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

• Therapies outpatient appointments (phone lines are open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 2pm): 020 3299 8220

Patient information leaflets

Title	File Size	Link
Exercise class for total knee replacement (TKR) or total hip replacement (THR) – King’s College Hospital	155 KB	Download
Physiotherapy after ACL reconstruction	420 KB	Download
Therapy while your arm is in a sling	746 KB	Download