What to Expect at Your First Appointment
​
When visiting an osteopath for the first time, it is natural to feel a little unsure of what to expect. The following information has been developed to explain what happens and answer any questions you may have. If you have any other concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact the Maite, prior to attending your appointment.
​
Your Consultation
​
Videocall - Appointment Part 1
Osteopaths are healthcare professionals who are specifically trained in diagnosing health issues. During the videocall, your osteopath will ask you questions about your medical history and lifestyle, as well as any symptoms you may be experiencing. This is very important, as it will help them to make an accurate diagnosis and suggest appropriate treatment.
They will write down what you tell them in your records. These will be treated as confidential in accordance with standards of practice set out by the General Osteopathic Council and the Data Protection Act 1998.
​
Face-to-face - Appointment Part 2
At the face-to-face appointment, your osteopath, Maïté, will need to examine the area(s) of your body causing discomfort. Sometimes the cause of the problem may be in a different area to the pain, (For example, pain in your lower arm may be linked to the nerves in your neck) so they may need to examine your whole body. They will need to feel for any tightness in the muscles and stiffness in the joints and may need to touch these areas to identify problems. They will explain what they are doing as they go along.
If you are uncomfortable with any part of this, you have the right to ask her to stop at any stage, without prejudicing your future treatment.
What to Wear
As with any healthcare appointment, it may be necessary for your osteopath to ask you to remove some clothing. This is so they can see and touch the areas of the body causing you concern. Your osteopath will want you to feel at ease, therefore if you feel uncomfortable undressing to your underwear, please bring shorts and a t-shirt to change into, or close-fitting garments, that will enable Maïté to work effectively.
​
Your Treatment
Maïté will make a diagnosis and discuss a course of treatment with you. This may involve further visits for manual therapy – a range of gentle hands on techniques that focus on releasing tension, stretching muscles and mobilising joints. Together with exercises that you can do at home and helpful advice designed to help you relieve or manage your pain, keep active and maintain the best of health. Maïté will discuss her findings with you ask for your consent to begin treatment.
Most of the time Maïté will begin your treatment at your first appointment, but sometimes if the medical history is complex, treatment might start at your first follow-up. Occasionally she may diagnose an illness that she is unable to treat and may refer you to your GP or another appropriate health professional.
Is Treatment Painful?
Osteopathic treatment is usually a very gentle process and Maïté works very hard to make treatment as painless as possible, but you may experience some discomfort during and after treatment. She will warn you if she thinks that the technique that she is about to use is likely to be uncomfortable and will stop if you tell her that you are feeling too much pain.
Following treatment, you may experience some mild soreness in the area of the body that was treated, this will normally resolve within 48 hours. If you experience serious or unusual symptoms after treatment, you should contact your osteopath straight away for advice.
Training and Regulation
You can be confident that Maïté has the highest level of training and expertise, and will provide a safe and effective diagnosis and treatment for you. In the UK, the osteopathic profession is regulated by the General Osteopathic Council and osteopaths are trained to degree level, taking a minimum of four years, including over 1000 hours of contact time with patients at undergraduate level.
Osteopaths are also recognised by the NHS as Allied Health Professionals and play a critical role in the diagnosis, treatment and care of people of all ages.