What to expect of osteopathy

Patients visiting osteopaths for the first time invariably attend their initial appointment in some pain and often with a slightly nervous disposition. In fact, a visit to an osteopath will be pleasant, pain-releiving and educational. 

Your initial visit and diagnosis

An Osteopath will first seek to discover the root cause of your condition, e.g., back pain. Osteopaths are trained to thoroughly investigate each patient's condition before considering treatment. They will spend more time than a GP is able,in order to deeply understanding your symptoms. At your first consultation, the Osteopath will take a detailed medical history including information about your lifestyle - such as your level of physical activity, your work environment and your diet. In order to ensure a long-term solution to your problem the Osteopath will be just as interested in what is causing your problem as the effect it has on your health. For example, is pain in your back and/or shoulder caused by a rotator cuff lesion due to hours spent each day at a desk in front of your computer or is there another cause?

After your history has been taken the Osteopath will examine the way your body moves. You will be asked to remove some of your clothing (it is helpful if you are able to attend the visit in gym clothes) and perform a series of simple movements. The Osteopath will assess your mobility by observing your range of movement and by gently feeling your spine, shoulders and associated muscles as you perform the movements.

This will complete the diagnostic phase and enable the Osteopath to devise your osteopathy treatment plan. It should be noted that Osteopaths are trained to recognise when osteopathy won't help and when to refer a patient to a doctor. Osteopaths will not begin your treatment until they believe they fully understand your condition and what can be done to help.

Your osteopathy treatment plan

Depending on your condition (e.g., back pain or sports injury) your treatment may consist of one or more of the following techniques:

• Massage and stretching to promote relaxation
• Muscle resistance procedures to release tension
• Joint manipulation to restore mobility

Even very gentle manipulation can result in an audible 'crack' from the joint being addressed by the Osteopath - this is simply the sound of gas bubbles popping in the fluid pocket within the joint and is not unusual. Its presence or intensity varies from person to person and is not indicative of effective osteopathy treatment.

You will also be given exercises to do at home and, in some cases, advice as to how to minimise the impact of your lifestyle on your condition. This 'homework' is a crucial part of your treatment and should not be ignored. Osteopathy promotes your body's ability to self-heal and the exercises are an important part of this process.

Most Osteopaths expect to see considerable treatment benefit within two to six sessions, although sometimes a single treatment is sufficient. Your Osteopath should make you feel at ease and communicate effectively with you and you should ask questions at anytime during your consultation if you are unsure.