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.
What We Treat
Knee Pain Treatment in London
Knee pain stops you doing the thing you actually care about, whether that is a Saturday league match, a marathon block or getting down the stairs without thinking about it. We work out what the knee is actually doing, then build the strength back in a gym rather than on a plinth.
Overview
Understanding knee pain & acl injuries
The knee is the joint that tells on everything else. Pain here is often the hip, the ankle or a training load problem showing up at the noisiest joint in the chain, which is why an assessment that only looks at the knee tends to keep sending you back.
We assess the whole leg, then treat what we find:
- Acute ligament injury: ACL, MCL and combined injuries, including the decision about whether you need surgery at all.
- After ACL reconstruction: staged rehabilitation to your surgeon's protocol, tested rather than timed.
- Meniscal and cartilage problems: locking, catching and swelling, managed conservatively where that is the better option.
- Patellofemoral and runner's knee: pain at the front of the knee under load, on stairs or after sitting.
- Tendon pain: patellar and quadriceps tendinopathy in jumping and change-of-direction sport.
- Osteoarthritis: managing a worn knee, and rehabilitation if you go on to a replacement.
Our clinics sit inside gym facilities, which matters more for knees than for almost anything else. The strength work a reconstructed knee needs at month five is not band work, and it is in the same building as your assessment.
Physiotherapy leads every knee plan. Running gait and performance reviews help where the knee only hurts when you run, and soft tissue therapy restores scar glide after surgery. Knee work often overlaps with post-operative rehabilitation, arthritis and sports injuries.
Excellent
From 4 five-star Google reviews
Source: Google
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.
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.
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.
Excellent service! Sanchez is a true professional who helped me heal a previous injury. Highly recommend!
Knee physiotherapy can help to:
Find out what is actually wrong
You leave the first appointment with an explanation of your knee in language that makes sense, a treatment recommendation, a written report and a rehabilitation plan. Initial appointments run 45 to 60 minutes so there is time to assess the hip and ankle too, not just the sore bit.
Decide about surgery with the facts
Not every ACL tear needs reconstructing, and not every meniscal tear needs trimming. We assess the stability of the knee and what you need to get back to, then tell you plainly what we think. Where surgery is the right call, we refer and then rehabilitate you afterwards.
Rebuild strength where the equipment is
Our clinics in Crouch End, Marylebone and Henley are based inside gym facilities. A knee at month five of a reconstruction rehab needs real load, and the equipment to do it is in the same building as your assessment rather than somewhere you have to go afterwards.
Get back to running without the pain returning
Where the knee only complains under running load, a gait and performance review shows what the leg is doing at foot strike. We then change the loading rather than just treating the symptom, so the pain does not come back at the same point in the next training block.
Test before you return, not after
We progress you on restored range, strength, gait and at least 90 per cent symmetry between the operated and non-operated leg. Returning before those measures are met is how people injure the same knee again, so we test rather than guess.
Keep going through an arthritic knee
A worn knee is not a reason to stop. Strength work reduces load through the joint and often reduces pain with it. If you do go on to a replacement, going in stronger changes what you get out of it, and we rehabilitate you on the other side.
Why it happens
What causes knee pain & acl injuries?
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Twisting or pivoting injury on a planted foot: the classic ACL mechanism in football, netball, lacrosse and skiing
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Direct contact or a fall onto the knee, commonly injuring the MCL or the kneecap
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Meniscal tear, either acute in sport or degenerative in a knee that has done a lot of miles
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Training load rising faster than the tissue can adapt: patellar tendinopathy and runner's knee
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Patellofemoral pain from how the kneecap is loaded and controlled, often with hip and ankle contributors
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Osteoarthritis, including knees awaiting or recovering from a replacement
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.
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.
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.
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
Treatment approach
How do we treat knee pain & acl injuries?
Physiotherapy & Sports Therapy
From £75Assessment of the whole leg, a working plan for the knee, and progressive strength and control work through the stages, with testing against your other leg at each visit.
See treatment detail →Running Gait & Performance Reviews
From £80Where knee pain appears only under running load, biomechanical gait analysis identifies what the leg is doing at foot strike rather than what it does on a couch.
See treatment detail →Soft Tissue Therapy
Price on enquiryAfter reconstruction or replacement, scar work and soft-tissue mobilisation from around 6 to 8 weeks post-op restore tissue glide and speed up range-of-motion gains.
See treatment detail →FAQ
Frequently asked
questions
Do I definitely need surgery for an ACL tear?
Not always. It depends on the knee's stability, the other structures involved, and what you need to get back to. People returning to pivoting sport more often go the surgical route. We assess the knee, discuss it honestly with you, and refer to a surgeon when that is the right call.
How long is rehabilitation after an ACL reconstruction?
Plan on 9 to 12 months before returning to pivoting sport, with structured testing along the way. Early rehab typically runs weekly for 8 to 12 weeks. You progress on measures rather than dates, including at least 90 per cent strength symmetry between your two legs.
My knee hurts only when I run. Is that still worth assessing?
Yes, and it is often the easiest kind to fix. Pain that appears at a predictable distance or pace is usually a loading problem rather than a damaged structure. A running gait and performance review shows what the leg does at speed, which a static assessment cannot.
Can you help a knee that is already booked for a replacement?
Yes, on both sides of it. Strength going into a replacement affects what you get out of it, and structured rehabilitation afterwards is what restores the function. Total knee replacement usually takes 12 to 16 weeks to solid function, and we will give you a projection for your case.
Related What We Treat
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