Put simply, physiotherapy is the treatment of injury, illness and disability through movement and exercise. Physiotherapists are highly qualified healthcare professionals who are trained to assess, diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions, from sports injuries to osteoarthritis. All of the Chartered Physiotherapists who are employed here at The Physio Lounge are members of the Healthcare Professions Council (HCPC) who regulate all Physiotherapist to ensure the highest quality of care. If you would like to check the HCPC register for any of our physiotherapists, please click here.

Acupuncture is the process of inserting very fine needles into specific areas of the body to assist with pain management and symptom relief. It can be a useful method to control pain for those who have poor reactions to painkillers or those who simply don’t want to take them. We also offer cosmetic acupuncture at select clinics, which can help to stimulate collagen production in the skin and reduce the effects of ageing such as fine lines and wrinkles.

If you have pain or a problem of an unknown origin, it’s usually best to book a full physiotherapy assessment to identify the root cause and decide on the best way to manage it. Even if you feel you have an idea as to what it might be, it’s still best to let us take a look so we’re able to make sure that the treatment is suitable for your individual abilities. Sports massage can be a brilliant treatment to help you prepare or recover from an event, or just to help you feel looser in general. If you’re still unsure which you need then contact us directly and one of our physiotherapists will be able to give you some further advice.

We generally recommend that people wear “gym clothing” for their appointments. Physiotherapy assessments involve plenty of movement and we will often need to visually examine the problem area too. We recommend a t-shirt or vest top, shorts and trainers for most assessments. If you are worried you might feel uncomfortable and would prefer to see a female practitioner, contact us and we will do our best to arrange this.

A physiotherapy initial assessment lasts from 30-60 minutes depending on how our services are accessed. Certain Insurance Providers allocate pre-set times as part of their terms and conditions, but we always offer our self-funding customers upto 60 minutes to ensure there is plenty of time to get to the root of your problem and to provide treatment. We collect information not only about your current condition, but also about your medical and social history, so we can gain a better insight into how to best to treat your issue. If you take any medications, it’s helpful to bring your prescription sheet or a list of what you’re currently taking with you. After we’ve had a chat and built up an idea as to what might be going wrong, we will undertake a thorough physical examination. This is individualised for everybody and is tailored to you depending on many different factors including your pain level at assessment, physical ability and what you are comfortable engaging with. We will then provide an accurate diagnosis and bespoke treatment plan. Treatments always involve exercise as part of physical rehabilitation but can include a wide variety of manual treatments, such as spinal mobilisation/manipulation, instrument assisted soft tissue mobilisation (IASTM), sports massage, acupuncture and much more

Yes, we offer home visits across a broad area around the Cheshire, Merseyside and Manchester areas. Our initial assessments are an hour long and we need to factor travel expenses into the billing too. We always endeavour to ensure that these costs are kept as low as possible. Home assessments can be particularly handy if you are recovering from surgery, unable to access one of our clinics or struggle with every day mobility. If you are still unsure whether or not this is right for you, contact us to speak to one of our physiotherapists to discuss your needs and how we can help.

This is a tricky question and the answer will typically depend on many different factors including your physical ability, the severity of the issue and your personal goals, to name a few. An average course of physiotherapy tends to last anywhere from six to ten sessions.

We absolutely deal with sports injuries… Our physiotherapists all have extensive backgrounds either in professional sports or in the management of sports-related injuries and we are all keenly involved in sports and fitness ourselves. We are experienced with all levels of sports injuries, from the weekend couch-to-5ker to those competing at the elite professional level.

We work with some of the finest surgeons, radiologists and GPs across the North West and have spent many years forging robust clinical relationships with them. We frequently communicate with other professionals involved in your care to ensure that we are all informed and working together to achieve your goals. In the unlikely event that you do need an onward referral, we will ensure that it is completed swiftly and accurately to avoid any unnecessary delays in getting you the care you need.

Absolutely. Some patients prefer to attend with a chaperone and we are more than happy to accommodate this. Where possible we can also help if you have a preference for a male or female practitioner. All children under the age of thirteen must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

If you are funding the appointment yourself, you do not need to go via your GP and you can self-refer directly to us. However, for certain insurance providers you may require a referral from your GP. If you are unsure as to how to go about this, feel free to contact us and we can help to guide you through the process.

That would depend on the type of symptoms you are experiencing. If you have Flu-like symptoms please contact your GP or NHS 111 for further advice. In line with our infection control policy, we advise that you do not attend our clinics until you are symptom-free to reduce the risk of spreading an infection.

We enforce a 24-hour cancellation policy, please contact us as soon as you are aware that you cannot attend your appointment to avoid incurring cancellation charges.

Our infection control policy and procedures have been updated to mitigate the risk associated with Coronavirus. This includes additional cleaning of common areas, physiotherapy equipment, treatment beds and door handles. As a business we operate within a clinical environment and as a result already ensure high standards of cleanliness throughout all of our sites. We are also following and keeping up to date with guidance from the relevant Public Health Organisations.

You can rest assured that we maintain the highest standards of cleanliness and enforce processes to minimize the risk of infection spread at all times. If you require further information about the additional precautions we are taking to reduce the risk please click here.

Typical symptoms of Cornoavirus include fever, a dry cough and a headache that may progress to a severe pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. If you are experiencing these symptoms please contact NHS 111 prior to attending your physiotherapy appointment for advice and let us know if you are asked to self-isolate or need to cancel your appointment ASAP.

We enforce a 24-hour cancellation policy, please contact us as soon as you are aware that you cannot attend your appointment to avoid incurring cancellation charges.

Patients who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness are recommended to stay home and not come to their physiotherapy appointment until they are free of:
– fever (37.8° C or greater using an oral thermometer)
– signs of a fever
– any other symptoms including sore throat and cough

For at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines (e.g. cough suppressants). Prior to resuming physiotherapy treatment, you MUST contact NHS 111 to ensure you are clear.

If you were instructed to self-isolate and have no symptoms then you are able to resume face-to-face physiotherapy treatment once the 14 day isolation period has ended.

If you are following a rehab protocol or exercise programme and require advice and/or exercise progressions then we can offer online appointments. For more information regarding Telehealth, please contact us and we will be happy to provide more details or arrange an online physiotherapy appointment with one of our specialist physiotherapists.

We are gradually re-opening our clinics for face to face appointments. If you feel your problem could not be managed virtually we will carry out a free 10 minute Risk Assessment phone call to identify if you can be seen face to face in one of our clinics. For more information click here.