Your First Osteopathic Treatment

During your initial consultation the Osteopath will take a full medical case history and any relevant family history, medical conditions, ongoing treatment or medication will be noted.  If you have any doctor's reports or medical imaging e.g. X-rays, it would be useful to bring these along to this session.

During your first session you will be asked to undress to your underwear.  If this makes you uncomfortable, then like many patients you may prefer to wear shorts, vests or loose fitting clothing (you may also feel more comfortable with a chaperone).  The reason for asking you to undress is that discomfort in one area of the body may originate from a completely different area.  An Osteopathic bio-mechanical assessment looks at the body as a whole, and can identify tension and imbalances, which may be affecting areas that are not currently symptomatic.  Changes in muscle tone, skin colour/texture and discomfort when pressure is applied can tell the Osteopath a great deal about the health of the tissues and your health in general.

You will be asked to perform various active movements to determine general musculo-skeletal function and may be examined using a combination of Osteopathic, Cranial, orthopaedic and neurological testing.  The Osteopath will discuss his findings with you, explain his working diagnosis and agree on an appropriate treatment plan.

It is very important that people are involved in taking responsibility for their own health and Osteopaths believe that exercises and self care are integral to an accelerated healing time.  Therefore, the Osteopath will usually provide you with a couple of exercises (where appropriate) to be performed at home and give you further advice on ways to rehabilitate your injury/condition and generally improve your health.