What happens on my visit to the osteopath? - Osteopath in Liverpool

The main goal of the practice is to provide efficient treatment. Most conditions that fall within the scope of osteopathy are well managed within 1 to 3 appointments. It is usually expected that your symptoms will get better after your first appointment. We will reevaluate with you at the end of each appointment if any more treatment is needed, based on the improvement made within the session. If no improvement is made we will refer you to another professional that will be able to help (most likely a doctor for imagery or blood test). Generally, we will ask you for your feedback by email after a week so we can determine together what the next step will be. This is done to save you both time and money and out of respect for the time you spend with us.

On your first visit to your osteopath in Liverpool a full case history will be taken to discover the nature and location of your symptoms. We will try to find out why these symptoms have occurred at the present time and what factors are influencing them. We will also ask details about your general medical history and any medication you may be taking.  

An integral part of our diagnosis is your osteopathic physical examination. For this you will be asked to undress to your underwear. We will observe your posture from an osteopathic perspective and then ask you to undertake some simple movements. Next, we will use our osteopathic palpatory skills (our developed sense of touch) to feel the tissue quality of the symptomatic areas of your body and the areas around them. At this point we may also undertake any necessary orthopaedic, neurological or circulatory tests. Having done this, we will then explain our findings to you. 

If we consider osteopathic treatment to be of help and you are in agreement we will then proceed with treatment. We will generally begin with a series of manual muscles tests to (re)confirm functional neuromuscular relationships (the normal functioning of your muscular and nervous system).  

You should be aware that osteopathic treatment is literally “hands on” and we will be using our hands to continually diagnose and treat the symptomatic and neighbouring areas. Your safety, comfort and wellbeing are our first priority at all times. If you want to you are more than welcome to bring a friend or relative to your appointment.

Should there be any need to directly palpate sensitive areas of the body, this will be explained to you and your additional consent sought. 

Osteopaths are primary health care practitioners. If we discover conditions unsuited to osteopathic treatment we will refer you back to your GP (General Practitioner) and encourage you to see them at an early opportunity. 

• (Reproduced with the graceful permission of Hermes Health).