Missing time away from your sport activity can be extremely frustrating, but finding the right person to guide you can get you back to your best faster. Finding a physiotherapist who understands your sport, what physical demands it requires, and the principles of strength & conditioning is crucial. It’s my opinion, that any physiotherapist working with athletes or the active population should be active themselves, giving you a sense of ‘practice what you preach’. Would you take nutrition advice from somebody who can’t cook and only orders takeaway meals?

Unfortunately, a large amount of physiotherapy clinics in the UK are insurance-driven, high-volume focused clinics. Their level of treatment is based on how much the insurer is willing to reimburse them, and how much pressure is placed on the physiotherapists by the clinic owner to squeeze more patients into a clinic day. It is common in the UK, that patients get a maximum of 30 minutes with their physio, but this is often filed down to 20-25 minutes as you’re rushed out the door to get the next patient in. This doesn’t make the quality of physiotherapy care the priority. It makes the quantity of patient visits the priority.

Here are a few things to look for when choosing a physiotherapy clinic:

• Find a physio who understands physical activity. They don’t need to be an Olympian, but do they regularly engage in exercise and understand the demands of your activity? An experienced physio who is active themselves may be the best guide for you on your rehab journey, as they understand the value of regular exercise first hand, and can empathise with your struggles

• Does the physiotherapy clinic invest in the equipment and facilities required to get you back to your sports? If a physio clinic is a small room with a resistance band and some 2kg dumbbells, then that isn’t an environment that wants to get you stronger and fitter. If your problem is pain while squatting with a barbell, how will using small dumbbells and resistance bands get you to your goals?

• Rehabilitation needs to be challenging. If your rehab initially consists of easy stretches and a simple resistance exercise, then that is often a necessary start. However, if you are constantly not feeling challenged by your rehab, then that's not the right place for you and your goals

• If your goals are about moving your whole body better, then find a clinic that offers more than 20-30 minute follow up appointments. Successful rehab is not achieved on a foundation of weekly 20 minute appointments for months. This is particularly common in insurance-network physiotherapy, as the physio may “overtreat”, and ensure that they use up all the sessions, even if it’s not necessary. Although the upfront costs of each appointment may be slightly more when self-paying, you will be getting effective sports rehab that will get you better faster, and save you time and money later on.

If you’ve made it this far, I hope this sheds some light onto what are some of the qualities that you may want to look for in a physiotherapist that has your best interests in mind. Don’t settle for an average clinic that only sees you as one of the 20+ patients that they squeeze into the diary that day. Don’t settle for passive care, where the main aim is to get you in weekly for a 20 minute sessions for months of massage, stretching, and easy exercises that you could have Googled.

I personally have worked in the ‘fast-food physio’ model where I saw almost 20 patients a day, and I can wholeheartedly say that I couldn’t give the best quality care to my patients. This is the reason why I started MVMNT, where our patients get a minimum of 45 minutes during follow ups, and have access to the amazing gym facilities of Body Ethics Gym.

If you have any questions on whether physio is the best option for you, or you have any questions about MVMNT in general, feel free to contact via email.

- Jay Towolawi, Specialist Sports Physiotherapist and MVMNT Founder.