Private Physiotherapy Costs

How much does Private Physiotherapy cost in London and is it worth the money?

At Complete Physio we are increasingly being contacted by patients who are struggling to access physiotherapy on the NHS; this has become a wider spread problem since the pandemic. The NHS is under huge strains, and waiting times for Musculoskeletal and Orthopaedic treatment has skyrocketed.

Many patients do not have private medical insurance cover, so they are looking to self fund (pay for their own) physiotherapy treatment.

However, physiotherapy treatment in London isn’t cheap. Most people can expect to visit a physiotherapist for an average of 5-6 treatment sessions, which can cost hundreds of pounds!

The cost of Physiotherapy treatment can vary hugely; as a rough guide you can expect to pay anything between £75 and £150 for an initial assessment. While a follow up session can cost you between £60 and £120.

Why do these prices vary so much?

There are a few things to consider when comparing prices of different physiotherapy clinics:

• Length of your session – some initial assessments are 60 mins, while others might only be 45 mins, or even 30 mins.
• How experienced your physiotherapist is – If you are seeing a less experienced physiotherapist their charges might be lower, while someone with over a decade of musculoskeletal experience is likely to charge considerably more.
• Location of the clinic – If you are seeing an independent physiotherapist in their home office/gym, then their overhead costs are going to be much less. Higher-end clinics in Central London will have significant overheads and high rental costs, as well as London level salaries to cover.
• The facilities in the clinic – These can vary hugely, from a few weights, therabands and wobble boards, to the latest, state-of-the-art gym equipment, assessment tools, and treatments.

When you are thinking about whether to invest in private physiotherapy, and which clinic to choose, it can be very daunting. Like with a lot of professional services, it can be a mixed bag!

Here are a few things that are worth considering:

Your Physiotherapist

Firstly, the most important factor is the specialist that you are going to be having treatment with; you need to make sure that they have adequate experience, not only as a general physiotherapist, but also in the specific area you require treatment for.

A good physio clinic will have a website with all their Physiotherapists’ profiles visible and easy to access. Each Physio will have an up to date photo and bio explaining who they are and what experience they have.
Having a good rapport and mutual trust with your Physio is vital in order for you to make a good recovery.

Appointment Length

While it may seem like a good idea to go with a cheaper physio/clinic, it’s worth looking at the amount of time you’re getting for your money. In order to carry out a full and thorough initial assessment, you need to have at least 45 mins. If a clinic is only offering 30 min appointments, they will either not be able to complete an in-depth assessment and give you a clear diagnosis, or they may just about squeeze this in, but you will unlikely get much time for any treatment at that first appointment.

As a comparison, most NHS initial assessments are only 25-30 mins, and follow up appointments as short as 15!

Location and Facilities

These can vary hugely, depending on the type of clinic you are going to. Remember that you don’t want to be paying over the odds for your physiotherapy treatment just because it is in a prime location or fancy building – that isn’t what’s going to make you better! Equally, they may have lots of equipment and gadgets, but the quality and experience of the physios is what will make the most difference to your recovery. Make sure that the treatment you are receiving is evidenced based, and not just an expensive gimmick!

So what are the benefits of private physiotherapy and is it worth the investment?

Here are some of the main benefits of Private Physiotherapy treatment:

Waiting times

Waiting times for private physiotherapy are always under a week, in fact same day or next day appointments can normally be arranged, so your rehabilitation will not be delayed.

NHS waiting times are typically an average of 6-8 weeks, although this varies greatly with specialty and area. The longest waits can be in the 30-40 week range.

Quicker Recovery

Typically, by the time you have seen a physiotherapist in the NHS for an initial consultation, you may well have already completed your treatment privately, and be back to full health and fitness! Not only that, but if you start treatment sooner, your condition is far less likely to become more chronic or that you develop secondary problems, which can make your treatment and recovery far more complicated and drawn out.
This can be especially important if you have just had surgery; in most instances, you will need to see a physiotherapist 1-2 weeks post operation. Without regular and appropriate physiotherapy, you could significantly compromise the outcome of your surgery.

Improved Mental Health

Living with daily pain can be severely detrimental for your mental health. Chronic physical and emotional stress changes the level of hormones and chemicals found within our brain and nervous system; these can affect our mood, thinking and behaviour.
Research shows that those with chronic pain are four times more likely to have depression or anxiety than those who are pain-free.

Less time off work

People taking time off work due to ill health costs the economy billions of pounds, it can also have a huge financial implication for employees and their families. This is especially significant for anyone who is self employed – the cost of private physiotherapy will be hugely less than the loss of income from being unable to work.

Physiotherapy is cheaper than seeing an Orthopaedic Surgeon or Sports Medicine Consultant

Most musculoskeletal conditions can be treated conservatively, without the need for expensive scans or surgery. Physiotherapy should always be your first port of call, before forking out even bigger sums of money to see an orthopaedic specialist. You can expect to pay between £200-£300 for an initial appointment with a medical consultant or surgeon, plus another £150-250 for a follow up, and that’s not including any scans that they will almost certainly send you for.

Most private Physiotherapists will have very good links with excellent orthopaedic consultants; if they feel that this is going to be a necessary pathway for you, they will be able to refer you to someone they trust and know will give you the best possible care.

Why should you choose Complete Physio?

Complete Physio aims to provide the best possible value for money and there are a number of ways in which we achieve this.

• One of the main things that sets us apart from other clinics, is the exceptional standard of our therapists. We only employ clinicians who have a minimum of 5 years post graduate experience, and most of our physios have well over 10 years of experience within their fields of expertise. Many of our clinicians have worked with semi professional or professional athletes, and have completed post graduate Masters degrees.
• We also have a group of very highly specialised clinicians (Clinical Specialists), who are dual trained Physiotherapists and Sonographers who can offer diagnostic ultrasound and injection therapy. Patients can access these services within our physiotherapy clinic, without having to see a sports or orthopaedic consultant, keeping costs significantly lower. This unique, one stop service means no wasted time on unnecessary or low value appointments – you are assessed, scanned and injected all at a single appointment.

• The other big difference is that at Complete Physio we focus on evidence based assessment and treatments. We invest heavily in ensuring that our physios are up to date with training and best practice treatments, which means that our patients see bigger and faster improvements. We also understand that each patient is individual, and we make sure that our treatment programmes are tailored to your specific needs and recovery goals. We constantly reassess your progress using evidence based assessment tools to make sure that you are ontrack, and if needed we will refer you to a well regarded and trusted specialist, rather than continuing with treatment that is not helping.
• Complete has gained an excellent reputation in the healthcare world. We are highly trusted by some of the best and most experienced orthopaedic surgeons and sports medicine consultants in the country to provide a first class service to their patients. We regularly get referrals from consultants to help them manage their patients, both with conservative physiotherapy treatment, and for pre and post operative treatment.
• We understand the importance and power of the Physio-Patient relationship. We always try to engage patients in their treatment and make sure they feel understood and listened to. This makes patients much more inclined to be compliant with their exercises and home based treatment; a better level of engagement significantly improves outcomes and reduces the number of appointments required. We also use a high-tech online exercises programme which allows your physiotherapist to develop and send your home exercise plan without this encroaching on your clinic time. Your rehabilitation programme will be very bespoke to you, and tailored specifically to your needs and goals.
• We offer a wide range of services, and have physiotherapists who can treat all musculoskeletal conditions; whether you require manual therapy and manipulation, sports massage or an exercise based rehabilitation programme. If you need a more specific assessment or treatment, such as a running analysis, ergonomic assessment, Pilates, shockwave therapy, or injection therapy, this can all be done ‘in house’, which allows us to provide you with excellent continuity of care.
• We have five clinic locations, all in Central and West London, and all within easy access to public transport links. Our clinics are bright, clean spaces, which are well equipped with state of the art, evidenced based equipment, such as force plates, ultrasound machines, reformer pilates and modern gym equipment. You are not, however, paying unnecessary high prices for river or city skyline views!!
• We have a very clear pricing structure, and offer a user friendly, online booking system, which allows our patients to have complete flexibility on who they see as well as the clinic location. Our initial appointments are 45 mins and our follow up appointments are 30. We always strive to keep our costs as low as possible so that they are affordable to the widest range of patients.
• We have a superb administrative and office support team, who are extremely friendly and knowledgeable, and able to answer questions and give a lot of information before and after your consultation, to ensure that the time spent with your physiotherapist is the most productive as possible. Also, our online consent registration form means that this information can be obtained prior to your appointment rather than wasting valuable clinic time asking admin questions.

So if you are looking for a cost-effective physiotherapy clinic in London, look no further than Complete Physio. We assure our patients they will receive the best possible treatment for your condition with a firm diagnosis; minimising the number of sessions that you require and reducing the chances of you having a recurrence of your problem in the future.

If you would like to book an appointment or speak to one of our expert physiotherapists about your knee please call 020 7482 3875 or email info@complete-physio.co.uk.