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
Neck Pain Treatment in London
Neck pain is unnerving in a way a sore knee never is, partly because it comes with headaches, pins and needles or a head you cannot turn to reverse the car. Most of it settles well with the right plan, and the sooner you move it the better it tends to go.
Overview
Understanding neck pain & whiplash
Necks are sensitive and they are also resilient. Those two things are both true, and holding them together is most of what good treatment does here.
What we see most:
- Mechanical neck pain: stiffness and pain that came on with no clear injury, often desk or stress related.
- Whiplash: after a road traffic collision or a sporting impact, where early movement matters more than a collar.
- Nerve-related arm pain: pain, pins and needles or weakness travelling down the arm.
- Cervicogenic headache: headaches driven by the neck rather than by the head.
- Postural and load-related pain: the picture that builds through a working week and eases at the weekend.
The instinct after a whiplash injury is to protect and stay still. The evidence points firmly the other way. Gentle early movement, guided and progressed properly, gives a better outcome than rest, and getting that message early is one of the more valuable things a first appointment does.
Physiotherapy leads the plan. Osteopathy suits a case-history-led approach where the picture is more diffuse, and soft tissue therapy helps where the surrounding muscle has taken up the slack. Neck problems often refer into the shoulder and sit alongside muscular 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!
Neck physiotherapy can help to:
Work out what is actually driving it
Neck pain, arm pain and headaches can all come from the same place or from three different ones. Initial appointments run 45 to 60 minutes, which is what it takes to separate a joint problem from a nerve problem from a referral pattern before treating any of them.
Move it early after whiplash
The instinct is to protect the neck and keep it still. Guided early movement gives a better outcome, and knowing that in week one rather than week six changes the whole recovery. We show you what to do and how much of it.
Settle nerve pain down the arm
Pins and needles or pain travelling into the arm is usually an irritated nerve rather than damage. It responds to specific movement and load management. We also screen for the small number of signs that need urgent medical assessment instead.
Get rid of the headaches
Headaches that start at the base of the skull and sit on one side are often driven by the upper neck. Treating the neck is what shifts them, and it is one of the more rewarding things to sort out because people have often had them for years.
Build tolerance, not just relief
Hands-on treatment reduces guarding and buys comfort, but strength is what stops it coming back. Our clinics sit inside gym facilities, so progressing the neck and upper back properly happens in the same building rather than at home with a band.
Fix the setup that caused it
If your neck is better on holiday and worse by Thursday, the answer is not more treatment. We look at the working setup, the load and the sleep, and change the thing that keeps re-provoking it.
Why it happens
What causes neck pain & whiplash?
-
Whiplash from a road traffic collision, fall or contact-sport impact
-
Sustained desk and screen posture, particularly with a rapid change in working setup
-
Cervical disc or joint irritation referring pain into the shoulder or arm
-
Age-related change in the cervical spine, which is common and usually not the whole story
-
Stress and sleep disruption, both of which lower tissue tolerance and raise symptoms
-
A sudden increase in overhead or heavy lifting load
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 neck pain & whiplash?
Physiotherapy & Sports Therapy
From £75Assessment to establish whether the neck itself, a nerve, or a referral pattern is driving your symptoms, then graded movement and strengthening, which is what restores tolerance.
See treatment detail →Soft Tissue Therapy
Price on enquiryHands-on work through the neck, upper back and shoulder girdle to reduce guarding, which usually makes the movement work easier to progress.
See treatment detail →Osteopathy
Price on enquiryA case-history-led approach for the more diffuse pictures, particularly where the neck, upper back and jaw are all contributing.
See treatment detail →FAQ
Frequently asked
questions
Should I wear a collar after whiplash?
Generally no. The evidence supports early, guided movement over immobilisation, and collars tend to slow recovery rather than help it. That said, the first assessment exists partly to rule out the small number of cases where that advice does not apply, so get it checked.
My arm has pins and needles. Is that serious?
It usually means a nerve in the neck is irritated, which is uncomfortable but commonly settles with the right plan. Progressive weakness, symptoms in both arms, or problems with balance or bladder function are different and need urgent medical assessment rather than physiotherapy.
Can my neck really be causing my headaches?
Yes. Cervicogenic headache is driven by structures in the upper neck and typically presents on one side, starting at the base of the skull. It often responds well to treatment aimed at the neck, which is why the assessment looks there rather than at the headache itself.
How long does neck pain usually take to settle?
Most mechanical neck pain improves substantially within a few weeks, and whiplash commonly takes a little longer. Recurrence is common if the underlying load or strength issue is not addressed, so the plan continues past the point where the pain stops.
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