Skip to content

Musculoskeletal outpatient physiotherapy

What we do

Physiotherapy helps restore your movement and function when you are affected by injury, illness or disability. It uses movement and exercise, education, advice and manual therapy that is tailored to your individual needs to promote, maintain and restore your physical health.

Musculoskeletal (MSK) physiotherapy specifically helps patients with an orthopaedic, musculoskeletal or sports-related injury.

We have a number of exercise classes that your physiotherapist may refer you to, including:

  • ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) class
  • ‘Back on Track’ (short- to long-term lower back pain)
  • ‘Back to Me’ (long-term lower back pain)
  • FAME (fibromyalgia group)
  • ESCAPE (knee and hip osteoarthritis group)
  • rehab
  • total hip or knee replacement (THR/TKR)

We also have a specialist Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) clinic and run the ESCAPE-pain programme, which is endorsed by Public Health England and NHS England. We also provide a specialist paediatric MSK clinic and are active contributors to ongoing clinical research, such as the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery Necessity in Non Acute Patients (ACL SNNAP) trial.

Our King’s Physiotherapy YouTube channel includes a number of videos to provide you with the tools to manage your condition in a safe and effective way. The videos focus on the benefits of education and exercise to empower patients during their rehabilitation.

Preparing for your appointment

Please wear appropriate clothing, such as loose fitting tops or shorts. We may ask you to take off some of your clothes so we can see the affected part/s of your body.

Please bring details of all the medication you are currently taking with you to the appointment.

At your first appointment please arrive 20 minutes before the time on the letter, as you may be asked to complete a short survey as part of your assessment. If your appointment is at 7.40am please arrive by 7.30am. If you are more than 10 minutes late, we may ask you to reschedule your appointment.

Please give 24 hours notice if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment. If you do not attend your appointment and do not give any notice, you may be discharged.

Please be aware that physiotherapy students supervised by a qualified physiotherapist may assess you.

You will receive a confirmation letter before your appointment. The letter will tell you if your appointment will be in person or virtual, an appointment date and time, and instructions for a virtual appointment if needed.

At your initial appointment, a physiotherapist will assess you either in person or via a virtual or telephone clinic to determine the best management plan for your injury. The assessment will involve looking at the movement and strength of the joint and surrounding soft tissues. We may also carry out a functional assessment, for example walking, running or going up stairs.

Following this, the physiotherapist will discuss with you an appropriate treatment management plan. This may include advice, exercise and possibly a referral to one of our exercise classes. You may be booked onto a follow-up appointment so that your progress can be monitored and changes to your treatment plan can be made.

Locations

  • Ground floor, Coldharbour Works, 245a Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8RR.  The entrance to the therapy suite is on Shakespeare Road.
  • Tessa Jowell Health Centre, 72H East Dulwich Grove, London, SE22 8EY
  • Beckenham Beacon, 379 Croydon Road, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 3QL

Contact Details

  • Main Reception: +44 (0)20 3299 8201
  • Therapies outpatient appointments (phone lines are open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 2pm): +44 (0)20 3299 8220

Patient information leaflets

TitleFile SizeLink
Achilles tendinopathy906 KB
Ankle sprain697 KB
Exercise class for total knee replacement (TKR) or total knee replacement (THR) – King’s College Hospital155 KB
Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)816 KB
Hip osteoarthritis805 KB
Hip soft tissue injury895 KB
Knee cap pain (patellofemoral joint pain)917 KB
Knee osteoarthritis458 KB
Knee soft tissue injury964 KB
Lower back pain879 KB
Meniscal tear969 KB
Neck pain941 KB
Patellar tendinopathy896 KB
Physiotherapy after ACL reconstruction420 KB
Plantarfasciopathy (heel pain)1 MB
Shoulder dislocation1 MB
Shoulder soft tissue injury916 KB
Soft tissue injury management560 KB
Tennis elbow933 KB
Therapy while your arm is in a sling746 KB

Conditions we treat

Conditions we treat include:

  • back pain and sciatica
  • neck pain
  • temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain
  • shoulder and elbow pain
  • hip, knee and ankle pain
  • soft tissue injuries
  • persistent pain (pain lasting more than three months)
  • post-surgical rehabilitation
  • sports-related injuries, including traumatic and overuse injuries
  • work-related injuries, including repetitive strain

What is required before referring a patient

To process referrals quickly and speed up appointment offers, when referring patients for physiotherapy please provide accurate information about:

  • duration of symptoms
  • affect of symptoms on work and sleep
  • neurological symptoms
  • management of the injury up until this point

Please ensure that the patient:

  • is aware of the referral and the reason for it
  • wants to participate in physiotherapy

Booking a patient at King’s

GPs should refer via NHS e-referral (e-RS) wherever possible. Other referrers should email referrals to [email protected].

Routine and urgent outpatient referrals follow the same process. All referrals are prioritised by a senior physiotherapist within 24 working hours of receipt of the referral request.