Service Overview

Our Musculoskeletal (MSK) Outpatient Physiotherapy Service provides assessment, advice and treatment for people aged 17 and over with muscle, joint and spinal problems.

We assess and treat a wide range of problems affecting the spine, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments, including back pain, joint pain and injuries.

People can be referred by a GP or another healthcare professional, or they can self-refer if they are registered with a GP practice in the Vale of York area. You can view the GP practices covered by our service.  

Following an assessment, we will work with you to develop a personalised treatment plan based on your individual needs and goals. Treatment may include:

  • exercise therapy
  • advice and education
  • pacing and activity management
  • joint or soft tissue injections, where clinically appropriate

We also have rehabilitation gym facilities, where we run a range of exercise groups to support recovery and help people return to work, sport, or other everyday activities.

Our service also includes Advanced Practice Physiotherapists (APPs). APPs provide expert assessment, diagnosis, and management of more complex musculoskeletal conditions. Where appropriate, they can request diagnostic investigations to help guide treatment. They also perform joint and soft tissue injections.

If you require physiotherapy for a condition that is not musculoskeletal, there are other specialist physiotherapy services available, including neurological, cardiac, children's (paediatric), pelvic health, respiratory, and vestibular physiotherapy.

You can find more information about physiotherapy services provided by York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. For children's MSK issues visit the local NHS paediatric physiotherapy website. 

If you have fallen, or are at risk of falling, your GP or other healthcare professional can refer you to the Community Therapy Service for assessment and treatment by physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and therapy assistants. The Community Therapy Service webpage has further information under the "Frailty and Care of the Elderly" section.