Sport & Exercise Medicine Doctor
London, SE1 2PR
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Dr Cath Spencer-Smith is a Sport and Exercise Medicine Consultant at Bath Clinic, and she has extensive experience in treating Olympian, Paralympian, and professional sportsmen and women. She also loves helping active people with sports injuries and musculoskeletal problems and has a particular interest in helping runners, triathletes, and people with hip and groin pain, arthritis, and stress fractures.Â
Dr Spencer-Smith earned her medical degree from St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London in 1995 and later completed her master’s degree in Sport and Exercise Medicine at Bath University in 2005. Recognised for her expertise, she became a Fellow of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine (UK) in 2013 and has served as a Sports Doctor at numerous Olympic and Commonwealth Games.
Her professional engagements have taken her across various domains, including GB rowing, track and field athletics, elite golf, marathoning, football, rugby, triathlon, tennis, and adventure sports. Moreover, she has collaborated with the British Military and provided her services to professional dancers and performers.
Dr Spencer-Smith developed an MSc Programme in Exercise Rehabilitation for Bangor University and has been a lecturer at Bangor and Bath Universities, as well as teaching UCL Sports Doctors in training.
Cath is passionate about getting to the root cause of a problem, and she treats her patients in a very holistic way. She liaises closely with physios, osteos, surgeons, podiatrists, and strength and conditioning coaches, to ensure her patients have the support of a robust, multidisciplinary team.Â
When you come to clinic:
Cath will listen carefully to what’s been troubling you, how long it’s been going on, and she’ll ask lots of questions about your symptoms, the way your problem came about, and how you may have been training. She’ll ask about your goals, what you may have tried so far to get better, and what’s important to you in life.
She will carefully examine you, watching how you move, looking for poor controlled or limited movement that may be showing up in other areas of your body, that might be contributing to your problem.
Diagnostic tests (such as MRI scanning) may be recommended to confirm your diagnosis and to enable the proper planning of your treatment.
Occasionally a procedure (such as an ultrasound-guided injection) might be needed to get your recovery kick-started, and if you’ve been referred by your physio or osteopath, (with your permission) she’ll liaise with them about your rehab. She might also want to add in care from a podiatrist, clinical Pilates instructor, or a strength and conditioning coach (or personal trainer).
Most importantly, you’ll leave with a good understanding of how your injury occurred, what you can expect during your recovery, and how to be robust for your return to sport or your chosen activity.
She is happy to see patients who have cover with any of the major insurance companies (check with your insurer to see if a referral is required) and is delighted to help self-funding patients (no referral necessary). Cath loves to teach and has presented in several prime-time TV productions. Â
She considers herself to be a “mere mortal” marathoner and Ironman triathlete and she enjoys talking about all things running and cycling with her patients. Â
She lives in Bath with her husband, three Italian Greyhounds, and a Miniature Dachshund.
Based on patient reviews & endorsements by other professionals
General Medical Council
No. 4205342
MBBS St Bartholomew's Hospital, University of London 1995
DRCOG Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 1998
MRCGP Royal College of General Practitioners 1999
MSc Sport and Exercise University of Bath 2006
FFSEM Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine: Royal College of Surgeons 2013
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*Star rating based on patient reviews
36 reviews
5
Super professional
🙏
5
All you could ask for in a consultant: Dr Spencer-Smith combines a great professionalism and efficiency with warmth. She’s also working with my physio and other specialists on the next steps in treating my condition (they find her good to work with too). She was highly recommended to me by a practitioner and I recommend her to others.
Thank you so much for your wind words and taking the time to leave a review : )
5
I was referred by my hip surgeon to see Dr Spencer-Smith as he had run out of ideas for treatment for my problem without resorting to surgery. I now feel confident that my ongoing pain issues will be resolved without the need for invasive surgery. Cath has suggested alternative treatements and solutions that have previously not been offered or suggested by anyone else. I would highly recommoned anyone suffering with pain who feels perhaps surgury is their only option, to see Cath first as she has, without doubt the experience and depth of knowledge to hopefully make that the last option.
Thank you so much for your kind review x
5
Such a relief to meet someone in the medical profession who appears competent, is completely reassuring and gets things done.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review : )
5
Dr Cath is not only a brilliant specialist but also a kind and caring human being. I was referred to Dr Cath by my physio as physio sessions, following GP's diagnosis of groin ligament strain, did not improve the groin/hip pain at all. Since Dr Cath's diagnosis of Femoroacetabular impingement a few months ago and following her treatment plan, I've been feeling significantly better. She is very knowledgeable, approachable, empathetic, reassuring and positive. I really appreciated her responding to my queries quickly via email as well as face-to-face and video meetings. Additionally, Dr Cath's secretarial team is excellent; efficient, organised and friendly. They made my medical admin so much easier. Overall, I'm very happy with Dr Cath and her team, and the progress I've achieved so far under Dr Cath's guidance. Thank you :-).
Thank you so much for your kind words - wishing you a splendid Christmas! x
5
Doctor Catherine took a lot of time and care to talk through the options for a hip replacement and answer the many questions I had. Nothing was too much trouble and I am very grateful for the advice and happy about the outcome.
I so glad to hear you're recovering brilliantly!
5
I had a great experience with Dr Spencer-Smith, she made me feel very at ease and very quickly got the bottom of what the problem was. Within a few days of the initial appointment Catherine helped me book a scan and then with a follow up call I received answers which I hadn't had for around a month prior. Dr Spencer-Smith has also given me a clear plan to work towards and has organised a follow up to help assess the situation in 6 weeks time. I am very grateful and look forward to our next appointment!
Thank you so much for your kind review. Wishing you a happy festive recovery!
5
I wish that I had found Dr Spencer-Smith sooner! Very happy with the assessment and treatment which helped me get back to running after several months of injury.
So glad you're back to running : )
5
Dr Cath was so pro active and prompt with my hip diagnosis and explained fully and throughly my condition. Dr Cath was very thorough in guiding me to the right hip consultant suitable for me. I would highly recommend Dr Cath Spencer-Smith to anyone looking for a sport’s doctor who is so friendly, knowledgeable and is such an expert in her field.
Thank you so much for your kind words - wishing you good health and a good recovery : )
5
Very engaging and skilful - I look forward to my follow up with her after my MRI
Thank you so much for your kind review.
Have you worked with this specialist?
5 endorsements
Cath is a super specialist and highly experienced Sports Doctor. She takes an entirely holistic approach to her patients and is a brilliant communicator ensuring her patients fully understand what is wrong and what they need to do to improve. I regularly refer patients to Cath and strongly recommend her.
Mr Andrew Goldberg OBE
Dr Spencer-Smith is an exceptional sports physician specialising in musculoskeletal treatment. I've worked with Cath as a recipient of her referrals for Dietetics for several years now; and all patients who have received her care have only had positive feedback. Her care and attention to 'tricky' musculoskeletal issues, chronic under-training or other sports performance issues is incredible. She comes highly recommended from one clinician to another, don't look any further!
Mr Rick Miller
Cath is a very knowledgable and experienced Sports Doctor. She is an excellent communicator and helps clients understand their condition and takes the time to carefully explain to clients what is wrong and what the best options are for a full recovery. I refer regularly to Cath and would trust her with my nearest and dearest. One of the best!
Mr Chris Myers
Cathy Spencer-Smith is my Sports Medicine specialist of choice. She is an excellent clinician and diagnostician, as well as having the bedside manner to match!
Dr Tim Lebens
Explore videos from Dr Catherine Spencer-Smith explaining process of procedures and other important things you should know before choosing your provider.
18 August 2023
Are you suffering from a sprained ankle that's just not getting better? In this video, I talk about ankle sprain injuries, and how to know when you should be seeing a sports doctor.
18 August 2023
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In this video, I discusses the common stress fractures that runners experience, and how to spot them.
18 August 2023
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What are Dr Catherine Spencer-Smith's reviews like?
Dr Catherine Spencer-Smith's overall patient rating is 4.98 out of 5 stars on Doctify. This is based on 36 reviews
What languages does Dr Catherine Spencer-Smith speak?
Dr Catherine Spencer-Smith speaks English
Where is Dr Catherine Spencer-Smith located?
Dr Catherine Spencer-Smith primarily practices at London Bridge Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare UK, located at 27 Tooley Street, London, United Kingdom, SE1 2PR
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Does Dr Catherine Spencer-Smith accept new patients?
Dr Catherine Spencer-Smith generally accepts new patients.
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