Osteopathy

What Is Osteopathy? 

Osteopathy is an established, recognised system of diagnosis and treatment that lays its main emphasis on the structural integrity of the body. By attempting to achieve the best function possible osteopaths allow the body's own natural healing ability to work more effectively

How Many Treatments Will I Need? 

The number of treatments varies according to your condition but we would normally expect some signs of improvement within 3 - 4 treatments. Following your initial examination your osteopath will try to give you some indication of the number of treatments you will require.

Will Treatment Hurt? 

Treatment is seldom painful and, while some patients may be aware of slight discomfort following treatment, this is usually only a temporary sign that the body is adjusting itself to the changes that have been made.

Do I Need To Be Referred By My Doctor? 

Most patient's self-refer following recommendation from friends and family but many GPs and medical specialist are now referring patients to us.

What Will Happen On Your First Visit? 

A full case history will be taken. You will be asked to explain what problem(s) and concerns you would like help with and about past and present medical problems you may have. Some of the questions may seem irrelevant to your problem but sometimes the information can be more helpful than you think.

Following this your osteopath will want to examine you. This may require you to undress down to your underwear in some cases so we can access you properly and not miss anything. We will always try and cover you as soon as we can so as to avoid any embarrassment.

We may ask you to perform a variety of movements as we access your problem(s) and then palpate tissues and move relevant joints. In some cases we need to perform a neurological examination and may need to listen to your chest and palpate your abdomen.

Once a full assessment has been made your osteopath will discuss their findings and diagnosis and the proposed treatment and prognosis. In a small number of cases treatment may be not appropriate and you may be referred to your GP or another practitioner for help.  There may be occasions where further investigations such as X-rays or MRI scans would be helpful, if this is the case we can arrange for these to be done quickly and at minimum cost.