Mr Paul Staines

Mr Paul Staines is a Senior Musculoskeletal, Triage and Clinical Governance Physiotherapist at Nuffield Health, where he has worked since June 2015, and an expert witness. His principal areas of expertise include musculoskeletal physiotherapy, complex spinal and peripheral joint conditions, orthopaedic rehabilitation, sports injuries and post-operative rehabilitation.

With over 17 years of clinical experience across NHS and private musculoskeletal services, Mr Staines undertakes advanced assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and triage for patients with a broad range of spinal, upper limb and lower limb presentations. His practice encompasses neck and back pain, sciatica and radiculopathy, shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand conditions, hip and knee problems, and other musculoskeletal presentations throughout the body.

His current scope of practice includes face-to-face, telephone and virtual assessment, referral decision-making for imaging and consultant review, and the management of acute and chronic musculoskeletal symptoms. He also has expertise in orthopaedic and sports rehabilitation, including post-operative recovery, alongside paediatric musculoskeletal practice for patients aged 12 and over.

Mr Paul Staines has undertaken medico-legal work since 2026 and accepts claimant, defendant and joint instructions. His practice encompasses clinical negligence, personal injury, professional regulatory and fitness to practise matters, with particular expertise in cases involving musculoskeletal, orthopaedic and post-operative rehabilitation presentations.

He provides screening and advisory opinions and reports addressing breach of duty, causation, condition and prognosis, and physiotherapy treatment and rehabilitation needs. His personal injury work is particularly relevant to accidental injury, including road traffic collisions, workplace injuries, sporting injuries and other soft tissue and orthopaedic trauma, where he can consider ongoing musculoskeletal symptoms, functional limitations, recovery and rehabilitation requirements.

Mr Staines’ clinical practice centres on the assessment and management of complex spinal, upper limb and lower limb musculoskeletal conditions. He regularly assesses patients with neck and back pain, sciatica and radiculopathy, shoulder and upper limb disorders, and conditions affecting other joints and regions of the body. His practice also includes chronic musculoskeletal pain, pelvic dysfunction, tension headaches and cervicogenic headaches.

A significant aspect of his work involves clinical triage and determining appropriate onward management, including referral for imaging or consultant assessment where indicated. He applies his rehabilitation expertise to patients recovering from orthopaedic procedures and musculoskeletal injuries, with a particular interest in restoring function through post-operative, lower limb and sports rehabilitation. His practice also extends to paediatric musculoskeletal presentations in patients aged 12 and over, alongside occupational and functional musculoskeletal assessment and management.