Assessment
A detailed history, then a thorough examination of movement, strength and the affected area. You leave knowing what is wrong, why it happened, and exactly what we are going to do about it.
Concern
Football Injuries Treatment in London
From hamstring strains to knee ligaments, we diagnose accurately and rebuild you to a measured, criteria-based return to the pitch, not just out of pain.
Our football injury team
Overview
Understanding football injuries
Football concentrates injuries in the lower limb through sprinting, kicking, cutting and contact. Some are sudden and traumatic, like a knee ligament injury; others build from accumulated load, like a recurring hamstring strain. Getting the diagnosis and the return right is what stops a one-off becoming a pattern.
When can I get back on the pitch?
When you meet the criteria, not the calendar. We first screen for injuries needing referral or imaging, then follow NICE and BJSM criteria-based recovery: graded loading that rebuilds capacity and restores your sprint and change-of-direction tolerance, judged on measured milestones.
We treat grassroots, semi-professional and returning players across our Soho, Liverpool Street and Marylebone clinics. Self-referral; no GP letter needed.
Why it happens
What causes football injuries?
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High-speed sprinting and long kicking that load the hamstring at length and speed, the classic strain mechanism
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Kicking, cutting and rapid changes of direction that load the groin and adductor muscles
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Twisting, landing and awkward plants that injure the knee ligaments, including the ACL
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Tackles, uneven ground and direction changes producing lateral ankle sprains
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Strength and control deficits in the hamstring, groin, hip and lower limb that leave tissue under-prepared
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A spike in training or match load, or a return to play before full rehabilitation, raising re-injury risk
Physiotherapy for football injuries can help to:
Stop a hamstring becoming a habit
Hamstring strains recur when players come back on the calendar instead of on strength. We rehabilitate the tear properly, restore sprint tolerance, and use high-load eccentric work, which is well evidenced for cutting recurrence, before you go near full speed again.
Break the recurring groin cycle
Groin and adductor pain that returns every few weeks means the strength behind kicking and cutting was never fully rebuilt. Progressive adductor and hip loading, then a criteria-based return to those exact movements, is what finally closes the loop.
Guide the big knee decisions
A twist, plant or tackle that leaves the knee swollen or giving way needs a proper diagnosis before anything else. We assess, refer for imaging or a specialist opinion where warranted, and rehabilitate ACL injuries on either path: with reconstruction or without.
Rehabilitate ankles beyond the swelling
An ankle sprain that only gets rest keeps rolling in every crowded penalty box. Structured strength, balance and proprioception work restores the control the joint lost, which is what separates a one-off sprain from a chronically unstable ankle.
Rebuild sprint and cutting tolerance
The game demands repeated sprints, decelerations and direction changes, so rehabilitation has to end there, on the tissue handling those loads. We progress from the gym to running to cutting in stages, each unlocked by measured strength and control milestones.
Return you to the pitch on numbers
VALD force-plate and dynamometry testing measures strength and limb-to-limb symmetry, so return-to-play is a decision made on objective criteria. The residual deficits that drive re-injury show up in the data long before they show up in a match.
At your first appointment we look for the cause: your history, how you move, and what your work, sport and life ask of your body.
The assessment covers a detailed history and a thorough examination of movement, strength and the affected area. We explain what we find and agree a working diagnosis and plan you understand before you leave.
You go home with a written summary and a home-exercise programme built around your diagnosis and goals, so progress continues between visits.
From pain to performance. Pain relief that lasts is not enough on its own: we rebuild the strength behind the pain so it stays gone.
- Three central London clinics: Soho, Liverpool Street and Marylebone, plus home visits across London and online sessions.
- Led by physiotherapist Sam Harvey: 15 years of clinical practice and an elite-sport background across football, rugby and GAA.
- Physiotherapy, strength and nutrition under one roof: three clinicians, three disciplines, joined-up care.
Fees and booking
You can self-refer and book directly: no GP letter needed, and every new patient can start with a free 15-minute consultation call. The same fees apply across our Soho, Liverpool Street and Marylebone clinics.
- Physiotherapy: a full 60 minutes for £145, whether it is your first visit or a follow-up
- 30-minute follow-ups at £90, with video appointments from £70
- Strength training and Reformer Pilates £120, sports massage from £75
- VALD performance and strength testing with a written report, £195
- 5% off a block of five sessions, 10% off a block of ten
- An itemised receipt with every session, for claiming back where your policy covers physiotherapy
Your journey
with Physio and Performance
Everything starts with finding the cause. Whether the goal is a marathon start line or a week at your desk without pain, we treat what is driving the problem, then build the strength that keeps it fixed.
Treatment
Hands-on manual therapy combined with a progressive, tailored exercise programme. Sports massage, dry needling, shockwave or Reformer Pilates are added where they help your specific problem.
Rebuild
Coached, progressive strength work restores the load tolerance your body lost, paced to where you start. This is the stage that decides whether the fix lasts.
Perform
Each follow-up reassesses you against your baseline, with VALD testing where useful, so your return to work, sport or training rests on measured readiness. Discharge happens by mutual agreement when you can manage independently.
We specialise in:
- Physiotherapy and sports rehabilitation
- Coached strength and conditioning
- Reformer Pilates
- Sports massage and soft-tissue therapy
- Dry needling and shockwave therapy
- VALD performance and strength testing
- Post-operative rehabilitation
- Running and gait analysis
- Sports nutrition and dietetics
Treatment approach
How do we treat football injuries?
Physiotherapy & Sports Rehabilitation
£145Sports physiotherapy is the core treatment: accurate diagnosis of the hamstring, groin, knee or ankle injury, onward referral or imaging where needed, and a graded, criteria-based rehabilitation plan that restores sprint and change-of-direction tolerance before return to play.
See treatment detail →Strength Training
£120Structured strength work rebuilds hamstring, groin, hip and lower-limb capacity: the deficits behind most football injuries, and high-load eccentric hamstring work in particular is well evidenced for reducing the strain recurrence the game is prone to.
See treatment detail →VALD Performance & Strength Testing
£195VALD force-plate and dynamometry testing measures strength and left-to-right asymmetry to guide return-to-play on objective criteria rather than the calendar, and to flag the residual deficits that drive re-injury.
See treatment detail →FAQ
Frequently asked
questions
How long does a football hamstring strain take to heal?
It varies with severity. A minor strain may settle in two to three weeks, while a more significant tear can take several weeks or longer of progressive rehabilitation. Rather than a fixed date, we return you to play on measured criteria: restored strength, sprint tolerance and control, because the calendar alone drives re-injury.
Do I need surgery for an ACL injury from football?
Not always. Some ACL injuries are managed without surgery through structured rehabilitation, while many footballers returning to pivoting and cutting choose reconstruction, particularly with associated meniscal or other ligament damage. The decision depends on your knee, your goals and a specialist opinion. Whichever path, progressive, criteria-based rehabilitation to rebuild strength and control is central to a confident return.
Why do my groin or adductor injuries keep coming back?
Recurrent groin pain in footballers usually means strength, load tolerance and control have not been fully rebuilt before returning to kicking and cutting. Adductor and hip strength deficits leave the tissue under-prepared for the game's demands. Treatment focuses on progressive groin and hip loading and a criteria-based return, which best breaks the cycle.
When should I seek urgent help after a football injury?
Seek urgent care if you cannot bear weight, the knee gives way or looks deformed, a joint is out of place, or you have numbness, tingling or a cold, discoloured limb. Any head injury with confusion or loss of consciousness needs assessment under concussion protocols. For these, attend A&E or contact NHS 111; physiotherapy follows after.
Get Started
Ready to begin?
Book today.
Physio and Performance • 111 Charing Cross Road, Soho, London WC2H 0DT
BookAppointments typically available within 1–2 weeks