Where tired hands meet patient physiotherapy

A clinic in Manchester for people who play. We treat the shoulder, the wrist, the jaw and the back, and we know what a six-hour rehearsal does to all four.

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A black and white close-up of a violinist's left hand on the strings and the bow across them.

Most players come to us with pain they have played through for a year. Come sooner.

A young woman with pale hair playing the violin with her eyes closed, warm lights behind her.

We have both played in orchestras. We know you do not want to hear the word rest.

About us

At Tacet, we treat the way you play, not just the place it hurts: posture, practice, instrument and the hours behind them.

About the clinic
A young woman playing the violin beside a grand piano.2016Year we opened in Ancoats
A woman with curly hair in an orange blouse playing the cello against a blue wall.1,900+Players treated
9 in 10back to full practice within twelve weeks
A cellist playing alone between tall stone columns in a dim colonnade.

Who we treat

Every instrument hurts somewhere different

A woman with curly hair playing the flute outdoors, reading from sheet music.

Wind Jaw, lips, neck

A black and white close-up of a hand resting on piano keys.

Keys Wrist, thumb, forearm

A woman in black playing the cello at a music stand on stage.

Strings Shoulder, neck, fingers

A bass guitarist playing in a dark room under a single warm light.

Bass and drums Back, hips, hands

A physiotherapist working on the neck and shoulder of a woman lying on a treatment couch.

Treatment

What happens at Tacet

  1. Assessment with your instrument75 min · £85

    Bring it. We watch you play before we touch anything.

  2. Hands-on treatment45 min · £60

    Soft tissue work, joint mobilisation and taping for performance days.

  3. Practice plan30 min · £40

    How long, how often and in what order, written for your next three weeks.

  4. Return to play6 sessions · £320

    For players coming back after weeks away from the instrument.

  5. Before the tour60 min · £70

    A check and a kit for long weeks of travel and rehearsal.

Players

Where our work meets their words

A smiling young man in a white shirt sitting with a cello, black and white.

— Daniel, cellist

“Eleven weeks off with my right shoulder. Tacet changed how I hold the bow and I played the Elgar in March.”
A young woman playing a small flute outdoors in autumn light.

— Hana, flautist

“Nobody else had asked to watch me play. That first hour found the problem in my neck in ten minutes.”
A grey-haired man sitting with his cello on a rustic bench in a wood.

— Mark, double bass

“Thirty years of back pain from a stool that was two inches too low. Two inches.”

Why Tacet

Why players choose us

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A physiotherapist's hands working on the side of a patient lying on a couch.

Hands-on, then hands back

Every session ends with you playing again, so we both know what changed.

Players who treat players

Viola and horn, twenty years between us in orchestra pits.

A close-up of a cellist's hand drawing the bow, with warm lights behind.

Evenings and Sundays

Open when rehearsals are not.

A woman seen from behind with her hand at the back of her neck.

“Pain is information. We would rather you heard it in March than in the concert in May.”

Ruth Okonkwo
Founder, physiotherapist

For you

Before your first session

  1. Bring your instrument, your stand and, if you can, your chair or stool.
  2. Keep a note for a week of how long you practise and when it starts to hurt.
  3. Wear something loose that shows the shoulders and the forearms.
  4. Do not stop playing completely before you see us. We need to see the problem.
A woman in a white vest stretching her arms behind her back in a bright room. A therapist pressing on the upper back of a man lying face down on a treatment couch.

Notes

Latest from the practice room

A woman in a black T-shirt with her hand on her shoulder, seen from behind.

Five warm-ups for string players that take four minutes

Read more

 A woman stretching on a wooden floor in a sunlit room.

The stretch to do in the interval, in a dress

Read more

 A close-up of a hand on the neck of a violin and the bow on the strings.

Practising less and getting better: the forty-minute block

Read more
All notes
A cello and bow being played beside a music stand, close up.

Let's get you playing again

Contact

Ready to begin? Book an assessment online or ring the clinic. Most players are seen within a week.

Book an assessment