Our Process
What To Expect At Your Initial Consultation
Initially your osteopath will take a detailed case history from you which is likely to be followed by a physical examination, along with any clinical tests deemed necessary. The osteopath will then establish a diagnosis and will discuss their prognosis and proposed treatment plan with you.
Detailed Case History
In taking the case history, your osteopath will ask detailed questions about your particular complaint as well as questions about your current health, medical history and general lifestyle.
This enables your osteopath to build-up an overall picture of what may be causing your symptoms, not just focussing on the area of concern. Therefore the more you are able to tell your osteopath at this stage, the easier it will be for them to build up picture of what is causing your symptoms.
Physical Examination
If required, a physical examination will be performed to assess your posture, mobility, etc. in order to identify any areas of strain, weakness or injury.
As well as observing you through a simple series of movements, your osteopath will also use their highly developed sense of touch to assess the quality and health of the underlying tissues.
Although not always necessary, your osteopath may also need to perform other, non-invasive, medical tests such as neurological examinations, the taking of blood pressure or perhaps listening to your chest with a stethoscope.
NB – in order to perform the most effective physical examination possible it may be requested by your osteopath (although NOT required) that you remove some items of clothing.
Diagnosis & Management Plan
Once your osteopath has collated all of the information from the case history and physical examinations, he/she will discuss with you the diagnosis and consequent proposed management plan.
We believe that patient management is a two-way process and your osteopath will answer any questions you may have at this stage to ensure you understand and agree with what is being proposed prior to commencing any treatment.
The initial consultation may involve treatment however this is not always the case and is dependent on the complexity of your problem.
Also, if your practitioner feels that you require further investigations prior to the formation of any management or treatment plan then they will advise on referring you to the appropriate place or person.
Getting to the root of your problem and forming a management plan with you are the prime objectives of the initial consultation.
What To Wear
The most important thing is that you feel comfortable at all times whilst in clinic therefore we advise that you bring with you appropriate clothing to wear during treatment; something you feel comfortable in – a pair of shorts and a vest top for example. You will have the opportunity to change into these clothes privately before examination and treatment.
Chaperones
Patients under sixteen
All patients under the age of sixteen MUST be accompanied to their appointment by a parent or legal guardian, who will need to remain in the room for the entirety of the consultation.
Patients aged sixteen to eighteen
For patients aged under eighteen but over sixteen we do still ask that they bring a chaperone with them. This chaperone does not necessarily need to be a parent or legal guardian but they will need to be over eighteen years of age.
All other patients
All other patients would like a third party to accompany them into the treatment room are welcome to invite a friend or relative to act as their chaperone.
How Many Treatments Will I Need?
Although it is always difficult to say exactly how many treatments you will require, most problems tend to be resolved with a short course of treatment totalling around 3-6 visits.
The more long-standing a condition, the longer it tends to take to treat, therefore it is advisable to book in to see your osteopath as soon as you can when you start experiencing symptoms.
Longer-term Maintenance
For longer-term management of patients with more chronic conditions, your osteopath may recommend regular ‘maintenance’ treatments (maybe every 3-4 months) in order to stay on top of things and reduce the chances of the re-occurrence of an acute episode.
Want to know more?
Contact us now to book a free 15-minute chat with an Osteopath to see how we could help you.
Need help? Call us on 01354 694050 or book online here