Thank
you for booking an appointment with WeaverHouse
When visiting an Osteopath for
the first time, it is natural to feel a little unsure of what to expect.
The
following information has been developed to explain what happens and answer any
questions you may have.
Your Consultation
Osteopaths
are healthcare professionals who are specifically trained in diagnosing health
issues. At the start of your first appointment, your osteopath will ask
you questions about your medical history and lifestyle, as well as any symptoms
you may be experiencing. This is very important as it will help them to make an
accurate diagnosis and suggest appropriate treatment.
They
will write down what you tell them in your records. These will be treated as
confidential in accordance with standards of practice set out by the General
Osteopathic Council and the Data Protection Act 1998. If you wish, you may
request a copy of your notes, but you may be charged an administration fee for
this.
Your
osteopath will need to examine the area(s) of your body causing discomfort.
Sometimes the cause of the problem may be in a different area to the pain, (For
example, pain in your lower arm may be linked to the nerves in your neck)
so they may need to examine your whole body. They will need to feel for any
tightness in the muscles and stiffness in the joints and may need to touch
these areas to identify problems. They will explain what they are doing as they
go along.
If
you are uncomfortable with any part of this, you have the right to ask them to
stop at any stage, without prejudicing your future treatment.
What to Wear
As
with any healthcare appointment, it may be necessary for your osteopath to ask
you to remove some clothing. This is so they can see and touch the areas of the
body causing you concern. Your osteopath will want you to feel at ease,
therefore if you feel uncomfortable undressing to your underwear, your
osteopath may be able to suggest wearing clothing, such as shorts and a
t-shirt, or close-fitting garments, that will enable them to work effectively,
so please do discuss this with them.
You
may wish to seek treatment from an osteopath of the same sex as yourself. You
are also welcome to ask a friend or relative to accompany you and be present
throughout your appointment.
Your Treatment
Your
osteopath will make a diagnosis and discuss a course of treatment with you.
This may involve further visits for manual therapy – a range of gentle hands on
techniques that focus on releasing tension, stretching muscles and mobilizing
joints. Together with exercises that you can do at home and helpful advice
designed to help you relieve or manage your pain, keep active and maintain the
best of health. They will discuss the likely cost of this and ask for your
consent to begin treatment.
Most
osteopaths will begin your treatment at your first appointment, but sometimes
they may require further tests first i.e. blood tests or scans. Occasionally
they may diagnose an illness that they are unable to treat and may refer you to
your GP or another appropriate health professional.
Is Treatment Painful?
Osteopathic
treatment is usually a very gentle process and osteopaths work very hard to
make treatment as painless as possible, but you may experience some discomfort
during and after treatment. Your osteopath will warn you if they think that the
technique that they are about to use is likely to be uncomfortable and will
stop if you tell them that you are feeling too much pain.
Following
treatment, you may experience some mild soreness in the area of their body that
was treated, this will normally will go away within 48 hours. If you experience
serious or unusual symptoms after treatment you should contact your osteopath
straight away for advice.
Training and Regulation
You
can be confident that your osteopath has the highest level of training and
expertise and will provide a safe and effective diagnosis and treatment for
you. In the UK, the osteopathic profession is regulated by the General
Osteopathic Council and osteopaths are trained to degree level, taking a
minimum of four years, including over 1000 hours of contact time with patients
at undergraduate level.
Osteopaths
are also recognized by the NHS as Allied Health Professionals and play a
critical role in the diagnosis, treatment and care of people of all ages.
We hope that you have found this
information useful, if you require further information or have any questions
please telephone us on 01270 629933
