HOW TO HIRE · HEALTH & WELLBEING

How to hire a sports physiotherapist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

A sports physiotherapist must be on the HCPC Register. Here is the check, what to ask about rehab, and what a proper course of treatment looks like.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a sports physiotherapist in five steps

  1. Search the HCPC RegisterChoose 'physiotherapist' and enter the surname. 'Sports therapist' is not the same title and has no register.
  2. Describe the injuryWhen and how it happened, your sport, what you can and cannot do, and any scan or GP letter.
  3. Ask about the rehab planNot just treatment on the couch: a staged plan with strength tests and a target return date.
  4. Agree the number of sessionsAn estimate, a review point and what each sports physiotherapy session costs.
  5. Do the loading workRehab exercises between sessions decide most of the outcome. Get them written down or on an app.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

HCPC Register

'Physiotherapist' is a protected title under the Health Professions Order 2001, so only a sports physiotherapist on the HCPC Register may use it, in any UK nation. Claiming the title, or implying it, without being registered is a criminal offence (Article 39). 'Sports therapist' and 'sports massage therapist' are not protected and have no statutory register.

On the HCPC Register pick 'Physiotherapist', type the surname or registration number, and confirm the entry is current before the first appointment. hcpc-uk.org →

Professional indemnity

Holding an indemnity arrangement is a condition of HCPC registration, so a registered sports physiotherapist should be covered if a treatment goes wrong. It may come through an employer, a professional body or a policy of their own.

Ask the sports physiotherapist how their indemnity is arranged — a clear one-line answer is what you want.

Trader status and your cancellation rights

A sports physiotherapist in private practice is a trader, so the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies to the service. If you book a rehab package online, by phone or at home, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give you 14 days to cancel; if you asked for treatment to start inside those 14 days, you pay only for what you used.

Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile and keep the booking confirmation.

Injections and prescribing

A sports physiotherapist offering an injection needs the entitlement for it, which the HCPC Register shows as an annotation such as independent or supplementary prescribing.

If an injection is offered, open the HCPC entry and look for the prescribing annotation first. hcpc-uk.org →

VAT

Sports physiotherapy is exempt from VAT only when the physiotherapist is on the HCPC Register and the treatment's main aim is your health; performance work with no health aim, or care from someone unregistered, is standard-rated at 20%. A clinic with VAT taxable turnover over the £90,000 threshold must register and show VAT as its own line on anything outside the exemption.

Check the sports physiotherapist on the HCPC Register, and ask the clinic which items on the bill carry VAT. gov.uk →

“Are you an HCPC-registered physiotherapist, or a sports therapist?”

A good answer: 'Registered physiotherapist — here is my number.' A sports therapist may be skilled, but the title and the training are different.

“Do you work with my sport, and with this injury?”

A good answer: Experience of the movements your sport demands — a sports physiotherapist who treats runners thinks differently from one who treats rugby players.

“What tests will you use to decide when I can go back?”

A good answer: Strength, hop or range-of-movement tests with numbers, not just 'when it feels OK'.

“What will the sports physiotherapy sessions involve?”

A good answer: Assessment, some hands-on treatment, then progressive loading and sport-specific drills — less couch time as you improve.

“When would you send me for a scan or to a doctor?”

A good answer: Clear red flags and a referral route; a sports physiotherapist should not keep treating something that is not improving.

“Is shockwave, taping or equipment extra?”

A good answer: A list of anything charged on top of the sports physiotherapy session fee.

“Can my coach or club see the plan?”

A good answer: Yes, with your consent — a shared plan stops a coach undoing the rehab.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends — the HCPC-registered physiotherapist named, or a sports therapist standing in, employed or subcontracted
  • Assessment and follow-up fees, and how long each session runs
  • Taping, braces, shockwave or gym access priced separately
  • The clinic's VAT number, and VAT shown only on lines outside the health exemption
  • The number of sessions expected and the review point
  • Cancellation terms for a block of sports physiotherapy sessions
  • Any report for your club, insurer or employer and its cost

Walk away if

  • Not on the HCPC Register as a physiotherapist
  • 'Sports physio' on the website but a different qualification when asked
  • No strength or function tests, just repeated massage
  • A guaranteed return date before they have assessed you
  • Large up-front package with no assessment first
  • Discourages you from seeing a doctor about a worsening injury
LOW
£50
TYPICAL
£70
HIGH
£90

What a sports physiotherapist costs: £50–£90 per session

Sports physiotherapy is priced per session, with a longer first assessment; equipment-based treatments are often added on top. Sports Physiotherapy price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Sports physiotherapists near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Injury historyHow it happened, your sport, training load and goals.
  2. AssessmentMovement, strength and sport-specific tests to find the cause, not just the sore spot.
  3. PlanA diagnosis in plain words, the phases of rehab and the tests that mark each step.
  4. Treatment and loadingHands-on work early on, then progressive strength, plyometric and sport drills.
  5. Return to playCriteria met, a graded return to training, then competition, with a maintenance programme.

HCPC
The regulator whose Register protects the title 'physiotherapist'.
Loading
Gradually increasing the stress on an injured tissue so it adapts.
Return-to-play criteria
The tests you pass before going back to full sport.
Plyometrics
Jumping and bounding exercises used late in rehab.
Shockwave
A machine treatment for some tendon problems, usually charged extra.
Sports therapist
A different, unprotected title — not a physiotherapist.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the rehab planThe exercises, the test results and the return-to-sport criteria — you will want them if the injury flares.
Retest before you competeRepeat the tests the sports physiotherapist set; passing them is the point, not the date on the calendar.
Agree a maintenance planA short list of exercises to keep doing once you are back training.
Review the bookingTell the next family or client how the sports physiotherapist did. Something to fix first? The make-it-right step gives them the chance before your review goes live.

STEP 1Raise it with the sports physiotherapist, in writingName the problem and the fix you expect. When the treatment from a sports physiotherapist in business falls below reasonable care and skill — the standard section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 sets — section 54 gives you the right to repeat performance or a price reduction.
STEP 2Ask Locufy to help put it rightWhen a booked sports physiotherapist gets under four stars, you choose whether they see the problem first, and we follow it up with them. Then you review.
STEP 3A concern about a sports physiotherapist's practiceThe HCPC takes concerns about registered physiotherapists from members of the public, and investigates anyone using a protected title such as 'sports physiotherapist' without being on the Register.
STEP 4Take it to small claimsA claim against a sports physiotherapist for money back can go to court without a solicitor — £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a sports physiotherapist: questions people ask

No. 'Physiotherapist' is protected by law and needs HCPC registration; 'sports therapist' is not protected and has no statutory register.

Search the HCPC Register at hcpc-uk.org under 'physiotherapist' by surname or registration number.

No, you can book directly. Health insurers may want a GP referral before they pay.

£50 to £90 a session, typically around £70. Assessments cost more than follow-ups, and shockwave or taping is often extra. Our sports physiotherapy price guide explains the range; searching your town above shows sports physiotherapists who cover it.

Not normally: treatment by a registered physiotherapist for your health is exempt under VAT Notice 701/57.

Say so in writing; a sports physiotherapist in practice owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and concerns about their practice can go to the HCPC.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in health & wellbeing

How to hire: PhysiotherapistHow to hire: Sports TherapistHow to hire: Sports MassageHow to hire: Strength & Conditioning CoachHow to hire: OsteopathHow to hire: ChiropractorHow to hire: Running CoachHow to hire: Personal TrainerAll 701 hiring guides →

Sports physiotherapists near you

Sports physiotherapists in LondonSports physiotherapists in ManchesterSports physiotherapists in BirminghamSports physiotherapists in GlasgowSports physiotherapists in BelfastAll sports physiotherapists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HCPC — professions and protected titles
  2. HCPC — check the Register
  3. HCPC — misuse of title
  4. HCPC — professional indemnity
  5. gov.uk — Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  8. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started in the cancellation period
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  10. Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57) — 2.1 Meaning of a health professional; 2.3 Exempt medical services
  11. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  12. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register