FAQs

Before attending, you will be asked to complete an online medical history form, emailed to you at time of booking.

During your initial consultation, lasting around 60 minutes, a detailed case history will be taken about your presenting concerns and past medical history, including any other medical care and medications taken. This will be followed by a physical examination to understand and find the cause of your problem. The examination will involve postural and mobility assessments, palpation of tissues to help identify the areas of concern, and any necessary orthopaedic and neurological tests.

After the examination, I will explain the findings to you and answer any questions you may have. If I feel osteopathy can help you, we will discuss the most appropriate treatment and management plan, and a prognosis of how many treatments are likely to be needed. The proposed management plan may also include exercises and stretches to do at home, and may involve other therapies, such as Pilates.

In most cases, we can begin treatment during this first consultation, once you give your consent for the suggested plan. You will be asked for consent to continue at many points during the treatment and you are able to withdraw your consent at any point.

Even if osteopathy is not appropriate for your case, osteopaths are often a great first point of contact for advice and clinically appropriate onward referral.

It is likely that more than one treatment will be required. Follow
up appointments are 30-45 minutes long and are initially
planned on a weekly basis for 2-3 weeks before beginning to
increase the time between appointments. The number of
treatments required varies between patients and is dependent
on your symptoms, your response to treatment, and your
lifestyle.

Please wear underwear or clothing that you are comfortable undressing down to as this may be required for both examination and treatment. Stretchy shorts or leggings and a sleeveless top are perfectly acceptable so please do wear or bring these to change into if this feels more comfortable.

Cranial osteopaths use a highly trained sense of touch to feel subtle changes of tension and tissue quality in the living anatomy of the whole body, and to diagnose areas of strain or dysfunction. Listening carefully the body can tell the story of what has happened to it, what trauma (emotional or physical) it has suffered and how it is trying to cope with these traumas. Cranial osteopaths offer gentle and specific support where it is needed to bring the tissues into a state of balance and release, restoring it to health.

The treatment is very gentle and relaxing. During the treatment, some patients experience sensations of mild tension or sensitivity that gradually fade, or of feelings of warmth and relaxation. Others are unaware of anything happening at all during the treatment but feel very different afterwards. Most people become deeply relaxed during treatment, often falling asleep.

Dry needling, sometimes referred to as ‘clinical’, ‘western’ or ‘myofascial’ acupuncture, is a useful technique for treating muscular pain and tension. It involves the insertion of very thin, single-use needles into the skin and muscle and is used for pain relief, increased mobility, and to speed up the recovery process by inducing a healing response. It is not acupuncture, nor is it a medical injection. It is a technique used by many manual therapists in conjunction with treatment to release tight and restricted muscles.

Naturopathy is a system of treatment and health care that blends modern scientific knowledge with traditional and natural forms of medicine. It is based on the healing power of nature and it supports and stimulates the body’s ability to heal itself. It is a holistic, harmless and educative system that believes in promoting a general state of well-being though dietary principles, lifestyle, exercise and mental well-being as an effective way to manage our physiological systems.

KinesioTaping (K-taping) is a therapeutic taping technique that works well alongside manual therapy. The tape alleviates pain and facilitates lymphatic drainage by microscopically lifting the skin. It can be applied in a number of different ways and has the ability to reduce pain and inflammation, promote post-surgical healing, optimize performance, stabilize joints, prevent injury, promote good circulation, and can assist the body’s natural healing process.

Most people can’t feel the tape after the initial application. The tape is elastic so it moves with your body and supports the muscles like a second skin, which helps the muscles settle into its resting position. K-tape is designed to stay on your body for an average of 3-4 days. You can exercise and shower as normal with the tape on.

If you need to reschedule an appointment, please provide at least 24 hours notice to avoid a fee. If you miss an appointment without notice, the full fee will apply. Extenuating circumstances are taken into consideration.

Card payments only, either in person or online.

Osteopaths are trained to degree level attaining either a Bachelor’s (BSc) or Masters of Science (MSc). Courses are 4 to 5 years of full time university education and include anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, nutrition, biomechanics, and 1000+ hours of clinical training in manual therapy techniques including manipulative therapies and rehabilitation through exercise.

Osteopathy is regulated by UK law. UK osteopaths must be registered with the profession’s regulatory body, the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC). The council only accepts registrations from practitioners who have recognised qualifications and who comply with its standards of practice. Osteopaths are also recognised as Allied Health Professionals by NHS England.

Many osteopathic techniques are considered non invasive and gentle in their application. Each patient is screened through a detailed medical history and examination and testing procedure before deciding on the most appropriate techniques. Osteopaths are trained to recognize conditions that might make treatment inadvisable and where patients should be referred for appropriate medical attention. Research into the practice of Osteopathy shows a consistent level of successful outcome, safety and a high degree of patient satisfaction.

It is possible to feel sore and achy for a few days after treatment, after which time the body begins to find balance. If this soreness persists or increases, please call to discuss your concerns.

Both osteopathy and chiropractic view the body as a self-sufficient system capable of self-healing. Both use palpation, observation and clinical testing to diagnose. Both use stretching, mobilization and manipulation as part of the treatment. The primary objectives of both are for the relief of aches and pains in the body. Both work on the nervous system and blood supply in order to influence all the bodily systems, making them capable of reducing symptoms of circulatory and digestive disorders.

The key differences between the two practices are their philosophies. Chiropractors focus primarily on the alignment of the spine and, to a lesser extent, the skeleton, to relieve pain by preventing any compromise of the nervous system. Osteopaths consider the body as a whole and help improve its function by achieving the body’s overall structural integrity. Osteopaths treat a broader range of problems including issues such as circulatory and digestive system disorders. Chiropractors use more diagnostic procedures such as X-rays, MRIs, blood and urine tests, whereas osteopaths place more emphasis on physical examination and will generally refer patients on for more diagnostic procedures if required. Osteopaths tend to use a greater variety of techniques to influence the body’s own innate healing system such as massage, joint mobilization and manipulation whereas chiropractors use a wider number of manipulative techniques to facilitate nerve transmission. Chiropractic appointments are often shorter as they primarily focus on adjustment techniques which are quicker to carry out. Osteopaths tend to spend more time with their patients per visit as their approach is broader and the treatments tend to be spaced out over a longer period of time. Chiropractors tend to see patients more frequently.

The differences listed here are, of course, generalizations but this hopefully outlines some of the main differences between the two.