What to wear to physio
The honest dress code, by body part, from people who do not care what your gym clothes look like.
Eamon Walsh, Registered Physiotherapist
February 2026 · 2 min read
People genuinely stress about this, so here is the whole answer: wear clothes that let us see and move the part we are assessing, and that you can move in without guarding. Nobody here notices brands. We notice knees.
Assessing a knee through jeans is palm reading.
By body part
Knee, hip, or ankle: shorts. This is the big one, because assessing a knee through jeans is palm reading. Shoulder or neck: a tank top or a loose tee. Back: clothes with a waistband we can work around, and layers you can peel.
Coming from work in coveralls or a suit? The change room is yours, and we keep clean shorts on hand for the forgetful. You will not be the first person assessed in steel toes and borrowed shorts, and it will not be the last interesting outfit this clinic has seen.
The footwear footnote
If your problem involves walking or running, bring the shoes you actually do it in. Worn tread is data. The shoes you would never wear to town are exactly the ones we want to look at.