Home Physiotherapy in Bristol, Bath and North Somerset

Bristol is busy and parking is hard work, and much of Bath and North Somerset is small towns and villages a long way from a clinic. If you are in pain, just home from hospital or no longer driving, getting to an appointment can be the hardest part. Home physiotherapy takes that away.

What is home physiotherapy?

It is the same service you would get in a clinic, but in your own home. The assessment, the hands-on treatment, the exercises and the check-ups all happen where you live.

That matters more than it sounds. A clinic can show a physiotherapist how you walk along a corridor. It cannot show them how you manage your own stairs, get out of your own armchair, or step into your own bath. Those are usually the things people most want help with.

Who does it help most?

• Older people who have had a fall, or who feel unsteady and have started to go out less
• Anyone home from hospital who has come back weaker than they went in
• People after a hip or knee replacement, or another operation, when driving is off the table for weeks
• People recovering from a stroke or living with a neurological condition such as Parkinson's or multiple sclerosis
• People with back, neck or joint pain bad enough that sitting in a car makes it worse
• People who feel dizzy, especially when they turn their head or roll over in bed
• Carers who cannot easily leave the person they look after for an hour

What happens at the first visit?

It starts with a conversation: what has happened, what has changed, what is hard now, and what you want to be able to do again. That last question shapes everything else.

Then a physical check: how you move, where it hurts, how strong your legs are and how steady your balance is. Because it happens at home, it takes in the things that matter to you — the stairs, the chair, the bed, the bathroom, the step at the front door.

You finish the first visit with treatment on the day and a short plan you can follow. Usually that is a few specific exercises, not a long sheet nobody does. Visits are not timed to the minute: most last 30 to 40 minutes, and longer when you need it.

Equipment and changes around the home

Sometimes the most useful thing is not an exercise at all. A rail by the back door, a better walking aid, a raised toilet seat or moving a piece of furniture can make a real difference. A physiotherapist who sees your home can advise on these, and point you to local services that can help.

How many visits will I need?

There is no set number. A stiff neck or a sore back might need two or three visits. Getting going again after a joint replacement, a fall or a stroke usually takes longer, with the gaps between visits stretching out as you improve.

What matters is being told honestly at the start. If a few visits will do it, that is what you should hear.

Do I need a GP referral?

No. You can book private physiotherapy directly, with no waiting list. If you have a hospital discharge letter, a GP letter or exercises from the ward, keep them handy for the first visit. They help, but they are not needed to get started.

Sometimes the honest answer is that you need to see your GP first. That is what the free phone call is for.

How does it fit alongside NHS care?

Most people in the area are looked after by Southmead Hospital or the Bristol Royal Infirmary, the Royal United Hospital in Bath, or Weston General Hospital. After an operation or a stay on the wards, NHS community teams often see people at home for a short time. Private home physiotherapy can pick up where that stops, or add more visits if you want them. It works alongside your NHS care, not against it.

Which areas are covered?

• Bristol: Clifton, Henleaze, Westbury-on-Trym, Stoke Bishop, Bishopston, Fishponds, Brislington, Bedminster
• Bath and North East Somerset: Bath, Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, Radstock
• North Somerset: Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon, Portishead, Nailsea, Yatton

About Raj and the My Rehab at Home team

Rajan Kurian (HCPC PH113871) founded My Rehab at Home, a team of five physiotherapists who visit people at home across Clifton, Henleaze, Bath, Keynsham, Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon, Portishead and across Bristol, Bath and North Somerset. Raj also works in the NHS as a First Contact Physiotherapist in GP surgeries and a Senior Physiotherapist in local hospitals. He works with Sophie, Fliss, Anna and Katie, whose interests include falls and balance, recovery after surgery, stroke and neurological conditions, dizziness and rehabilitation after an amputation.

Read Raj's profile or call 01594 203707.

Please mention Mobile Physiotherapist.co.uk when you call.