What is Osteopathic treatment?
Does treatment hurt?
What happens on the first appointment?
How many treatments are needed?
How much does it cost?
Who can benefit from treatment?
What is Osteopathic Treatment?
Osteopaths use a variety of hands-on physical treatments. These include soft tissue massage techniques, joint manipulation, muscle energy treatment and functional (strain and counter strain) techniques. British trained Osteopaths do not prescribe medication or perform surgery. We do not use any machinery to treat our patients.
Does treatment hurt?
Techniques for treatment are tailored to the needs of each individual patient. Forces applied during treatment are adjusted to the minimum necessary to be effective. Treatment may feel a bit uncomfortable at times but should not be painful.
What happens on the first appointment?
The first appointment is when the osteopath has to find out the cause of the problem. Before any treatment the Osteopath will take a case history which is a type of interview . The Osteopath will ask questions about the recent problem, any previous physical injuries, and also any medical problems currently or in the past. Osteopaths realise that many factors can influence a patient’s condition so questions may be quite wide ranging.
Next the Osteopath will do a physical examination. This involves observing the painful area, using palpation to feel the painful area, observing the movements the patient makes and also moving the painful area passively. When the examination is completed the Osteopath will either proceed with treatment or in rare cases decide that treatment is not appropriate and refer the patient to a doctor.
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How many treatments are needed?
The number of treatments that you need will depend on the nature of your problem. Each individual is different so it is impossible to make absolute rules about how many visits will be needed. Factors that tend to reduce the number of treatments are:
- No previous injuries of a similar nature
- Localised injury with no neurological symptoms such as pins and needles
- Short time between onset of symptoms and coming for treatment
- Active lifestyle with regular exercise
- Good general health status
Factors suggesting more treatments will be needed:
- Long period between start of problem and starting treatment
- Pain and other symptoms in multiple body areas
- History of previous injuries, trauma or operations
- Suffering from chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease or bronchitis
- Taking certain types of medication such as anti-depressants
How much does it cost?
Our fees are shown on our Appointments page
Who can benefit from treatment?
Osteopaths offer a bespoke service, tailoring the techniques they use to the needs of each individual patient. This means that a very wide range of people can benefit. We have no age limits!