Dr James Thing
Consultant in Sports & Musculoskeletal Medicine
About James Thing
• Specialist in: sports injuries, musculoskeletal conditions including frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, knee pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and tendon disorders
• Best for patients with: a sports injury, joint or tendon pain that is not improving, shoulder stiffness, repetitive strain symptoms, or osteoarthritis needing non-surgical management
• Tests and treatments offered: diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound, ultrasound-guided steroid and hyaluronic acid injections, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, and shoulder hydrodistension
• Available at: Welbeck Health, 1 Welbeck Street, Marylebone, London
• Also: British Athletics Event Lead Doctor; pitch-side doctor for Harlequins Rugby; worked at the 2012 London Olympics; Associate Editor of the British Journal of Sport and Exercise Medicine; accepts major insurers and self-pay from age 12+
Dr James Thing is a Consultant in Sports and Musculoskeletal Medicine at Welbeck Orthopaedics. His clinical interests are in hand and wrist injury including treatment of trigger finger, tendon injury, osteoarthritis, ligament injury, carpal tunnel syndrome.
Dr Thing is an expert in the treatment of upper limb injury – including frozen shoulder, impingement, tennis elbow and osteoarthritis – as well as the treatment of lower limb tendon disorders such as Achilles, Patellar and ankle tendons and plantar fascia.
Dr Thing qualified as a General Practitioner in 2010, before undertaking 4 years of specialist registrar training to become a Sport and Exercise Medicine Consultant in 2014.
He trained at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre – Headley Court, the Institute of Sport Exercise & Health (ISEH) and Barts Health. James also worked as a Sport and Exercise Medicine doctor at the London Olympics in 2012.
Dr Thing is the British Athletics Event Lead Doctor, coordinating medical care for the Anniversary Games and Diamond League events. He also works for Harlequins Rugby as their pitch side doctor and as a player tournament doctor for the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
Dr Thing also undertakes a weekly NHS musculoskeletal ultrasound/radiology list at the Royal London Hospital (Barts Health).
Expertise
- Hand and Wrist Injury
- Upper Limb Injury/Pathology
- Lower Limb Tendon Disorders
- Knee Collateral Ligament Injury
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Musculoskeletal Ultrasound and Ultrasound-Guided Injection
- Degenerative Meniscal Tears
- Tibialis Posterior Tendinopathy
- Peroneal Tendinopathy
- De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis
- Tennis Elbow
- Golfer’s Elbow
- Shoulder Impingement
- ACJ
- Rugby and Athletics Medicine
- Anterior Cruciate
Overview
- Age of patients seen
- 12+
- Languages spoken
- English
- Online profiles
- Research highlights
Dr Thing’s articles have been published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and he has also contributed to the development of national guidelines for Exertional Heat Stroke. He is also an Associate Editor of the British Journal of Sport and Exercise Medicine (BJSM).
- Professional memberships
British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine (BASEM)
Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine
Royal College of General Practitioners
Consultations and services
- Self-pay available from £250
- Health insurance
- 30 mins consultation
- Self-pay available from £200
- Health insurance
- 30 mins consultation
Insurers covered
Tests & treatments
Conditions & symptoms
Locations
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, but only for certain services. Some consultations, assessments, and treatments can be booked directly, while others require a GP or specialist referral. Please check the relevant service page for guidance, and contact the centre if you’re unsure.
We aim to offer appointments as quickly as possible, and many services have same-day or next-day availability. Waiting times vary depending on the appointment type, specialty, and consultant availability, but our team will always offer the earliest suitable appointment.
Yes. You can arrange an appointment for a family member, or someone you care for, just let us know when you get in touch. We’ll need their details and consent to complete the booking, unless you're their legal guardian or have power of attorney.
Your first consultation includes a detailed discussion of your symptoms, medical history, and lifestyle factors, followed by a thorough examination. It’s helpful if you can bring the results of any previous investigations with you, as well as a list of your current medications. Come with a comfortably full bladder so you can provide a urine sample if requested.
Frequently asked questions
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy involves injecting a concentrated preparation of your own blood platelets into an injured tendon or joint to promote healing. Dr Thing recommends PRP for chronic tendon conditions such as tennis elbow, Achilles tendinopathy, and patellar tendon problems that have not responded to physiotherapy alone. He performs the injection under ultrasound guidance to ensure precise placement.
Frozen shoulder is diagnosed through clinical examination and a diagnostic ultrasound scan to assess the joint capsule and rule out other causes of shoulder pain. Dr Thing offers shoulder hydrodistension, a procedure where fluid is injected under ultrasound guidance to stretch the tightened capsule and restore movement. This can be combined with a guided steroid injection and a structured rehabilitation programme for the best results.
You should consider a specialist review if your injury has not improved after several weeks of physiotherapy, if you have significant swelling or instability, or if you need a diagnostic ultrasound to confirm the nature of the injury. Dr Thing provides on-the-spot ultrasound diagnosis and can administer ultrasound-guided injections in the same appointment if appropriate. His experience as a doctor for elite sports people, including those in the London Olympics and Harlequins rugby team, informs his approach to getting patients back to activity safely.
Yes, ultrasound-guided injections can deliver anti-inflammatory or PRP therapy directly to the affected tendon, improving accuracy and outcomes compared with blind injections. Dr Thing uses real-time ultrasound to guide the needle precisely to the area of damage in the common extensor or flexor tendons. He combines injections with a tailored rehabilitation programme to address the underlying biomechanical factors.
Non-surgical management of knee osteoarthritis can include ultrasound-guided steroid or hyaluronic acid injections to reduce pain and improve joint function. Dr Thing assesses the knee with diagnostic ultrasound to determine the degree of joint involvement and guide treatment decisions. He also advises on exercise-based rehabilitation and weight management strategies to slow disease progression and delay or avoid the need for surgery.