Sports Injuries — Physiotherapy in London & Henley

Within the first week, ideally. Early assessment lets us rule out the small number of injuries that need urgent imaging or surgical opinion (Grade 3 ligament rupture, suspected fracture, acute Achilles rupture), and starts the rehab clock sooner. The old advice to 'wait and see' for two weeks delays recovery for almost every injury type. Same-week appointments are typically available across our four sites.

We use the same data-driven RTS framework used in elite settings — clearance, strength symmetry of at least 90 % limb-to-limb, sport-specific drills under fatigue, and psychological readiness. Skipping these stages is the strongest predictor of re-injury (more than half of recurrent hamstring injuries happen within the first month post-return). We test against measurable benchmarks rather than discharging on "feels OK".

Most sports injuries do not need imaging. We image when the working diagnosis is unclear, when a Grade 3 muscle/ligament injury is suspected, when surgery may be indicated, or when symptoms aren't following the expected recovery curve. When imaging is appropriate we refer through the right specialist for the body part involved and continue rehab in parallel.

Almost always yes — but with modifications. Most rehab plans include modified training that maintains aerobic fitness, strength elsewhere in the body, and sport-specific elements that do not load the injured tissue. Complete shutdown is rarely the right answer for an active patient and often slows return-to-sport. The first session is partly about agreeing what you can keep doing.