Assessment
Your physiotherapist discusses your symptoms, goals, medical history and lifestyle, then completes a thorough assessment. Initial appointments are typically 45 to 60 minutes, so there is time to do it properly.
Recovery & Performance
Soft Tissue Therapy in London
Sports massage, deep-tissue and scar work that restores how your tissue actually moves, led by Nick Mooney, soft-tissue lead at six major multi-sport events including London 2012, helping runners, cyclists, gym-goers and post-surgical patients recover faster, ease chronic tension, and free up restricted movement so you train and live with less pain.
What happens at your first physio appointment?
Initial appointments are typically 45 to 60 minutes. You leave with a clear explanation of your condition, treatment recommendations, a report explaining it in simple language, and a personalised rehabilitation plan.
Follow-ups run 30 to 45 minutes, and we reassess at every visit rather than selling you a block of sessions up front.
Soft tissue therapy can help to:
Recover faster after hard training or an event
Brisk, targeted soft-tissue work restores tissue length and circulation after a marathon, race or heavy block, so you bounce back sooner and train again with less stiffness.
Release chronic tension and trigger points
Deep-tissue and trigger-point work eases the tight, guarded areas that build up from training, sport or long hours at a desk, so movement feels free again.
Restore mobility through an old scar
Specific layered scar-work techniques free the restricted slide between tissue layers after surgery or trauma, often with real results even on scars that are years old.
Support a running or cycling niggle
We treat the tight, overloaded tissue behind common endurance niggles and pair it with simple mobility work, so a small issue does not turn into a lay-off.
Work hand in hand with your rehab plan
Your soft-tissue sessions are integrated with the physiotherapy team where a case needs both, so manual work and loading pull in the same direction.
Our soft tissue therapy team
I first started using Tom last year to help relieve back pain, he has been extremely helpful and now he's supporting me with sprint and fitness training, whilst helping with any minor injuries. Can't recommend him and his team more highly.
Read on Google
I went to Tom with a shoulder injury that had not improved for several months. Tom is very knowledgeable and quickly identified the issue and put me on a course of exercises that, in conjunction with a couple more sessions, steadily resolved the problem. I would highly recommend him.
Read on Google
Parinita was brilliant! Identified my knee problem immediately, used a range of equipment and exercises not only to strengthen my knee, but to maintain it and improve my running long-term.
Read on Google
Excellent service! Sanchez is a true professional who helped me heal a previous injury. Highly recommend!
Read on Google
Soft tissue therapy fees and insurance
Book directly online through Splose. Self-funded patients need no GP referral; if you are claiming through insurance, obtain prior authorisation before booking.
- Physiotherapy with Tom Astley: £85 initial consultation, £77 follow-up
- Sports and dance therapy with Laura Fornoni: £75 initial consultation, £70 follow-up
- Shockwave therapy: £230 for the initial consultation plus 3 sessions, then £80 per further treatment
- Running gait and performance reviews: £80 Base, £135 Intermediate, £185 Expert
- Recognised by Bupa, Cigna, Vitality, WPA and Simply Health
How physiotherapy works
from assessment to return to sport
Book today to get an assessment, advice, a report and a rehabilitation plan. We combine hands-on treatment with gym-based rehab to get you well, today, and we reassess at every visit.
Advice and report
A clear explanation of your condition and a report explaining it in simple language, alongside hands-on treatment: manual therapy, soft tissue techniques and joint mobilisation where they help.
Rehabilitation plan
Exercise rehabilitation tailored to your goals and condition, delivered through Track Rehab. Our clinics sit inside gym facilities, so the plan has the equipment and technology it actually needs.
Return
Structured programmes and return-to-sport testing before you go back, so you return safely and confidently. The goal is a level of activity beyond your pre-injury status, not just less pain.
A thorough, honest, and understandable explanation. Then the best treatment to get you back to a level of activity beyond your pre-injury status. If we can't get you better, we will recommend the world's leading healthcare professionals in London that can.
- Founded in 2015 by Tom Astley: 7 clinicians working across 3 clinics in Crouch End, Marylebone and Henley-on-Thames.
- Our team has successfully worked with local, national and international athletes at 6 major multi-sport events, from London 2012 to Gold Coast 2018, and we bring that expertise to everyone who enters our service.
- Rated 4.9 from 88 Google reviews; recognised by 5 major UK insurers, and self-funded patients book online with no GP referral.
What our physiotherapists treat
- Manual therapy and joint mobilisation
- Exercise rehabilitation through Track Rehab
- Dry needling for stubborn trigger points
- Shockwave therapy for chronic tendinopathy
- Sensor-based running gait analysis
- Sports massage, scar work and soft tissue therapy
- Women's health, Mummy MOT and postnatal rehabilitation
- Post-operative and ACL rehabilitation
- Return-to-sport testing
3 Locations
Soft tissue therapy across our 3 London and Henley clinics
- Crouch End Park Road Pools & Fitness, London N8 8JN View location →
- Henley-on-Thames Badgemore Park Golf Club, Henley-on-Thames RG9 4NR View location →
- Marylebone 1 Orchard Street, London W1H 6HJ View location →
Written and medically reviewed byTom Astley, Sports Physiotherapist & Clinical Director · BSc Physiotherapy (Coventry, 2008) · BSc Health, Exercise & Sport (UWIC, 2005) · Sports Massage Association (SMA) and Institute of Sport and Remedial Massage (ISRM).
FAQ
FAQs
Is soft-tissue therapy the same as sports massage?
Soft-tissue therapy is the broader umbrella: it covers sports massage, remedial massage, scar work, orthopaedic soft tissue therapy, and trigger-point work. A sports massage is one specific application of the toolkit. At TA Physio we use the wider term because cases routinely need more than the classic deep-tissue 'sports massage' approach.
When should I have soft-tissue therapy?
For maintenance, every 2 to 4 weeks works well for most active people. For an acute issue, we typically schedule a focused course of 3 to 6 sessions in shorter intervals while we work on it, then drop back to maintenance. Post-event soft-tissue work (after a marathon, triathlon, or heavy training block) is usually 24 to 72 hours after the event: sooner if there is significant DOMS.
What is scar work?
Scar work is a specific layered set of soft-tissue techniques used on healed scars: typically post-surgical (Caesarean, abdominal, knee, shoulder) or post-trauma. The work restores mobility and slide between tissue layers that often becomes restricted during scar maturation. Scars need to be at least 6 to 8 weeks healed before any hands-on work; older scars often respond well even years later.
Will I be sore afterwards?
Some soreness for 24 to 48 hours after deep work is common: similar to post-exercise soreness. This is not the goal but it does happen, especially in the first few sessions of a course. Drink plenty of water, stay moving with light activity (walking, easy cycling), and avoid heavy training for the rest of the day. Anything sharper than DOMS-style soreness is worth telling us about.
Will my private health insurance cover sports massage?
Most major UK insurers cover soft-tissue therapy when it is delivered as part of a wider physiotherapy or osteopathy plan, but few cover stand-alone "sports massage". Check your policy first: Bupa, Cigna, Vitality, WPA, and Simply Health all have specific terms. We can issue receipts for self-funded claims either way.
Get Started
Book a physiotherapy appointment
in Crouch End, Marylebone or Henley.
Tom Astley Physiotherapy • Park Road Pools & Fitness, Crouch End, London N8 8JN
BookAppointments typically available within 1–2 weeks