Frequently Asked Questions

No. Physiotherapists in South Africa are first-contact practitioners, which means you can book an appointment directly without a referral from a GP or specialist. Some medical aid plans ask for a referral before they will reimburse, so it is worth checking your own plan rules. If your injury needs imaging or a specialist opinion, we will refer you and work alongside them.

They sit at different points on the same pathway. A physiotherapist diagnoses and treats injury, pain and dysfunction, and is trained in manual therapy, acute injury management and rehabilitation from the point of injury or surgery onward. A biokineticist works in the final phase and in prevention, using exercise to restore function and improve performance once the condition is stable.

In practice the two overlap in late-stage rehabilitation. If you are in pain, recently injured, or recently operated on, start with a physiotherapist. Treatment here carries you through from diagnosis to return to sport, including the late-stage strength and conditioning work.

No, they are the same profession under different names. “Physiotherapy” is standard in South Africa, the United Kingdom and most of the Commonwealth; “physical therapy” is the American term. The training, scope and treatment approach are equivalent.

It depends on the diagnosis, and you will get an honest answer at the first appointment rather than an open-ended commitment. A simple acute strain may take three or four sessions. A tendinopathy that has been present for months is usually a six to twelve week programme. ACL reconstruction rehabilitation is a nine to twelve month clinical relationship with sessions spaced further apart as you progress.

You will be given milestones from day one, so you know what we are working towards and roughly when to expect it.

It begins with a conversation, not a form. We cover when the problem started, what makes it better or worse, what you have already tried, your training history and weekly load, and what you actually want to get back to. That history then directs the physical examination, which is a set of tests chosen because of what you have described rather than a standard battery.

You leave with a working diagnosis explained honestly, including anything we are less certain about, and a treatment plan with clear milestones. Treatment usually starts in the same session.

Wear or bring clothing that lets us see and move the area being assessed: shorts for a knee, hip or ankle problem, and a vest or t-shirt for a shoulder, neck or back problem. If your injury relates to running or cycling, bring the shoes you train in, as wear patterns are genuinely useful. Bring any scans, reports or surgical notes you have, plus your medical aid details.

No. The practice is built on sports physiotherapy principles, but those same principles (an accurate diagnosis, objective measurement, and progressive loading) work just as well for desk-related neck pain, a post-surgical knee, or a parent who wants to lift a child without wincing. Roughly speaking, if it is a muscle, joint, tendon or nerve problem, it is treatable here.

The practice is at the High Performance Centre at King Edward VII School, 44 St Patrick Road, Houghton Estate, Johannesburg. There is on-site parking. We are a short drive from Houghton, Killarney, Parktown, Saxonwold, Rosebank, Norwood, Orchards, Observatory and Melrose.