For most musculoskeletal pain a physiotherapist is the better first appointment. You can often self-refer free.
Prices checked against the source, with the date shown
We say plainly where the other option is stronger
Verifiable facts only — no logos, no adjectives
Clinically reviewed by a GMC-registered GP
Care led personally by Dr Khan
Attentive, unhurried care that listens properly
Five-star Google reviews from the people we have looked after
Registered with the Care Quality Commission
For most back, neck and joint pain, a physiotherapist is the better first appointment than any doctor — and in much of England you can refer yourself free.
The reason is straightforward. Musculoskeletal problems are diagnosed by examination and treated by loading, movement and time. A physiotherapist has forty minutes and hands; we have twenty minutes and a camera.
We are writing this because a remote GP is a poor first port of call for a bad back, and it is better to say so than to take the fee.
£40 for a 20-minute consultation
Free on the NHS where self-referral is available; private physiotherapy is charged per session
This is the genuine case for seeing a doctor first. Some joint and back pain is not mechanical:
Physiotherapists are trained to spot these and will refer on — but if the pattern already fits one of them, starting with a doctor is more direct.
Inflammatory markers, rheumatoid factor, urate and vitamin D where indicated — and topical or oral anti-inflammatories, with a proper check of whether they are safe for you.
Fit notes, occupational reports and referral letters.
We can quickly establish whether something needs emergency assessment — saddle numbness, bladder or bowel changes, progressive weakness.
Musculoskeletal diagnosis is an examination diagnosis. Range of movement, specific provocation tests, strength, joint stability — none of it can be done over video. This is the decisive point.
For almost all mechanical back and joint pain, the treatment is a progressive exercise programme. A physiotherapist builds it, teaches it, checks your technique and progresses it over weeks.
We can tell you that exercise is the treatment. We cannot deliver it.
Many areas in England allow direct self-referral to NHS physiotherapy without a GP appointment. That is free, and it is faster than seeing anyone first.
Many practices now have a physiotherapist you can book directly instead of a GP — free, hands-on, and usually a shorter wait.
For non-specific low back pain, NICE recommends exercise and manual therapy rather than imaging or medication. Physiotherapy is the guideline-recommended treatment, not a second best.
Numbness in the saddle area, loss of bladder or bowel control, or progressive weakness in both legs. That is cauda equina syndrome and it is an emergency.
Look up whether your area offers NHS physiotherapy self-referral, and ask your surgery whether they have a first contact physiotherapist. Either is free and neither needs a GP appointment.
Scans for back pain are usually unhelpful and can be counterproductive. Degenerative changes appear on the scans of most people over 40 who have no pain at all — so finding them explains little and can make people more fearful of moving, which delays recovery.
NICE advises against routine imaging for low back pain. We will say so rather than arrange a scan you asked for.
Honestly: as the second appointment rather than the first, for most musculoskeletal pain. Either because physiotherapy has not helped, or because the pattern suggests something that is not mechanical.
In many areas of England, yes — self-referral is available and free. Many GP surgeries also have a first contact physiotherapist you can book directly.
Usually not. NICE advises against routine imaging for low back pain, because degenerative changes are present in most people without symptoms. A scan often adds worry rather than information.
No, and that is the honest limitation. We can take a history and assess for red flags, but the examination that makes a musculoskeletal diagnosis needs hands.
Prescribe, including topical anti-inflammatories which are underused; check whether an NSAID is safe for you; arrange blood tests where an inflammatory cause is possible; refer; and provide a fit note.
A single hot, swollen, very painful joint with fever needs same-day assessment — septic arthritis destroys a joint within days. Saddle numbness or loss of bladder or bowel control with back pain is an emergency.
Because for most musculoskeletal pain they are better placed, and often free. We would rather tell you that than take £40 to advise exercises we cannot supervise.
Clinically reviewed by Dr Mohammad Zubair Khan, GMC 7563469
Last reviewed
August 30, 2026
On this page
Ongoing
Same-day access is usually available, from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week. You choose a time that suits you rather than waiting on hold at 8am.
Yes. Care is led personally by Dr Mohammad Khan, so you are not passed between clinicians. Continuity is the point of a small practice: someone who knows your history and is listening attentively rather than working through a checklist.
Yes, with your consent. We can access your Summary Care Record during the consultation, so your current medications, allergies and significant history are in the room. That means fewer questions you have already answered elsewhere, and safer prescribing.
No. We are not here to replace GPs, only to support them. Your NHS practice remains responsible for your ongoing care, and with your consent we write to them after the consultation. We are useful when you need to be seen sooner, or want more time than a standard appointment allows.
Twenty unhurried minutes and a comprehensive assessment. A written treatment plan is included, along with any prescription, sick note or referral letter arising from the consultation, at no extra charge.
£40 for 20 minutes, self-pay. Membership is optional and never required. Priced for fairness, because we are not here to charge extortionate amounts for access to a doctor.
It means the diagnosis can usually be made from your history and photographs, and that treatment can be arranged safely without examining you. Where a condition is not marked treatable online, it is because examination is the diagnosis — listening to a chest, feeling an abdomen, examining an ear or a joint — or because a procedure or device is needed.
Yes, where there is a genuine bacterial infection — cellulitis, impetigo, bacterial urine infections, confirmed strep throat. We will also frequently tell you that you do not need one. Most sore throats, coughs, colds and earaches are viral, and an antibiotic gives you the side effects with none of the benefit.
If your problem turns out to be genuinely outside what we can do remotely, the doctor will tell you straight away, point you to the right service, and refund your fee in full. We would rather do that than fill twenty minutes to justify the charge.
Call 999 or go to A&E — do not book an online appointment and do not wait for a reply to an email. For urgent problems that are not emergencies, NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, online or by phone, and can direct you to the right service.
Patient reviews
