Osteopathy has been available in the Britain since the early 1900’s. Like Chiropractic, it originated in mid-America in the late 1880’s and quickly grew an exemplary reputation for healthcare.

We hold the belief that the body is always looking to achieve balance and remain out of pain and discomfort – sometimes your body just need a “nudge” in the right direction to activate your inner healing.

Osteopathy has always been a manual, Hands-On, Physical Therapy. We seek the cause to the problem with an emphasis on your musculo-skeletal structure and how it functions, which is an expression of who you are. Naturally, if we feel the problem lies elsewhere or beyond our remit we will tell you and refer you to another healthcare provider.

We will physically examine you and come to a conclusion of what is wrong with you. If we feel Osteopathy can help you we then discuss the options to how we can help. Some the tools we use are muscle and myofascial techniques to release tight or stuck areas, joint mobilisation to free off restricted joints and promote movement and of course we manipulate (adjust) joints (“click the back or neck”) to release joint restrictions and faulty movement patterns.

We follow best practice and will empower you with knowledge of what’s wrong and a possible cause (or causes) with you as well as send you home with some remedial exercises or stretch routines to bring you back to balance. Most patients will expect to see good results within 3-4 treatments.

Please bring details of any prescribed medication or supplements you are taking. If you have any recent relevant X-rays, scans or medical reports please bring these with you. Also bring any orthotics, braces or supports you use.

Osteopathic diagnosis and treatment involves both observation and palpation, therefore you may be asked to undress to expose the area or even down to your underwear but it is not always necessary and is your choice.

Your privacy and modesty will be maintained and respected at all times.

You are welcome to bring a companion with you. Please be aware that they will become party to all conversation during the appointment.

Anyone under the age of 18 should be accompanied at all times by a parent or appointed guardian.

This is entirely up to you. You don’t need a referral from a GP or Medic to see an Osteopath.

The primary aim of your initial consultation is to establish what is wrong and whether osteopathy is a safe and appropriate treatment for you. Providing there are no contraindications we would normally expect to treat you on your first visit.

Hopefully, amazing! You might feel a bit sore for 24/48 hours. See this link for more info of what to expect.

We expect to see you at least twice. Most issues should resolve after 2-3 appointments which would include any rehab exercises prescribed.

Exercises and rehab protocols will be part of your treatment.

We can, for specific cases, offer home visits – if we have the time to visit we will try to accommodate. Couches and other equipment needed to treat can be brought to the home visit. There is a modest additional charge for extra time and fuel.

Many patients are reluctant to take painkillers for fear of masking their symptoms and thus causing further trouble. However, the judicious use of analgesic, anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxant medication can often be extremely useful, especially in the acute phases of some conditions. Your osteopath will advise on the suitability of appropriate ‘over-the-counter’ medication as well as other methods of easing discomfort such as the application of heat and/or cold packs, the use of pain relieving gels or gentle exercises. If prescription medications are required, your osteopath can liaise with your GP.

Osteopathy carries few risks, and the vast majority of patients find treatment helpful. About 90% of our patients are referred through word of mouth recommendation – so there are a lot of happy patients around!  Adverse reactions are not uncommon however and about half of people have the following effects for a couple of days after treatment, most commonly after the first one or two sessions.

• A increase in pain or stiffness
• A mild headache
• Tiredness

Severe adverse reactions are very rare. Osteopaths are trained to medically screen patients to assess their suitability for osteopathic treatment. They will need to adapt their techniques appropriately or they may decide that treatment is not suitable for the patient and in this situation will discuss other treatment options, referring patients to other medical professionals as appropriate.

Rib fractures are thankfully very rare but probably the least uncommon of the severe adverse effect to osteopathy.  When they occur, it tends to be in patients who have osteoporosis or bone thinning for other reasons – radiotherapy, anorexia, long term use of steroids.  These patients can suffer fractures easily in everyday life – tripping up a step for example or being hugged by a loved one. It is difficult to give any treatment without the small risk of a fracture occurring – but these patients often find treatment very helpful, so we treat them – with great care!

Concern is often voiced about the risk of neck manipulation causing a tear in the vertebral artery (vertebral artery dissection – a rare but serious condition which can lead to a stroke). This type of tear of the artery can be caused by serious or minor trauma and is a significant cause of strokes in patients under 45 years of age. Between 1 and 3 out of every million people who have neck manipulation are at risk of having a stroke, so the risk is real but extremely small. There are a number of other risk factors for vertebral artery dissection, which include doing yoga or martial arts, having your hair washed at the hairdressers, painting a ceiling, blowing your nose or turning your neck when reversing the car. Vertebral artery dissection is also more likely if you suffer with hypertension (high blood pressure), sustain neck trauma, take oral contraceptives, suffer migraines or as a result of other complex medical conditions. It is not always possible to identify vulnerable patients. Osteopaths are trained to identify patients at high risk of a stroke and if they have any concern will not perform certain neck manipulations.

It may help to know that spinal manipulation for neck pain seems to be much safer than taking non steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines, according to a research review carried out by the National Council for Osteopathic Research (NCOR) in 2010.