When you seek help for an injury from a physiotherapist, the first priority is an accurate diagnosis. This becomes the foundation for everything that follows; it determines the path of your recovery and the performance outcomes we can achieve.

In many cases, a diagnosis can be made through clinical expertise and testing. However, where necessary, we utilise advanced imaging techniques such as MRI or CT scans to ensure clarity and precision.

Rehabilitation typically refers to the exercises required to progress from the point of injury. It’s structured, incremental, and outcome-focused.

But to me, recovery is even more important. It’s about returning to your optimal state, whether that’s after injury, a physically demanding period, or prolonged stress.

Rehab gets you back. Recovery makes you better.

There’s no question that an expert-led performance programme will significantly improve your recovery time following injury.

But recovery support isn’t just for acute injury.

We can also help optimise your body’s response to training load, burnout, fatigue, or illness, building resilience before small problems become bigger ones.

Return-to-play isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s tailored to the individual, their specific injury, their baseline performance, and the demands of their sport or role.

It starts before injury, with the correct baseline testing. That way, we know exactly where we’re aiming to return. An injury is an opportunity not only to recover, but to improve areas of weakness and come back stronger.

There are defined stages and specific performance markers to meet before returning to play, as well as to prevent reinjury. We work through each one in a structured and measured way.