OSTEOPATHIC ASSESSMENT

  • Beginning with an initial assessment and treatment appointment, the manual osteopath will take a complete case history asking questions about the client’s medical history and the problem(s) that has brought them to seek therapy. 

  • A client’s daily routine and lifestyle questions may be asked as the answers may provide clues to help make the correct findings.

  • A holistic approach is taken of the entire body that will assess the body structure and systems.  Many times specific complaints such as pain in one area (ie. Neck pain) or joint immobility (ie. Decreased shoulder movement) are actually caused by misalignments and restrictions elsewhere in the body .

  • The osteopath will examine your muscles, joints, spine and organs by using palpation and through various movements. 

  • Treatment is done with clothes on, preferring comfortable, thin fabric (eg. yoga pants/activewear/sports bra/tank for women and shorts/t-shirt/tank/sweatpants for men)

Osteopathic TREATMENT

  • Osteopathic treatment can often require close collaboration between you and the your manual osteopath. Throughout the treatment, you will be an active participant in your own healing process.

  • There are many different techniques used during treatment and are often combined to give optimal results.  For example, soft-tissue techniques applied to specific muscles will improve blood flow and drainage from those tissues. This may be combined with joint mobilization, where a restricted joint in the area may be rhythmically moved to achieve a greater range of motion and help relieve pain.

  • Osteopathy is a non-invasive therapy and works within your limits.  If you've had any issues for some time, you may feel a bit sore afterwards, like after a good hike or workout, but this should resolve itself within a couple days.

  • The therapist will discuss a plan with you afterwards regarding the number of treatments required to help alleviate a problem and the frequency of sessions.  

  • The manual osteopath will often advise in stretches and exercises that you can do to help improve your posture and range of motion.