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.
Postnatal & Pelvic Health
Women's Health & Mummy MOT
Perhaps you're leaking urine when you run, your back has been aching since having your baby, your core feels weaker than it used to, or you've returned to exercise but something just doesn't feel right: a Mummy MOT is how you find out why.
At your first appointment we start with a conversation about your pregnancy, birth and recovery so far, before any assessment begins.
We'll discuss your symptoms, your medical history, your current activity levels and what you would like to achieve. Every woman is different, so every assessment is tailored to you.
Nothing happens without your consent, you can pause or stop at any point, and a chaperone is always available if you would like one present.
A Mummy MOT can help you to:
Stop leaking when you run, cough or lift
We work out whether your pelvic floor needs to get stronger or needs to learn to relax and coordinate, because it is not always the first one.
Settle back, pelvic or hip pain that started with your baby
Pain that arrived in pregnancy or after birth is rarely one isolated problem. We assess how your breathing, abdominal wall, spine and hips are working together.
Understand and manage abdominal separation
We assess your abdominal wall, including diastasis recti where appropriate, and give you a plan that loads it properly rather than avoiding everything.
Return to running, the gym or your yoga practice
We test how you move under load and stage the return, so you go back to what you enjoy with confidence rather than hoping for the best.
Feel comfortable around a Caesarean or perineal scar
Scar assessment and treatment are part of the picture, and we can work on scars that are years old as well as recent ones.
Your women's health 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.
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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.
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Excellent service! Sanchez is a true professional who helped me heal a previous injury. Highly recommend!
Read on Google
Women's health 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.
We assess:
- Breathing and pressure management
- Posture and movement patterns
- Abdominal wall, including diastasis recti
- Caesarean and perineal scars
- Pelvic floor function, strength and coordination
- Pelvic girdle, back and hip pain
- Strength and functional movement under load
- Return to running, gym, yoga and Pilates
3 Locations
Postnatal physiotherapy 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) · Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).
FAQ
Women's health
FAQs
What does a Mummy MOT assess?
Although many women associate a Mummy MOT with pelvic floor exercises, the assessment looks at much more than that. Recovery after pregnancy involves the way your breathing, abdominal wall, pelvic floor, spine, hips and movement patterns work together. Looking at the whole picture helps us identify what may be contributing to your symptoms.
Will I need pelvic floor exercises after my Mummy MOT?
Not necessarily. Many women assume every postnatal assessment ends with a list of Kegel exercises. In reality, some pelvic floor muscles need to become stronger, while others need to learn to relax, coordinate and respond to movement. Your assessment helps us determine what your body needs.
Who is a Mummy MOT for?
It may benefit you if you have recently had a baby, are preparing to return to exercise or sport, leak urine when coughing, sneezing or exercising, feel heaviness or a bulging sensation vaginally, have abdominal separation, experience pelvic, hip or back pain, or have discomfort around a Caesarean or perineal scar. You do not need to have symptoms to benefit from an assessment.
I had my baby three years ago. Is it too late to have a Mummy MOT?
No. One of the biggest misconceptions about postnatal care is that if you did not seek help within the first few months after giving birth, you have somehow missed your opportunity. Recovery does not stop at six weeks. Whether your baby is six weeks, six months or six years old, it is never too late.
How long after having a baby can I have a Mummy MOT?
In most cases, a Mummy MOT can be performed from around six weeks after giving birth, once you have been medically cleared by your healthcare provider. If you have had a Caesarean birth, we will also consider how your incision is healing before assessing your abdominal wall or scar.
What is an internal pelvic examination?
It is one of the tools a specialist women’s health physiotherapist may use to assess the function of your pelvic floor muscles. Not everyone needs one, and it is never mandatory. We explain exactly why we are recommending it and answer your questions before asking for your consent. You are free to decline the examination or stop it at any time, and a chaperone is always available.
Related Treatments
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