Visiting us: What to expect.
A typical consultation has four parts:
Interview, physical examination, diagnosis and treatment.
Interview
You will be asked questions relating to your past medical history, home, work, hobbies and family. The practitioner wants to understand all the factors that may be contributing to the presenting problem. This way the treatment can be geared to you personally.
Physical Examination
After the history is taken the clinician will ask you to remove some of your clothing in order to assess the mechanics of your spine and limbs. Next, your osteopath will carry out an examination of the body structure. This begins with observation of your posture, spine and balance. Using palpation, the osteopath will feel the quality and quantity of movement of the injured site and also the tone of tissues in the area. The examination is gentle and every effort is made to cause as little discomfort as possible. A patient will be asked to dress down appropriately for effective examination of their injured area.
If necessary, further tests will be recommended.
Diagnosis
After evaluating the information of the interview and examination, the osteopath will explain what may be causing the pain, based on his findings so far. It is possible that he will need to reassess the “evaluation” at each treatment depending on how you respond.
Treatment
The therapist will then suggest a treatment plan. Our practitioners are interested in the mechanics of the whole body; the sound balance between the limbs, head and neck and the spine. It is for this reason that osteopaths examine and treat the area of pain as well as areas distant to it.
The osteopath uses an understanding of the body’s anatomy, physiology and osteopathic principles to build a treatment plan. The osteopath will apply a variety of techniques to the body with the aim of altering the body’s functions. Depending on the severity of your problem, a series of treatments may be necessary.
Consent and a Chaperone
All treatments will be carried out with the patient’s verbal consent and any patients under the age of 16 will have to be treated with a parent or guardian.