Short answer: a UK physiotherapy clinic can say on its website that it treats back pain, joint pain, sports injuries and the other common conditions the ASA lists, without extra proof. Anything beyond that list needs real evidence. Only HCPC-registered staff can be called physiotherapists. Testimonials and reviews must be genuine, kept on file, and shown fairly. The rest of this guide shows what that means page by page, with a checklist at the end.
This is general information for clinic owners, not legal advice. The sources are linked so you can read the original wording yourself.
Who sets the rules for a physio website
Three sets of rules apply to most UK clinic websites, and they overlap:
- The CAP Code, enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). It covers your website copy, social media, online ads and paid search listings, not only printed adverts.
- The HCPC standards of conduct, performance and ethics, which every registered physiotherapist must follow. The current version took effect on 1 September 2024.
- Consumer law on reviews, under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, enforced by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) since 6 April 2025.
Most clinics never get a complaint. The risk is more ordinary than that: a website written years ago, a template from a supplier who builds sites for every kind of therapist, or a team page that nobody has checked since the last hire.
1. Which conditions you can say you treat
The ASA's advice on physiotherapy is short and useful. Because physiotherapists are regulated by statute, it says claims to treat serious conditions can be acceptable if you hold robust evidence. It then lists claims it is likely to accept without that extra step:
- general aches and pains, back pain (including backache and lumbago) and joint pain
- arthritic pain, fibromyalgia and neuralgia
- minor sports injuries, muscle spasms, cramp and tension
- circulatory problems and digestion problems
For anything else, CAP Code rule 12.1 applies: objective claims must be backed by evidence, where relevant trials on people. The ASA's separate advice on pain claims accepts that physiotherapy, chiropractic and osteopathy can relieve some pain, and gives examples of rulings where a clinic's trial evidence was not judged robust enough.
What this means on your site: condition pages are still one of the best ways to be found, because patients search for "physio for knee pain" or "sciatica physio near me", not for "musculoskeletal assessment". Build them around the conditions on the ASA list. For anything outside it, describe the assessment and what you will look at, rather than promising a result. Words like "cure" or "fix" are the ones that get pages into trouble.
The Code also says marketers must not discourage essential treatment for conditions that need medical supervision. A line on serious or worsening symptoms that tells patients when to see their GP or call 111 costs nothing and shows you take that seriously.
2. Who can be called a physiotherapist on your team page
The HCPC lists "physiotherapist" and "physical therapist" as protected titles. Only people on its Register can use them, and the HCPC treats use of a protected title by someone who is not registered as misuse of title.
Mixed clinics often get this wrong by accident. The team page says "Our physios" above photos that include a sports therapist, a massage therapist and a Pilates instructor. Give each person their own correct title and say what they do.
The HCPC standards back this up. Standard 9.2 says registrants must be honest about their experience, qualifications and skills, and standard 9.3 says they must take reasonable steps to make sure any promotional activity they are involved in is accurate and not likely to mislead. That covers bios too. "Specialist in" a condition should mean something you can explain if a patient asks.
What this means on your site: show each physiotherapist's HCPC registration number on their profile. It takes a minute, patients can check it on the public Register, and it quietly sets you apart from unregistered providers using similar words.
3. Testimonials and patient stories
Patient stories are persuasive, which is exactly why the rules care about them. CAP's position, as summarised in the Federation of Holistic Therapists' guide to the CAP Code, is that you must hold documentary evidence that a testimonial is genuine, and that it must not mislead. A testimonial that says a treatment fixed a condition is treated as a claim you are making, so it needs the same backing as if you had written it yourself.
In practice that gives a physio clinic more room than a complementary therapist, because the common conditions above are already accepted. A patient saying "my back pain settled after six sessions" sits inside the ASA list. A patient saying physio cured their migraines does not, unless you hold evidence for that claim.
What this means on your site:
- Keep the original message, email or review link behind every testimonial
- Get written consent before using a patient's name, photo or story
- Do not edit a testimonial to make the result sound stronger
- Prefer stories about the experience (seen on time, clear plan, could book online) over stories about outcomes outside the ASA list
The HCPC standards also ask registrants to protect service user privacy on social media (standard 2.12). The same care belongs on the website: no identifiable photos or case details without clear permission.
4. Google reviews and review widgets
Many clinic websites now embed a Google reviews widget. Since 6 April 2025, the DMCC Act bans fake reviews, hiding incentives behind reviews, and publishing reviews in a misleading way. Law firm Browne Jacobson's summary of the new rules notes that businesses which publish reviews should avoid measures that give a false impression of only positive reviews, such as filtering by star rating.
What this means on your site: a widget set to "five stars only" is the obvious thing to check. Show a fair, recent mix, or show your overall rating with a link to the full Google profile. If you offer anything in return for a review, the rules say it must be disclosed, and Google's own policies go further and do not allow incentives at all. Our guide to getting more Google reviews without breaking the rules covers how to ask in a way that works.
5. Social media is covered too
The CAP Code applies to your Instagram, Facebook and TikTok posts, not just the website. HCPC standards 2.10 and 2.11 add that registrants must use social media responsibly and make reasonable checks that what they share is accurate and does not mislead the public. A reel promising to "fix your posture in seven days" is the kind of post to rewrite before it goes out.
A 15-minute self-check for your clinic website
| Check | Where to look | Pass if |
|---|---|---|
| Condition claims | Home page, services, condition pages | Every "we treat" claim is on the ASA list, or you hold evidence for it |
| No "cure" or guaranteed results | Headings, buttons, ads, meta descriptions | Results are described as aims, not promises |
| Protected title | Team page, bios, booking system staff list | Only HCPC-registered staff are called physiotherapists |
| HCPC numbers | Each physiotherapist's profile | Registration number shown |
| Testimonials | Home page, reviews page, condition pages | Each one is genuine, on file, unedited and has consent |
| Review widget | Wherever reviews are embedded | Not filtered to five stars only |
| When to see a doctor | Condition pages, FAQ | Serious or worsening symptoms point to a GP or 111 |
| Social posts | Last 10 posts and pinned reels | Same standard as the website |
If a page fails, CAP's Copy Advice team will review website copy free of charge before you change it. Their advice is not binding, but it is the quickest way to get a view from the people who write the rules.
Compliant does not have to mean dull
None of this stops a physio website from bringing in bookings. The pages that convert best are usually the honest ones anyway: clear condition pages in patients' own words, real people with real registration numbers, recent reviews and a booking button that works on a phone. We wrote about the booking side in how physio and chiro clinics get more bookings from their website, and if your clinic is not showing up locally at all, start with why a physio clinic does not show on Google Maps.
Running a clinic in Australia as well? The rules there are stricter on reviews and testimonials, so read our guide to Ahpra rules for physio and chiro websites before you reuse any UK copy.
For a clinic in Ontario, Canada, where genuine testimonials are allowed with consent but "Dr" and "specialist" are restricted, see our guide to Ontario physio clinic website rules.
Want a second pair of eyes?
If you would like someone to go through your clinic site with this checklist, see how we work with clinics on our physio and chiropractic page. Every project is planned and quoted after a short call. Book a free 15-minute call when it suits you.