Osteopathy - What to Expect

At the start of your first appointment, you will be asked questions about your medical history and lifestyle, as well as any symptoms you may be experiencing. This is very important, as it will help to build a picture of your life and what you expect of your body.

The information you provide will be written down in your records. These will be treated as confidential in accordance with standards of practice set out by the General Osteopathic Council and the Data Protection Act 1998. If you wish, you may request a copy of your notes, but you may be charged an administration fee for this.

You will then need to be examined, sometimes the cause of the problem may be in a different area to the pain, (For example, pain in your lower arm may be linked to the nerves in your neck) so your whole posture may need to be examined. It is necessary to feel for any tightness in the muscles and stiffness in the joints by touch, so consent will always be requested. Explanations will be given at all times.

If you are uncomfortable with any part of this, you have the right to ask to stop at any stage, without prejudicing your future treatment.

What to Wear

As with any healthcare appointment, it may be necessary to ask you to remove your clothing down to your underwear. It is essential that you feel at ease, therefore if you feel uncomfortable undressing to your underwear then ask for advise so you can be advised of the best garments to allow effective treatment.

You are welcome to ask a friend or relative to accompany you and be present throughout your appointment.

Your Treatment

After notetaking and examination, a diagnosis will be made and the best course of treatment with will be discussed with you. This may involve further visits for manual therapy – a range of gentle hands on techniques that focus on releasing tension, stretching muscles and mobilising joints. Together with exercises that you can do at home and helpful advice designed to help you relieve or manage your pain, keep active and maintain the best of health.

Mostly treatment will begin at your first appointment, but sometimes it may be necessary to refer you for further tests first i.e. blood tests, scans, to your GP or another appropriate health professional.

Is Treatment Painful?

Osteopathic treatment is usually a very gentle process with every effort made to make treatment as painless as possible, but you may experience some discomfort during and after treatment.

Following treatment you may experience some mild soreness in the area of the body that was treated, this will normally will go away within 48 hours. If you experience serious or unusual symptoms after treatment, you should contact me straight away for advice.

Related Links
What is Osteopathy?
What to Expect
What can it treat?