Why London physio clinics are allowed to stay open during the COVID-19 lockdown

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on healthcare systems and the economy, and the restrictions that have come along with it have meant many people have suffered.

One of the most common questions we’ve been asked at Spectrum over this period has been why, as a physio clinic based in central London, we’ve been allowed to stay open, even throughout the lockdown? So, we thought we’d take the time to address this question in detail, because it’s an important one.

We treat a much wider range of problems, including acute injuries, which is why we’re considered frontline health workers, just like doctors and nurses

We should reiterate, that throughout this entire pandemic (and actually even long before any of us had even heard of COVID-19), the health and safety of our patients has been our number one priority.

We follow all the official guidance on how to create a safe environment for our patients, and if you’re interested, you can read more details about how we do that on our website.

Many people assume that physios mainly treat ongoing injuries – like a dodgy runner’s knee or an area of your body where you’re trying to build up strength. But at a clinic like Spectrum, where we offer a holistic, 360° approach to physio, we treat a much wider range of problems, including acute injuries, which is why we’re considered frontline health workers, just like doctors and nurses. If you fall off your bike or wake up and your back and neck are completely locked up, it’s crucial that physiotherapy services are available to you to ensure you can get the treatment you need to get back to being pain free – lockdown or no lockdown.

While the NHS are pretty preoccupied with COVID-19 patients, tests and vaccines right now, there are also a lot of other ‘every day’ medical functions they’re still required to perform. And physios can help lighten that load. If physios were shut down during lockdown, everyone with any sort of injury or ache and pain would have to present to the NHS, but while we’re open, we can offer people an alternative to presenting to their GP for a diagnosis and treatment.

Similarly, if you find yourself unsure about the pain you’re in, Spectrum offer free 15-minute consults, where we can diagnose you and help you determine whether you DO need to seek advice of anther medical professional – or best case we can begin your treatment journey then and there.

Obviously, there are going to be some reasons why you must, and should, rush yourself straight to A&E. Chop your finger off while trying to cook the latest isolation food trend? Please don’t come to Spectrum and expect us to reattach it! But remember that bike accident we mentioned earlier? If you’ve fallen off your bike and are not sure whether your ankle is sprained or broken, come and see us before mingling with the crowds and taking up a place in emergency, because that is something we can definitely help with.

Unlike some of the other treatment facilities mentioned above, we are also in the fortunate position of being able to offer video consultations for patients who are unable or unwilling to come into our London clinic.

If you book a video consult, one of our physios will arrange an appointment time to call you over your smartphone or laptop and ask you to demonstrate and describe your symptoms so a diagnosis can be made. In subsequent consults, your physio will take you through exercises to help treat your issues and monitor progress and changes to your condition – just like they would face-to-face.

Physiotherapists are just some of the many and varied frontline healthcare workers who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic so far to try and improve the wellbeing of others, and at Spectrum, we’re grateful to be in such impressive company.