FAQ’s
Your First Consultation: What to Expect
We understand that your first visit to an osteopath can be a new experience. Our goal is to provide a clear, professional, and thorough assessment to ensure we reach an accurate diagnosis and create a safe, effective treatment plan tailored to your needs.
1. The Clinical Consultation
Your appointment begins with a detailed discussion regarding your current symptoms, the nature of your pain, or any specific health concerns. We then move into a comprehensive review of your:
- Injury History: We look at older injuries, past traumas, or significant physical events that may be influencing your current condition.
- Medical & Surgical History: We discuss previous operations and your wider medical history, including any current medications.
- Diagnostic Review: If you have relevant X-rays, MRI scans, or blood test results, we will review these to further inform our clinical picture.
2. Physical Examination
To understand how your body is functioning, we perform a detailed physical assessment:
- Movement Analysis: We observe both active movements (where you move) and passive movements (where we gently move the joints for you) to identify restrictions or areas of discomfort.
- Specialized Testing: Depending on your specific presentation, we may conduct neurological, orthopaedic, or cardiovascular clinical tests. If these are required, your osteopath will explain the purpose of each test during the session.
3. Diagnosis and Treatment
Once a clinical diagnosis has been established and explained to you, we move into the management phase of your appointment:
- Manual Therapy: We typically perform gentle osteopathic treatment during your first visit, focused on relieving tension and improving mobility.
- Lifestyle & Rehabilitation: To ensure long-term progress, we provide bespoke lifestyle modifications and specific stretching or strengthening exercises where applicable.
Preparation for your Visit
To allow for a thorough examination, you may be asked to remove some clothing (similar to what you might wear for a sports assessment). Many patients feel most comfortable wearing flexible gym attire or leggings.
What does treatment involve?
Osteopathic treatment consists of rhythmic and oscillatory joint movements, joint and muscle stretching, soft tissue massage and gentle release techniques. Other gentle cranial osteopathic techniques can be used and are especially good for the treatment of very acute conditions, babies and children and the elderly. Sometimes, it may be necessary to perform a spinal or joint manipulation where an audible click may be heard. However, this is very safe, invariably pain free and lasts only a fraction of a second. Osteopathic treatment is a very relaxing and pleasant experience. At Tomlinson Osteopaths we make it a priority to help every patient and alleviate pain, with utmost consideration to their comfort and needs.
Can I claim any of my treatment costs back?
Our osteopaths are registered with most medical insurance companies, including AXA PPP, AVIVA, HSA and many more. If you are a victim of a work related or road traffic accident, or you have a healthcare plan either through work or as a private policy, then you can usually claim money back for osteopathic treatment from the appropriate insurer. This may require a referral from a GP and acceptance from the insurer, but this is worth investigating.
Is osteopathy safe?
Yes, osteopathy is extremely safe. Our osteopaths are well trained and will take a detailed case history and perform many conventional medical routine screening procedures prior to treatment. This is to assess your suitability for osteopathic treatment and formulate a diagnosis. If the condition is not treatable then the osteopath will write to your GP with findings and recommendations.
Do I need a referral from my G.P.?
No, although many patients are referred by their G.P, osteopathy has enjoyed a position of respect for a very long time and requires no referral. 90% of the patients at Tomlinson Osteopaths are referred to us by friends, relatives and colleagues because they have had great results themselves.