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Assess & benchmark
Define the diagnosis, your goals and the measures that matter: symptoms, movement, strength and function.
700+
Five-Star Reviews
MCSP
Chartered
HCPC
Registered
MSc
Leeds-Trained
Belfast's Specialist Physiotherapy Service
Lower Limb Clinic adds a specialist physiotherapy service to our existing musculoskeletal pathway. This isn't a generalist add-on. It's a Chartered Physiotherapist with rare clinical depth, integrated into a clinic that already offers diagnostic ultrasound, shockwave therapy, ultrasound-guided injections, custom 3D-printed orthotics and VALD strength testing under one roof.
Our service is led by Rory McIntyre, a Donegal-born, Leeds-trained Chartered Physiotherapist (MCSP) and HCPC Registered Physiotherapist, now practising at our Ormeau Road clinic after nearly a decade of specialist experience across Glasgow and Australia. In Glasgow, Rory worked as a Highly Specialist Physiotherapist in Rheumatology at NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and as Lead Physiotherapist for the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society, rare expertise in inflammatory joint conditions that sits alongside our established MSK podiatry service.
Whether you're a runner managing a stubborn Achilles problem, recovering from shoulder surgery, navigating rheumatoid arthritis, or trying to get back to GAA after a hamstring injury, our physiotherapy service is built around precise diagnosis, hands-on treatment and progressive rehab that gets you to your actual goal, not just out of immediate pain.
Meet Rory McIntyre
Chartered Physiotherapist (MCSP) and HCPC Registered Physiotherapist (PH117503), and the lead of our Belfast physiotherapy service. Leeds-trained, with nearly a decade of specialist practice across NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Australia, including rheumatology at Highly Specialist level and lead physiotherapist work for the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society.
Rory works from our Ormeau Road clinic with the full Lower Limb toolkit behind him: diagnostic ultrasound, shockwave therapy, VALD strength testing and the in-clinic rehab gym you can see in these photos. Your initial assessment is £70 and lasts 45 minutes.
Book a Physiotherapy AssessmentPhysiotherapy at Ormeau Road
Physiotherapy in Belfast: book online
Our physiotherapy service is open for bookings at our Ormeau Road clinic. Your initial assessment is £70 and lasts 45 minutes. Book online or by phone, no GP referral needed. BUPA and WPA recognised.
Book a Physiotherapy AssessmentWhere You'll See Rory
Physiotherapy @ Lower Limb
373 Ormeau Road, Belfast BT7 3GP
Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00 (Thu until 20:00)
Fully accessible: lift access to clinic
Convenient for patients in East and South Belfast. Fully accessible via lift, ideal for patients with mobility difficulties, wheelchair users, or those with pushchairs.
Physiotherapy runs from our Ormeau Road clinic, fully accessible via lift and convenient for East and South Belfast. No GP referral is needed to book.
Physiotherapy Appointments & Pricing
Transparent pricing, no upsells. Your first appointment includes a full clinical assessment and hands-on treatment, not a 20-minute consultation that ends with a bigger bill.
Physiotherapy Injury Assessment: Back, Hip, Knee & Whole Body
£70 · 45 min
Full clinical history, hands-on assessment, movement and strength testing, a clear diagnosis, your first treatment, and a personalised home exercise programme.
Ideal for: first appointment, new or recurring injury, post-surgical referral, persistent pain you can’t resolve
Follow-Up Treatment
£55 · 30 min
Hands-on treatment, progress review, progressive rehab loading, programme updates, and return-to-sport planning.
Ideal for: existing physio patients in ongoing rehab
Tendon Rehab + ESWT
£90 · 30 min
An integrated tendon appointment combining staged rehabilitation progression and ESWT for selected persistent tendon conditions.
Available after assessment where ESWT is clinically appropriate
Foot, ankle or heel problem? That books our Podiatry Injury Assessment (£140, diagnostic ultrasound included). Not sure which? Pick either. If it belongs with the other clinician, we move you across ourselves and you never pay for the same assessment twice.
Full Price ListThe REBUILD method
Rehab with a destination—and the data to guide you there.
Every REBUILD Plan combines clinical physiotherapy with practical sports-science principles. We establish a baseline, progress the right physical qualities and repeat relevant measures so decisions are based on your response—not a calendar or guesswork.
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Restore capacity
Settle the problem without losing momentum, then rebuild mobility, control and foundational load tolerance.
03
Build strength & power
Progress resistance, speed and complexity when your response and repeat measures show you are ready.
04
Return & sustain
Re-test against your baseline, prepare for real-world demands and leave with a long-term plan.
We measure what matters to your goal
Depending on your diagnosis, that can include pain and function scores, range of motion, strength, repetitions, hop or movement tasks, and VALD ForceDecks or DynaMo testing. Your results help set the next stage; the technology never replaces clinical judgement.
Current rehabilitation research, applied to your diagnosis
Six appointments · one staged pathway
Choose your six-appointment REBUILD Plan
Start with a £70 assessment. If a REBUILD Plan is right for you, that fee counts toward the total. One-off appointments remain available, but the plans give us the continuity to benchmark, progress and re-test against your goals.
REBUILD Plan
£310
6 appointments · assessment included
Six connected appointments for non-tendon injuries, post-operative rehabilitation and return to activity.
- 1 × 45 min assessment + 5 × 30 min follow-ups
- Baseline measures and planned re-testing
- Staged strength, movement and capacity progression
- Criteria-led return to work, activity or sport
£70 assessment, then £240 in full or 2 × £120
Save £35 versus £345 pay as you go.
Complete within 16 weeks.
Tendon REBUILD Plan
£420
6 appointments · assessment included
Our core pathway for selected persistent tendon conditions where progressive loading and ESWT are clinically appropriate.
- 1 × 45 min assessment
- 4 × 30 min Tendon Rehab + ESWT visits
- 1 × 30 min final physiotherapy review
- Rehabilitation progressed inside every ESWT visit
- Condition-specific strength and function re-testing
£70 assessment, then £350 in full or 2 × £175
Save £65 versus £485 pay as you go.
Complete within 16 weeks.
REBUILD Plans are optional, for self-paying patients and recommended only after assessment. If care ends early, completed appointments are charged at their standard individual prices and the remaining balance is refunded. Insurance-funded appointments are billed per session and remain subject to your insurer's terms. Tests and treatments are selected for your diagnosis; no specific technology or outcome is guaranteed.
What Our Physiotherapy Covers
The name says Lower Limb, but the scope is the whole body. Because pain rarely starts where you feel it, we assess and treat the full kinetic chain, from neck and shoulders to back, hips, knees and feet.
Sports Physiotherapy
Sports injury assessment, hands-on treatment and progressive return-to-sport programming. Runners, GAA, rugby, football, hockey, swimming. We work with the demands of your sport, not against them.
Upper Limb & Spine Physiotherapy
Neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist and back rehab. Rotator cuff issues, frozen shoulder, tennis and golfer’s elbow, mechanical back pain, post-surgical rehabilitation and chronic upper limb pain.
Lower Limb Physiotherapy
Foot, ankle, knee, hip and lower back rehab. Running injuries, tendinopathy, post-injection rehab and post-surgical rehabilitation, fully integrated with our podiatry and orthotics pathway.
Rheumatology & Inflammatory Joint Conditions
Specialist physiotherapy for rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, axial spondyloarthritis, psoriatic arthritis and osteoarthritis, a rare specialism in private MSK clinics in Northern Ireland.
VALD Strength, Power & ROM Testing
Objective testing using VALD ForceDecks force plates and VALD DynaMo muscle dynamometry. Bilateral strength (in Newtons), power, jump asymmetry, reactive strength, and joint range-of-motion captured digitally and tracked over time. The same testing platform used by Premiership football clubs, Premier Rugby and Olympic programmes.
Athlete Screening & Return-to-Sport Testing
Pre-season screening, in-season monitoring and return-to-sport readiness for runners, GAA, rugby, football and field-sport athletes. Objective benchmarks for post-ACL, post-Achilles and other surgical-rehab milestones, with no more 'feels ready' guesswork.
Shockwave Therapy + Loading Pathway
ESWT combined with structured physiotherapy loading for selected persistent tendon conditions. Suitability and condition-specific evidence are discussed after assessment. Combined 30 min visits are £90.
Integrated MSK Care
When imaging clarifies a diagnosis, our diagnostic ultrasound is in the same building. When orthotics are part of the answer, we make them in-house at Réalta Labs. One clinical pathway, one coordinated team.
Conditions We Treat
Running Injuries
ITB pain, shin splints, runner’s knee, calf strains, return-to-run programmes
Achilles Tendinopathy
Mid-portion and insertional Achilles pain: loading programmes that work
Plantar Fasciitis
Persistent heel pain rehab, combined with shockwave where indicated
Knee Pain
Patellofemoral pain, post-meniscectomy and post-ACL rehab
Lower Back Pain
Mechanical low back pain, sciatica, return-to-activity rehab
Shoulder Pain & Rotator Cuff
Rotator cuff tendinopathy, impingement, post-surgical rehab
Frozen Shoulder
Adhesive capsulitis: staged manual therapy and loading
Tennis & Golfer’s Elbow
Lateral and medial epicondylalgia: evidence-based loading and grip retraining
Post-Surgical Rehabilitation
ACL, ankle stabilisation, shoulder, foot/ankle surgery: surgeon-aligned protocols
Rheumatoid & Inflammatory Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic and axial SpA
Hip Pain
Gluteal tendinopathy, FAI, post-hip-replacement rehab
GAA, Rugby & Football Injuries
Hamstring, groin, ankle, collision-sport injuries: return-to-sport testing
Why Choose Lower Limb Clinic as Your Belfast Physiotherapist?
A specialist, not a generalist
Our physiotherapy service is led by a Chartered Physiotherapist with deep expertise in musculoskeletal and sports rehab, plus rare rheumatology specialism for inflammatory joint conditions. We focus on conditions we can move the needle on, not everything under the sun.
Diagnostic ultrasound under the same roof
When imaging clarifies your diagnosis, it happens in the same building, not a six-week NHS waiting list or a separate scan appointment. Your physiotherapist works alongside clinicians trained in musculoskeletal ultrasound.
Objective testing with VALD ForceDecks
VALD ForceDecks force plates and muscle dynamometry give us real, measurable data on your strength, power, asymmetry and readiness, the same technology used by Premiership football clubs and Olympic programmes. No more guesswork on whether you’re ready to return to sport.
MCSP & HCPC registered
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy member and Health and Care Professions Council registered, the two regulatory standards that matter for private physiotherapy in the UK. BUPA and WPA recognised.
One coordinated MSK pathway
Assessment, imaging, shockwave, injection therapy, custom orthotics, hands-on physio and progressive rehab, coordinated by one team. No referral loops between clinics. No lost information. One clinical record, one plan, one goal.
No referral, no waiting list
Book directly online or by phone. See your physiotherapist within days, not months. No GP referral letter needed for any appointment.
Objective Testing: Data, Not Guesswork
Most rehab gets benchmarked against how you feel. Ours gets benchmarked against numbers: force in Newtons, jump symmetry as a percentage, range of motion in degrees, tracked over time on the VALD cloud platform. The same objective testing standard used by Premiership football clubs, Premier Rugby and Olympic programmes, in Belfast, for runners, GAA players and post-surgical patients.
VALD ForceDecks
Bilateral force plates: power, jump & asymmetry
Dual force plates capturing ground reaction forces in real time at 1,000Hz. The gold standard for measuring lower-limb power, side-to-side asymmetry, reactive strength and how well your body absorbs and rebounds load.
- Countermovement, squat and drop-jump tests
- Left-vs-right asymmetry (the post-ACL benchmark)
- Reactive strength index (how fast you absorb & rebound force)
- Force-time curves & rate of force development
- Landing mechanics & single-leg power
VALD DynaMo
Muscle dynamometry: strength & range of motion
Handheld dynamometer that measures the actual peak force a muscle group can produce in Newtons, and captures joint range of motion via a built-in goniometer. Far more precise than manual muscle testing or tape-measure estimates.
- Quadriceps, hamstring, calf, hip, ankle, grip strength
- Active & passive joint range of motion in degrees
- Side-to-side strength asymmetry tracked over time
- Rotator cuff & shoulder isometric profiles
- Post-surgical strength & ROM benchmarks
Who this data actually helps
Post-surgical patients
Post-ACL, post-Achilles, post-rotator cuff, post-meniscectomy. Objective strength + ROM benchmarks at every milestone, the data your surgeon wants to see before clearing return to sport.
Runners
Hamstring, calf, quad and glute strength profiling. Catch the asymmetry that's driving your recurring injury before it sidelines another training block.
GAA, rugby & field-sport athletes
Pre-season screening for hamstring & ACL injury risk. Return-to-play readiness after injury, not based on a 6-week clock but on whether your strength and power profile actually match a healthy athlete's.
Chronic and recurring pain
When pain has lasted months and rehab feels stuck, objective testing finds what you're actually weak in, and what's already strong. Most of what people think is weak isn't. Most of what's actually limiting them is.
Every test is recorded in the VALD cloud platform. We can produce a written report with benchmarks and targets to share with your surgeon, S&C coach, or another physio. Testing is included in your physiotherapy assessment where clinically indicated. See our dedicated VALD strength testing page for stand-alone screening.
Combined Treatment Pathway
ESWT + progressive rehabilitation
For some selected persistent tendon conditions, ESWT may be considered alongside a progressive loading programme. The aim is to address symptoms while rebuilding the tendon's capacity to tolerate load. Evidence and recommendations vary by condition, so Rory will discuss likely benefits, uncertainties and alternatives after assessment. When the combined pathway is suitable, it is delivered in the same building, on the same clinical record and within one plan.
How the pathway works
- 1Diagnostic assessment: clinical examination plus diagnostic ultrasound where indicated. Confirms tendon involvement, rules out alternatives, defines the structure to load.
- 2Combined visits where appropriate: ESWT and physiotherapy delivered within a 30 min appointment at our Ormeau Road clinic, £90 per visit.
- 3Progressive loading programme: physiotherapist-led, starting at the tissue tolerance level identified at assessment. Eccentric, heavy-slow, or isometric protocols depending on the diagnosis.
- 4Objective re-test: VALD strength and ROM checks at milestones. Return-to-sport when the data says you're ready, not when the calendar says so.
Conditions we may assess for this pathway
- Chronic plantar fasciitis: heel pain ≥3 months that hasn't responded to standard care
- Mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy: the classic eccentric-loading + shockwave combination
- Insertional Achilles tendinopathy: heel-bone pain, modified loading required
- Patellar tendinopathy (jumper's knee): common in basketball, volleyball, GAA
- Gluteal tendinopathy: lateral hip pain, often misdiagnosed
- Tennis & golfer's elbow: lateral / medial epicondylalgia
- Greater trochanteric pain syndrome: chronic lateral hip pain
Your Clinical Team
Physiotherapy at Lower Limb sits inside a wider MSK team. Your physiotherapist works alongside our specialist podiatrists when imaging, injections or orthotics are part of the answer. We are a Physio First member clinic.
Rory McIntyre
BSc(Hons) Physiology & Sport Science · MSc Physiotherapy (Leeds) · MCSP, HCPC PH117503, Physio First member
Chartered Physiotherapist
Donegal-born, Leeds-trained HCPC Registered Physiotherapist and Chartered Physiotherapist (MCSP), now practising at our Ormeau Road clinic. Nearly a decade in Glasgow as Highly Specialist Physiotherapist (Rheumatology) at NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Lead Physiotherapist for the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society. Specialist in MSK, sports rehab and inflammatory joint conditions. Past work with British Athletics middle-distance runners and professional soccer teams.
Paul McMullan
BSc(Hons) MSc FRCPSGlasg MRCPod
Lead Podiatrist & Clinical Director
Founder of Lower Limb Clinic and Réalta Labs. Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. MSc in Podiatric Sports Medicine from Queen Mary University of London. Diagnoses MSK conditions and refers into the physiotherapy pathway where rehab is the right next step.
Darren Costello
BSc(Hons) MSc MRCPSGlasg PGCert
Specialist Podiatrist
MSc in Sports & Exercise Medicine. Diagnostic ultrasound, injection therapy and biomechanical assessment. Works alongside our physiotherapy team on integrated MSK cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Physiotherapist Belfast at Lower Limb Clinic.
Clinically reviewed by Paul McMullan, BSc(Hons) MSc FRCPSGlasg MRCPod
BSc (Hons) Podiatry · MSc Podiatric Sports Medicine (QMUL) · FRCPSGlasg · MRCPod
Lead Podiatrist & Clinical Director, Lower Limb Clinic Belfast