Osteopathy

What to Expect on Your First Treatment

Understanding what to expect on your first osteopathy treatment goes a long way to making you more comfortable and therefore contributes to a better treatment experience. Firstly, seeing an osteopath is very common. In fact over 30,000 Australians have an osteopathic treatment each day.

Osteopaths are classified as primary healthcare providers by the Australian health system. This means that you do not need to secure a doctor's referral in order to make an appointment. As osteopaths are registered health professionals, you are also eligible for private health insurance rebates, which can significantly reduce the cost of a treatment.

What Should I Bring to a Treatment?

As osteopathy is a manual therapy that focuses on helping your body heal itself, there is no need to bring anything to your treatment. It's recommended that you bring any recent x-rays, especially if they relate to your area or concern. An osteopath has training in reading x-rays and identifying their information.

It's also a good idea to wear loose fitting clothes, as this helps your joints move freely during the treatment. Tight clothing tends to restrict movement and thereby restrict the osteopath's treatment technique.

Although times vary between osteopaths, expect your initial treatment to last about one hour. During this time your first treatment will be split into two parts: your medical history and your treatment.

Treatment Part 1: Your Medical History

The first 20-30 minutes of your initial osteopathic consultation will be spent discussing your medical history directly with the osteopath. This will generally be a casual chat, which the osteopath uses to identify any underlying areas which may directly or indirectly contribute to your health concerns. Your osteopath will also take the time to explain the practice of osteopathy and debunk any myths about osteopathy.

It's important to be open with your osteopath. Like a doctor, your osteopath is there to help. If you choose to withhold information, be aware that this information may be the missing puzzle piece which could help your osteopath address your health concern. Every osteopath is bound by patient / doctor confidentiality. Common areas of discussion include:

• Any health concerns that you believe you currently have
• Any health concerns you have had previously
• Any medical treatments or advice you are currently on or subscribing to. Including the names of medications their reasons for use and length of treatment.

Treatment Part 2. Your Physical Treatment

Once you have discussed your medical background, your osteopath should have an indicative understanding of your past and present health concerns. It's now time to formally test these views through a thorough osteopathic diagnosis. In this part of the treatment you will be required to lie on the osteopathic treatment table and prepare for your manual treatment.

Osteopaths are happy to accommodate your clothing preference during your treatment. Given that treatments do involve massage and musculo-skeletal assessment, it's strongly advised that patients remove their tops (ladies can keep their bras on). Osteopaths will usually give you towels to cover up, both for warmth and modesty. You are usually not required to take off your pants during a treatment, unless you have a very specific condition.

Your osteopath will conduct a thorough diagnosis, paying special attention to your areas of concern. These diagnosis techniques will either support your osteopath's initial diagnosis, or lead to further diagnostic testing to reveal other potential causes.

Once your osteopath has determined an accurate diagnosis, they will discuss what they have found and the appropriate technique that's used to treat your health condition. The technique your osteopath uses will vary depending on your conditions, your level of mobility and how your body reacts to manual therapy. Your osteopath will always ensure that you are comfortable with the osteopathic techniques used during your treatment.

Subsequent osteopathic consultations are usually for 30 minutes and focus predominately on physical assessment and treatment.