What sort of treatments do you do?
A variety, rather than the same
thing each visit. Depending on what’s necessary, we often
work to stretch soft tissues, articulate (i.e. move around), immobile
joints to loosen them. Traction is also used sometimes to stretch
joints & promote drainage. Where necessary, & providing
it is safe, we also manipulate (‘click’) joints to
free them up, but only part of a broader treatment plan. Neuromuscular
techniques are also used on contracted & painful muscles to
relax them.
In
addition, we offer other diagnostic & treatment techniques
such as cranial osteopathy, which is used to treat adults &
infants alike in the gentlest of ways. It is especially useful
for those with chronic pain or limited tolerance of more physical
techniques.
In
summary, we offer a variety of techniques to suit the problem
& individual.
How are your Osteopathic treatments different from those of other
kinds of manual therapy?
What sets us apart from many other types of manual healthcare
practitioner is the time we actually spend on hands-on treatment;
rather than using machines or devices of one sort or another.
Treatment times of around half an hour allow us to treat not only
the part that hurts, but to be more thorough by looking at other
surrounding areas helping to cause the problem. This leads to
integrated treatments with better results for the long term.
In
addition to commonly used physical tests, touch (palpation), is
one of our major tools for assessing the body. These days it is
highly undervalued, but in the right hands gives useful information
about the state of a joint and the surrounding tissues.
Much
of this sort of clinically useful information will not show on
x-rays, which in any case are notorious for producing findings
inconsistent with a patient’s symptoms. For example, it
is not uncommon for x-rays to show significant wear and tear (arthritis)
in a pain-free individual, and next to nothing in another person
in a lot of discomfort.
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Will I have to
commit myself to a number of treatments?
The choice of how often you come or how long for is yours, and
no pressure will be put on you to commit to a program of treatment.
Some
people just want relief from their immediate symptoms with the
fewest number of sessions. Others feel that although their pain
is gone, more treatment can still be of longer-term benefit, or
because they want to feel the benefits of treatment for other
problems.
How many treatments will I need?
Our goal is to get you off treatment & help
your body get back to doing what it usually does so well –
looking after itself & recovering from everyday stresses without
the need for constant visits over months.
Where
there is no history of significant joint damage related to the
problem, & when the complaint is not a long-standing one,
most patients will normally experience significant relief with
the first 3 or 4 sessions. However, those with chronic issues
or significant wear & tear may find a need for more regular
‘top-up’ visits.
As for frequency of treatments, we do not normally see patients
more than once a week unless they are in severe pain, & visits
are progressively spaced out as soon as lasting & significant
improvements in symptoms are reported.
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What will my first consultation be like?
Allow 40 minutes. This enables us
to:
Will I need to undress?
You may need to undress temporarily if, for example, we need to
look at your spine or do specialised neurological tests requiring
direct skin contact. At some point we usually need to see the
spine. But many patients can get by without undressing for most
of the session as long as they wear loose, thin clothing that
does not restrict movement or treatment to the muscle & joints
underneath. If coming from work you can always bring a more appropriate
change of clothing with you & change at the clinic.
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Payment options & fees.
Cash, cheque or EFTPOS. Sorry, credit cards are not accepted.
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