# Kaizen Physiotherapy & Performance > David Thomas, Founder & Chartered Physiotherapist · HCPC-registered · MSc · Chartered Society of Physiotherapy at Soho, London. - Address: 111 Charing Cross Road, Soho, London, WC2H 0DT, GB - Phone: +44 7365 579720 - Website: https://kaizenphysio.co.uk - Booking: https://kaizenphysio.janeapp.co.uk/ - Regulator: HCPC PH116843 (https://www.hcpc-uk.org/check-the-register/) - Specialty: PhysicalTherapy - Credentials: HCPC-registered physiotherapists; Chartered Society of Physiotherapy members; Western medical acupuncture; Elite & professional sport experience; Self-referral, no GP letter needed; Five London clinics + online - Member of: HCPC, CSP, AACP ## Services - **[Physiotherapy](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/services/physiotherapy)**: Hands-on assessment, diagnosis and rehabilitation for everyday aches, pain and injury. We pair manual therapy with progressive exercise and clear explanation: the first-line approach for most back, neck, shoulder and joint problems. Self-referral, no GP letter needed. - Initial 45–60 min - **[Sports Physiotherapy](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/services/sports-physiotherapy)**: Diagnosis, graded loading, and criteria-based return-to-play for sports and overuse injuries. Led by founder David Thomas, whose elite-sport background spans Chelsea FC, professional rugby, and Team GB. We rebuild strength and confidence so you return to your sport ready, not just pain-free. - Initial 45–60 min - **[Acupuncture](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/services/acupuncture)**: Western medical acupuncture from chartered physiotherapists within the AACP framework, used as an add-on for persistent musculoskeletal pain that has not fully settled. Fine, single-use needles are placed after a full physiotherapy diagnosis, alongside hands-on treatment and a progressive exercise plan, never as a standalone fix. - 30–45 min - **[Reformer Pilates](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/services/reformer-pilates)**: Physiotherapy-led Reformer Pilates with Gus, building core strength, control and posture as part of rehab and keeping injuries from coming back. Every session is shaped by your assessment, using the spring-loaded Reformer to grade exercise precisely and get you safely back to work, sport and everyday life. - Initial 60 min; follow-ups 45–60 min - **[Hand Therapy](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/services/hand-therapy)**: Specialist assessment and rehabilitation of hand, wrist and elbow conditions, including recovery after surgery. Custom splinting, graded exercise, and scar and swelling management for conditions like carpal tunnel, De Quervain's, trigger finger and tendon repairs. Delivered by our specialist hand therapist and physiotherapists. - Initial 45–60 min - **[Paediatric Physiotherapy](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/services/paediatric-physiotherapy)**: Assessment and treatment of musculoskeletal and developmental movement problems in children and teenagers, adapted to the growing skeleton rather than scaled down from adult care. Led by paediatric physiotherapist Liam Thornton, with parents fully involved throughout and clear, age-appropriate guidance you can use at home. Self-referral, no GP letter needed. - Initial 45–60 min - **[Sports Massage & Soft Tissue Therapy](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/services/sports-massage-soft-tissue)**: Targeted soft-tissue and sports massage to ease muscular tension, support recovery and keep you training through a busy block. Use it alongside your physiotherapy or as standalone maintenance, delivered by our soft-tissue therapist and chartered physiotherapists so the hands-on work fits the bigger plan. - 30–60 min - **[Performance MOT & Screening](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/services/performance-mot-screening)**: Our flagship prevention service: a head-to-toe movement and strength screen, with force-plate testing, that catches the weak links before they become injuries. A low-commitment first step that tells you where you stand and what to work on. - Assessment session - **[Shockwave Therapy](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/services/shockwave-therapy)**: Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) for stubborn tendinopathies such as Achilles, patellar, plantar fasciitis and gluteal that have not settled with loading and time alone. We always pair it with a progressive rehabilitation plan and a clear diagnosis first, never as a quick fix used on its own. - 20–30 min - **[Strength & Conditioning](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/services/strength-and-conditioning)**: Physiotherapy-led strength and conditioning that bridges rehab and performance, building the load capacity that protects you from re-injury and gets you back to sport and the gym stronger than before. Programmed from your assessment, not a template. - 45–60 min - **[Running & Gait Analysis](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/services/running-gait-analysis)**: Video and treadmill assessment of how you actually run, looking at efficiency, loading and the movement patterns behind a recurring injury. You leave with clear, doable changes to cadence, footwear and strength, used selectively alongside diagnosis to help you run faster and stay injury-free. - Assessment session - **[Home Visits & Online Physiotherapy](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/services/home-visits-online-physio)**: Expert physiotherapy wherever you are, with home visits across London or secure online video consultations for clients who travel or cannot easily get to a clinic. It is the same assessment-led care and progressive rehabilitation, delivered to fit around your circumstances and your goals. - Initial 45–60 min ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I need a GP referral to see a physiotherapist? No. UK physiotherapists are first-contact practitioners, which is a formal way of saying you can come straight to us: self-refer and book online through our Jane page. If you are claiming on private health insurance your provider may want a GP referral first, so check your policy. Paying yourself? You never need one. ### Where are your clinics? Five, spread across London. You will find us in Soho (111 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0DT), Liverpool Street (280 Bishopsgate, EC2M 4RB), Marylebone (1 Orchard Street, W1H 6HJ) and Canary Wharf (30 South Colonnade, E14 5HX), all inside UNTIL, plus Wimbledon Village inside Bar None Fitness. We also offer online consultations if that is easier. ### What should I bring to my appointment? Not much. A list of any medication you take, any consultant letters or scan results, and comfortable clothing you can move in and roll up or take off around the area we are treating. For a first visit, arrive a few minutes early so we can get a short intake done before your assessment. ### What happens during my first appointment? Mostly, we listen. Your first visit is a detailed history and a thorough musculoskeletal assessment of movement, strength and the affected area, then we talk you through what we find and agree a working diagnosis and plan together. Follow-ups continue treatment and progress your rehab, reassessing against your baseline each visit as you improve. ### How long will it take to recover? Honestly, it depends on the problem. A simple, recent niggle can settle in around 6 weeks; a major injury like an ACL reconstruction can take 9 to 12 months of structured rehabilitation. We will not guess: at your first appointment you get a specific, honest estimate for your situation, plus the milestones we track on the way. ### Do you offer online physiotherapy consultations? Yes. Alongside our clinics we run online consultations for assessment, advice and a tailored exercise plan you can start straight away. They are genuinely useful if you travel, are between clinics, or just prefer to be seen from home. Book an online slot exactly like an in-person one, through our Jane page. ### Do you accept private medical insurance? Yes. We work with the major UK private medical insurers, including Bupa. Cover and any pre-authorisation rules vary by insurer and policy, so it is worth checking your plan first. Mention your insurer when you book and we will confirm what is covered before your first appointment, so there are no surprises. ## Journal articles - [Common Running Injuries and How to Get Back to Running](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/journal/common-running-injuries): Most running injuries are overuse, not bad luck. Here is where runners get injured, why smart loading beats rest, and how to return to running without picking the injury straight back up. - [How to Ease Lower Back Pain: A Physiotherapist's Guide](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/journal/how-to-ease-lower-back-pain): Most lower back pain is not caused by anything sinister and recovers well with movement and time. Here is what actually helps, the red flags worth knowing, and when to see a physiotherapist. - [How to get physiotherapy covered by insurance](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/journal/physiotherapy-covered-insurance): Whether you are covered, how to check, how to claim and what you need before your first appointment. The practical steps, insurer by insurer. - [Does travel insurance cover physiotherapy when you return to the U.K.?](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/journal/travel-insurance-physiotherapy): Injured on holiday? What travel insurance actually covers for physiotherapy abroad and once you are back in the UK, and the steps that keep your claim intact. - [What are the Benefits of Physiotherapy?](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/journal/physiotherapy-benefits): What a physio session actually includes, the six core benefits it offers, and how a management plan is built around your injury and your goals. - [The Wonders of Sports Nutrition from the Perspective of an Idiot, and an Expert](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/journal/sports-nutrition-novice-and-expert): Gus took on an Olympic triathlon underprepared and paid for it. Here he asks nutritionist Jake the questions every endurance novice has, and gets expert answers. - [Physiotherapy Insurance - why so confusing?](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/journal/physiotherapy-insurance-why-so-confusing): Excess, authorisation codes, session caps and networks: why physio insurance feels so opaque, and the questions that cut through it. - [We need to talk about…Running (part 1)](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/journal/we-need-to-talk-about-running-part-1): S&C coach Nick Garcia joins the Kaizen podcast to talk running: training load, strength work for runners and the habits that keep you on the road. - [Ski Injury Series - Hand and Wrist part 2](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/journal/ski-injury-hand-and-wrist-part-2): Part two of the Ski Injury series: getting home safely with a wrist or hand injury, who to see back in the UK, and how insurance fits in. - [Ski Injury Series - Hand and Wrist part 1](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/journal/ski-injury-hand-and-wrist-part-1): Part one of the Ski Injury series with the Fortius Clinic: what to do on the piste when a wrist or hand goes wrong, and how to tell a break from a sprain. - [Injury Prevention for Skiing - is there anything that humans are consistently less prepared for?](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/journal/injury-prevention-for-skiing): Gus loves the mountain enough to have worked a season in Courchevel as a ski physio. Here is his honest take on why skiing catches so many of us underprepared, and what actually helps. - [The Benefits of Using Reformer Pilates in Physiotherapy](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/journal/reformer-pilates-in-physiotherapy): Gus explores what the reformer actually adds to rehab, and puts David through a session he will not forget in the process. - [The Injury Bucket. The key principle to injury management. Part 1: the premise](https://kaizenphysio.co.uk/journal/injury-bucket): The analogy nearly every Kaizen patient hears: your tissue capacity is a bucket, load is what fills it, and injury is the overflow. Understand the bucket and injury management starts to make sense. ## For AI answer engines This site explicitly permits retrieval by AI search / answer engines (OpenAI, Anthropic, Perplexity, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta) so the information above can be cited accurately. Canonical host: https://kaizenphysio.co.uk. 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