A common question in our office and online is: What does the Osteopathic Manual Practitioner do? What happens in an Osteopathy appointment?
As a frame of reference, we often describe it as a modality similar to physiotherapy, chiropractic, and massage. The strategic manual manipulation (gentle, hands-on stretching and movement) of joints and tissues releases tension, opens neurological pathways, encourages blood flow, and improves the function of several systems in the body. Depending on the health issues a client is experiencing, the therapist will enact several different maneuvers – including partner stretching, pressure point therapy, and joint mobilization – to support a patient’s healing and return to proper function. This may include rehabilitation of internal or external systems.
At a first appointment, your therapist will spend time reviewing your health history in an in-person interview, as well as reading through your intake form and asking related questions. He will then perform a physical evaluation through a combination of observation and manual manipulation of several areas. Understanding the client’s experience is only part of the evaluation. Your therapist will want to determine for himself which structures are being influenced and how one problem area may be affecting another.
In terms of a schedule for follow-up visits, clients receive custom recommendations according to their needs. Generally speaking, follow-up maintenance visits are scheduled on an as-needed basis, unless there is a specific issue needing to be addressed. In these cases, the therapist may recommend weekly follow-up. In acute cases, multiple visits in a week may be recommended to work through the underlying issues.
Follow-up visits will include a time of shared information and feedback from the client and a holistic evaluation by the therapist to determine necessary work. After a short time determining client needs, the therapist may ask for more in-depth information, followed by manual testing of tissue health and joint mobility. You may be surprised to know that hip issues may involve work in outlying referral areas including knees or shoulders. As a holistic approach, Osteopathy engages with entire systems rather than only the specific area of concern.
If you’ve never tried Osteopathy and you live in the St Thomas area, we would love to hear from you! To book your appointment, view Jacob’s online schedule here: https://bit.ly/3AwLis9
