Who This Service Is For
This consultation is appropriate for adults with:
- An acute musculoskeletal injury or sudden-onset pain requiring clinical assessment
- Chronic or ongoing pain that has not been adequately assessed or managed
- A known musculoskeletal condition that is flaring and requires timely review
- Pain following an injury, procedure, or period of immobilisation
- Musculoskeletal symptoms associated with a chronic condition that complicate management
- A need for physiotherapy referral, imaging requests, or specialist referral coordinated through a clinical assessment
- Anyone who has been told "it is normal" or "just rest" without receiving a structured clinical explanation of what is happening and what to do
If you are experiencing sudden, intense pain, chest pain, pain following significant trauma, or any symptom that seriously concerns you — go to the nearest emergency department or call 112 immediately.
Conditions Commonly Assessed
Spine and neurological
- Acute and chronic low back pain
- Neck pain and cervical spine disorders
- Sciatica and lumbar radiculopathy
- Disc herniation and associated nerve compression symptoms
- Thoracic spine pain
Joint conditions
- Knee pain — including osteoarthritis, ligament injuries, and patellofemoral syndrome
- Hip pain — including osteoarthritis, bursitis, and referred pain
- Shoulder pain — including rotator cuff injury, subacromial impingement, and adhesive capsulitis
- Wrist and hand pain — including carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinopathy
- Ankle and foot pain — including plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinopathy
- Elbow pain — including lateral and medial epicondylitis
Muscle and soft tissue
- Muscle strains and tears
- Soft tissue injuries
- Tendinitis and tendinopathy
- Bursitis
- Sports injuries and activity-related musculoskeletal conditions
Chronic and systemic conditions
- Osteoarthritis — assessment, management, and referral coordination
- Inflammatory arthritis — assessment and rheumatology referral where indicated
- Fibromyalgia — assessment and integrated management
- Neuropathic pain — assessment and management pathway
- Chronic pain syndromes — structured assessment and care coordination
- Post-injury or post-surgical pain — review and management plan
Work and lifestyle related
- Work-related musculoskeletal conditions — repetitive strain injuries, postural pain
- Ergonomic assessment and advice
- Sports and exercise-related injury assessment
What Your Consultation Includes
Full clinical assessment
Your GP takes a detailed history of your pain — onset, location, character, intensity, radiation, aggravating and relieving factors, functional impact, and systematic screening for red flags. Any existing imaging results, investigation reports, or clinical letters are reviewed in full.
Red flag screening
Musculoskeletal assessment always includes systematic screening for red flags — indicators that pain may have a serious underlying cause requiring urgent investigation or referral. Your GP assesses these as a standard part of every consultation.
Personalised management plan
Based on the assessment, your GP advises on the most appropriate approach — which may include structured physiotherapy and rehabilitation referral, imaging requests where clinically indicated, specialist referral where needed, ergonomic and lifestyle advice, and clinical recommendations at the doctor's professional discretion.
Clinical documentation — at the doctor's professional discretion
When clinically indicated, your GP issues appropriate clinical documentation valid at any pharmacy in Spain.
Note: Controlled substances and certain narcotics cannot be issued electronically under Spanish law. Our GPs do not routinely manage controlled substances through video consultations.
Referral and investigation coordination
When physiotherapy referral, imaging, or specialist input is clinically indicated, your GP issues the relevant documentation the same day — so you leave the consultation with a clear clinical pathway.
Red Flags — When to Seek Emergency Care
Musculoskeletal pain is almost always benign — but some presentations require urgent assessment that cannot wait for a video consultation.
Seek emergency care immediately if your pain is accompanied by:
- Any change in bladder or bowel function associated with back pain — incontinence or retention — this may indicate cauda equina syndrome, a surgical emergency
- Significant trauma — fall from height, road traffic accident, or significant impact
- Sudden severe chest pain — which may indicate a cardiac or aortic cause rather than musculoskeletal
- Unexplained weight loss associated with new or worsening pain
- Fever associated with swelling and joint pain — may indicate septic arthritis
- Rapidly progressive neurological symptoms — weakness, numbness, or loss of coordination
If in doubt, always seek emergency care.
Why Early Clinical Assessment Makes a Difference
Most musculoskeletal conditions are self-limiting — they resolve with adequate rest, activity modification, and structured rehabilitation. But without clinical assessment, patients frequently either under-treat — returning to activity too early — or over-treat — restricting activity unnecessarily and prolonging recovery.
Early clinical assessment identifies what is actually happening, excludes serious underlying pathology, and provides a structured, evidence-based management plan that allows full functional recovery more quickly and safely than waiting for the situation to resolve itself.
Physiotherapy Access in Spain
Private physiotherapy in Spain is widely available — but most physiotherapists require a referral letter or medical report to begin treatment. In the public system, physiotherapy access requires a GP referral from the SNS — with waiting times that can be significant.
Our GPs issue physiotherapy referral letters the same day as the consultation — addressed to the physiotherapist or clinic of your choice — allowing you to access private physiotherapy treatment without delay.
What Is Cauda Equina Syndrome
Cauda equina syndrome is a rare but serious spinal emergency caused by compression of the nerve roots at the base of the spine. It presents as back pain associated with change in bladder or bowel function — including incontinence or difficulty urinating — and requires emergency surgical assessment.
It is mentioned prominently on this page because it can initially be confused with common back pain. If you have back pain associated with any change in bladder or bowel function, go to the nearest emergency department immediately — do not wait for a video consultation.
