.Sc.
This is open to graduates who have completed a degree in a related field and want to convert to becoming a physiotherapist. This is a 2 year programme (rather than the 3 or 4 year undergraduate degree). - M.Sc. – Master of Science
A post graduate specialist qualification within Physiotherapy.
Other Common Physiotherapy Acronyms:
- MCSP – Member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP)
The CSP is the professional, educational and trade union body for the UK’s 63,000 chartered physiotherapists, physiotherapy students and support workers. - HCPC – Health & Care Professions Council
The HCPC is the regulator of health and care professions in the UK. Their role is to protect the public. By law, physiotherapists must be registered with them to work in the UK. - MMACP – Member of the Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists
The MACP is a membership organisation of physiotherapists who have reached a recognised standard of excellence in musculoskeletal physiotherapy.
There are also 27 other professional networks (and associated acronyms!) recognised by the CSP which provide specific further training and specialisation in different areas of physiotherapy. Check out the list in the link and you can see if the physio you are looking at has a particular specialist interest in the area you are wanting to see them about.
Now you’re in-the-know with physiotherapy qualifications and professional memberships, you are another step closer to finding the best physio for you!
Now Find Your Best Physio in London!
So, to answer the question “who is the best physiotherapist in london?” you need to do a little bit of research and consider what aspects of physiotherapy services are most important to you.
Hopefully we have given you some useful tips to find a good physio near you – if you are not close enough to come and see us in London! If you are close enough to come and see us (or for our home visit physios to come to you) we hope you’ll give us due consideration when looking for your best physio in London.
It’s always such a joy and privilege when a client comments that they feel we are the best physiotherapy in London. Our entire team are passionate about providing a 5 star service and getting patients back to fitness as quickly as possible. We are so confident in what we do here at Central Health Physiotherapy, if you are not 100% satisfied with your care we guarantee to cover the cost of a second opinion (see our satisfaction guarantee here).
So we’d like to leave you with a few of our own Google Reviews and hope that we get the chance to also be your ‘best physiotherapist in London’…
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