Clinical Appointments

We believe that clinical treatments, such as gentle massage, stretching, articulation, body alignment and balancing techniques are all beneficial and effective for those with arthritis, keeping you more flexible and mobile with improved posture and a lessening of painful symptoms.

We offer our Members access to clinical appointments via our network of Associated Practitioners (APs). We have chosen to affiliate certain types of healthcare professionals as APs as we feel that it is important that they are trained and qualified to evaluate and diagnose patients as part of the consultation process.

We also include acupuncture, both traditional and western, as a therapy which can be accessed in the same way as other Associated Practitioners.

Associated Practitioners

Visit our interactive map to find a Practitioner near you.

In order to receive access to your subsidised clinical appointments, you must first join as a Member here.

Types of Clinical Appointments that we offer

Osteopathy

An osteopath has to appear on the General Osteopathic Council’s register to be allowed to practise, which means they are licensed healthcare professionals.

Osteopathy is a ‘hands on’ therapy which includes the skill of touch (called palpation) to help diagnose a physical problem e.g. arthritis. All aspects of the person are considered when diagnosing and treating. As well as gentle manual treatment an osteopath will consider nutrition and exercise within their holistic approach. We encourage osteopaths who are Associated Practitioners to treat members using mobilisation and soft tissue techniques.

Physiotherapy

A physiotherapist is a licensed healthcare professional who has to be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

Physiotherapists assess posture, joint mobility and movement analysis to diagnose patients’ wellbeing. They use manual therapies to treat patients including massage, mobilisation, rehabilitation exercises and various other techniques within their scope of practise. We require that physiotherapists who join as Associated Practitioners are Chartered Physiotherapists which means they have a degree and are trained to a high level which includes the ability to diagnose.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a type of treatment that involves the insertion of fine needles into the body to help relieve chronic musculoskeletal pain. There are two types of acupuncture – traditional Chinese acupuncture and Western medical acupuncture. Evidence has suggested that acupuncture can be beneficial for osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia, but not rheumatoid arthritis.

All our Associated Practitioners who are acupuncturists are Members of one of the following regulatory organisations:

The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) – for traditional acupuncture- a traditional acupuncturist is trained and qualified to degree level.
The British Medical Acupuncture Society (BMAS) or the Acupuncture Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (AACP) – for Western acupuncture- these acupuncturists are already healthcare professionals and use acupuncture as an adjunct to their main therapy.

McTimoney Chiropractic

All chiropractors have to be registered with the General Chiropractic Council (GCC) to be allowed to practise which means they are licensed healthcare professionals. We affiliate McTimoney chiropractors as Associated Practitioners.

A McTimoney chiropractor practises chiropractic in a particular way, using a gentle approach suitable for those with arthritis. They are able to diagnose and treat patients using manual techniques to make small adjustments to the bones in the body.