Philip Ashcroft founded Osteopath Covent Garden in 2008 and is one of the leading Central London osteopaths.
Now entering his twentieth year practising osteopathy (2020), he gained valuable experience consulting for the NHS in Essex 2008-2012 and 2014-2015 for the NHS in Richmond upon Thames. An osteopath with consulting rooms for private treatment in Covent Garden and Trafalgar Square since 2008, he is trusted and considered a ‘safe pair of hands’ by many, including the Government and show business. Philip regularly assists on TV and film productions.
Phil is extremely knowledgeable in general spinal and peripheral joint pain- i.e back and neck pain, sometimes accompanied with symptoms into the arms and legs. He has a particular interest in headache, migraine, intervertebral disc injuries, sleep, and the wide-ranging effects of stress upon the body. He is skilled in the ‘vocabulary of pain’, putting patients at ease through a clear explanation of their problem.
Clinic Hours
Thursday 0730-2100 Saturday 0900-2100
Appointments are based around 50 minute slots, but can end sooner or may last longer according to the time required to complete the treatment. In exactly the same way as with your GP or dentist, the treatment time will always vary. Advice, observations, and rehabilitative exercises are key to the treatment and to a full recovery. Extra time is often given, depending on clinic diary commitment. Your first appointment shall include significant treatment time following the taking of a case history, provided that treatment is clinically appropriate- i.e safe and right for you. On extremely rare occasions we are obliged to discharge a patient without treatment and in these cases the fee is chargeable at our discretion.
Massage, physiotherapy, chiropractic
How should one decide between making an appointment with an osteopath, chiropractor, physiotherapist, masseur, or arranging a consultation with one’s GP?
Word of mouth recommendation is by far your safest means of selecting a practitioner. Ask your friends and colleagues whom they use! Speak to your health insurer for a registered osteopath in your area.
There is huge overlap between the professions of osteopathy, chiropractic and physiotherapy. The real likelihood is that the patient would receive a similar experience, whoever they chose to see, and hopefully an equally successful outcome. There are some extremely talented masseurs, whilst osteopaths train in advanced massage techniques throughout their four year training and these often feature hugely in an osteopathic treatment with us. A course of treatment should reasonably be expected, although single treatments often prove to be very helpful. For the most common problems that we see- facet joint irritations of the spine- we find two to four treatments greatly helps the majority of patients. Recovery time depends on the presenting complaint, how you look after yourself after treatment, and how long you have been experiencing difficulty prior to seeing us.
N.B. High Velocity Thrust techniques (“cracking” of joints) require much expertise and are not commonly practised by physiotherapists, unless they have completed postgraduate training. No practitioner shall attempt such a technique without assessment of risk and a proper explanation to the patient, resulting in their informed consent.