Your First Visit
- What to Expect
Your first appointment may last between 45 minutes and one hour. During this time, a careful medical history will be taken from you and an examination conducted that will involve a series of movements, orthopaedic tests and palpation. It is also normal at this stage to routinely check blood pressure and reflexes before starting treatment.
All these procedures are important because they lead to an accurate diagnosis of your problem and the factors that have contributed to it. Your osteopath will explain your condition, and outline a treatment plan. Occasionally, we may ask permission to write to your doctor if further investigation seems advisable.
After the examination and diagnosis is complete, you will be given treatment suitable for you. This often involves stretching, pressure, mobilisation and sometimes precisely located manipulations of joints that may make a ‘click’ sound.
Sometimes on the day of your treatment, you may feel more tired or ache more than usual, but this initial reaction should subside after a good night’s rest.
Please feel free to ask questions at any stage, we want you to feel relaxed and involved during your visit.
Future Visits
Subsequent appointment are thirty minutes. We will review your progress, noting any changes, re-assessing your range of movement, and continuing your treatment.
What clothing to wear
In order to examine you properly, you will normally be asked to remove some outer clothing, depending where you are feeling pain. Undressing to your underwear allows your osteopath to assess and treat the tissues and structures associated with your area of pain most effectively, especially the spine. If this is a problem, then you may wish to bring along some lightweight clothing for example gym shorts, leggings or sports wear, that will allow freedom of movement. Alternatively, a hospital style gown can be provided.