For your first visit you should allow approximately 60 minutes and this includes
the time necessary to take a full medical history followed by examination and  treatment. 

Case History& Examination
At your first visit a full case history of your symptoms and past medical history will be taken as well as information about your lifestyle.

Osteopaths have a legal and ethical obligation to request consent to then proceed with examination and treatment. With your consent we then undertake an examination, or series of examinations to marry the information from your case history with the findings on examination, and thereby evaluate a diagnosis and treatment plan.  We explain the diagnosis and the suggested treatment plan to you.

Osteopaths use many of the diagnostic procedures applied in conventional medical assessments such as active and passive examinations of joints and muscles and other orthopaedic clinical tests.  In our neurological assessments of our patients we examine reflexes of the limbs and assessment of the motor and sensory systems in the same way that a G.P. might do.

 Osteopaths are skilled in diagnostic techniques and trained to identify when a patient needs to be referred to a G.P.
Osteopaths are trained to examine areas of the body using a highly developed sense of touch, called palpation, to determine conditions and identify dysfunction and strain within the body.    An osteopathic examination typically begins with observation of how our patient is standing and of their posture and body alignment. 
This is followed by the patient being asked to perform some simple movements of the spine and/or other joints.  Because of the need to observe and palpate joint and muscle function,  osteopathic patients are usually  asked to remove some of their clothing near  the area of the body to be examined and treated. 

  In assessing our patients osteopathically, we may also look at breathing mechanics, foot and gait  (walking) mechanics and ask you about your work-station and occupational activities.

Exercise is good for us when it is performed well and in a manner appropriate for our age, fitness and other physical circumstances.  Reviewing the exercise regime of a patient and making helpful adjustments, may be a necessary part of the treatment plan.

Treatment

Osteopathic treatment involves skilled mobilising and manipulative ‘hands-on’ techniques often involving stretching and working the muscles and joints to increase ease of movement and restore better function to the musculo-skeletal system and systems linked to it.   Some osteopathic techniques are more subtle and address the reciprocal link between the nervous system and musculo-skeletal system, and the most gentle techniques  we use  are those that address the membranous connections between certain joints and other structures with which those joints interact.
Where we feel a patient would benefit  from a more vigorous approach osteopathically, we will explain this and make sure that our patient is happy for us to proceed with that more vigorous approach.
Most of our patients find treatment relaxing and the experience of coming for treatment a very informative one.

Advice

Your injury will be explained to you and advice given to help you rehabilitate as effectively as possible.
Simple rehabilitative exercises may be given and advice on the use of icepacks or heat applications if appropriate.  Advice on what manoeuvres should be avoided and how to manoeuvre safely, e.g. how to  turn in bed and get up from a chair when it is difficult to do so is generally an essential part of your rehabilitation.

  Educating patients about their injuries is an important part of osteopathic practise and plays a significant role in optimising recovery.  A clear explanation of the injury is given to each patient in a manner that is easy to understand and patients are encouraged to ask questions they may have about their condition and the treatment they are receiving.

Short-term advice  is often given for relief of an acute condition.
Long-term advice may be on the best activities and self-help strategies for optimal well-being.

Some patients present with a particularly long and complex past medical history.
If this is the case for you, please alert us to this when you phone to book an appointment so that we may, if necessary, organise a time to initiate the taking of that history prior to the initial visit.  We do our best to ensure that patients receive adequate treatment at a first visit, but this can be difficult if the case history taking is lengthy.

FOLLOW-UP VISITS

At subsequent visits, the treatment session is shorter than at the initial visit because the full medical history has already been taken. You will be asked about your response to the previous treatment and about the present level of symptoms.   All or some of the examinations performed previously may be repeated and sometimes there are additional examinations.  This is followed by treatment , advice and  frequently  but not always, a review of any exercises previously prescribed.

There are many benefits to osteopathic  treatment, such as a lessening of pain and an increase in mobility.     Adverse reactions to treatment can occur, the most common being an increase in stiffness and pain in the 24 – 48 hours following  treatment.  For the majority of patients this is a purely transient experience and is
considered to  be a mild and common reaction that for most people is followed by a greater sense of well-being.

Patients are encouraged to get in contact should they develop any adverse reactions to treatment that they are concerned about.
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When osteopaths' consider that a patient’s symptoms are indicative of a condition that is best addressed by a different healthcare professional, we refer our patient on to the most appropriate practitioner or back to their G.P.