The Osteopathic Consultation
If you are a new patient to the practice your first appointment will be booked to last 1 hour. Subsequent treatment sessions are booked for 30 minutes. You will have plenty of time to ask any questions which you may have. You are welcome to bring someone with you to this consultation. The session can be broken down into four parts:
The case history
Your osteopath will want to know about the history, location and nature of the symptoms which have led you to seek treatment. Your general medical history will also be covered, partly to make sure you have a problem which is amenable to osteopathic treatment and partly to make sure that treatment is safe for you.
The physical examination
You may need to be partly undressed for the physical examination and treatment so loose fitting clothing is advisable. The osteopath will want to see you moving the affected and adjacent parts by yourself and will also move the symptomatic parts for you. The osteopath will palpate the affected areas. It may also be necessary to perform other specialist tests including blood pressure or neurological tests.
The explanation
The osteopath will make the assumption that you will want to know:
-
What is causing your symptoms (or if your
problem cannot be diagnosed).
The osteopath may use anatomical models or posters to help with
this part of the explanation. - Whether you can be treated to recovery and if so to what level of recovery and what cost/time scale is involved.
-
What the treatment would involve and
what your reaction to treatment
might be. - Other treatment options may be discussed and whether there are self help measures which would speed up your recovery.
Treatment
If appropriate. The treatment plan is worked out on an individual basis but may include:
- Soft tissue stretching (muscle stretching)
- Rhythmic passive joint movements
- Manipulation to improve the range of movement of a joint
- Gentle release techniques
General Data Protection Registration (GDPR) We're registered with the information commissioners office (ICO).