Osteopath Consultation
All Osteopaths should start by taking a case history. This is to find out what is wrong. It generally lasts 10-15mins and will involve questions not only about where the pain is but also how it started and what it feels like and the things that make it better and worse.
Observation and Tests
I will ask you to undress down to your underwear. Depending on where your pain is I may only ask for you to take the top or bottom part of your clothes of. If you prefer not remove any clothing then please tell me and you may leave them on, but they need to be thin.
The reason osteopaths ask people to undress down to their underwear is so we can observe the area of pain more closely. We also look for things like swelling and bruising and access peoples posture. Less clothes also makes treating you easier.
I will do some tests to try and determine what is wrong and then explain to you what I have found and what I want to do.
Treatment
The treatment will generally involve some pulling and pushing (gentle or hard depending on the person) of the affected area to get the joints moving properly. There is normally some soft tissue work involved to loosen up the muscles and then if I feel it necessary and only with your consent I may do a manipulation (Click) or two. I also do some very gentle work (crano-sacral) where you will hardly feel anything happening. I generally explain what Im doing at the time. Occasionally I may put an acupuncture needle into a muscle or joint but only with your permission.
The treatment does consist of a lot more but this is a general overview.
At the end of the treatment I will give you some advise on exercises you can do to help yourself and advise on whether to use hot or cold packs.
