Understanding what to expect on your first osteopathy treatment goes a long way to making you more comfortable and therefore contributes to a better treatment experience. Firstly, seeing an osteopath is very common. In fact over 30,000 Australians have an osteopathic treatment each day.
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Osteopaths are classified as primary healthcare providers by the Australian health system. This means that you do not need to secure a doctor's referral in order to make an appointment. As osteopaths are registered health professionals, you are also eligible for private health insurance rebates, which can significantly reduce the cost of a treatment.
What Should I Bring to a Treatment?
As osteopathy is a manual therapy that focuses on helping your body heal itself, there is no need to bring anything to your treatment. It's recommended that you bring any recent x-rays, especially if they relate to your area or concern. An osteopath has training in reading x-rays and identifying their information.
It's also a good idea to wear loose fitting clothes, as this helps your joints move freely during the treatment. Tight clothing tends to restrict movement and thereby restrict the osteopath's treatment technique.
Although times vary between osteopaths, expect your initial treatment to last about one hour. During this time your first treatment will be split into two parts: your medical history and your treatment.
Treatment Part 1: Your Medical History
The first 20-30 minutes of your initial osteopathic consultation will be spent discussing your medical history directly with the osteopath. This will generally be a casual chat, which the osteopath uses to identify any underlying areas which may directly or indirectly contribute to your health concerns. Your osteopath will also take the time to explain the practice of osteopathy and debunk any myths about osteopathy.
It's important to be open with your osteopath. Like a doctor, your osteopath is there to help. If you choose to withhold information, be aware that this information may be the missing puzzle piece which could help your osteopath address your health concern. Every osteopath is bound by patient / doctor confidentiality. Common areas of discussion include:
Treatment Part 2. Your Physical Treatment
Once you have discussed your medical background, your osteopath should have an indicative understanding of your past and present health concerns. It's now time to formally test these views through a thorough osteopathic diagnosis. In this part of the treatment you will be required to lie on the osteopathic treatment table and prepare for your manual treatment.
Osteopaths are happy to accommodate your clothing preference during your treatment. Given that treatments do involve massage and musculo-skeletal assessment, it's strongly advised that patients remove their tops (ladies can keep their bras on). Osteopaths will usually give you towels to cover up, both for warmth and modesty. You are usually not required to take off your pants during a treatment, unless you have a very specific condition.
Your osteopath will conduct a thorough diagnosis, paying special attention to your areas of concern. These diagnosis techniques will either support your osteopath's initial diagnosis, or lead to further diagnostic testing to reveal other potential causes.
Once your osteopath has determined an accurate diagnosis, they will discuss what they have found and the appropriate technique that's used to treat your health condition. The technique your osteopath uses will vary depending on your conditions, your level of mobility and how your body reacts to manual therapy. Your osteopath will always ensure that you are comfortable with the osteopathic techniques used during your treatment.
Subsequent osteopathic consultations are usually for 30 minutes and focus predominately on physical assessment and treatment.
Reflexology is an alternative treatment that is found to be very effective when used along with osteopathy, acupuncture or light therapy. An extremely relaxing form of massage, it relates to specific "reflex points/areas" located on the feet, hands or ears. These points correspond with each body organ, gland or system and are linked to these body parts by "zones", "energy channels" or "meridians". Energy channels tend to get blocked when there is an imbalance or illness in the body. Reflexology therapy techniques remove these blocks and allows the energy to start flowing freely again.
Known as a holistic and healing art, reflexology usually yields the best of results when the practitioner works with dedication and self-belief. It not only reduces muscular tension and stress but also cleanses the body of impurities and toxins that are harmful. Reflexology is used as "Preventative Healthcare" as it revitalizes energy and brings about balance in the whole system.
Research in the US as well as around the world indicates that reflexology brings about positive benefits for various conditions. The National Cancer Institute as well as the National Institutes of Health conducted numerous studies that have indicated that reflexology has helped to reduce/lessen pain, stress, anxiety and depression as well as enhance sleep, natural healing and relaxation.
The theory that reflexology definitely works with the central nervous system of the body is built on the studies done in the 1890s by Sir Charles Sherrington and Sir Henry Head, who showed that there is a neurological relationship between internal organs and the skin and the body's nervous system can adjust to a stimulus. Therefore according to this theory, Osteopathie Muenchen a pressure applied to the hands, feet or ears will send relaxing and calming messages to various parts of the body from peripheral nerves in the feet, hands and ears.
"The Gate Theory" and "The Neuromatrix Theory" also explain why reflexology produces relief from pain and stress. The theories suggest that the brain creates pain which is a subjective experience in response to cognitive or emotional factors; therefore one's moods and factors like stress and tension can affect our experiences of pain. Thus reflexology therapy reduces pain by improving the mood and reducing stress.
Another theory states that the human body has "vital energy" and there is congestion or choking of the energy flow which causes illness and disorders in the body.
Reflexology helps with the flow of energy. The "Zone Theory" in the human body is divided or separated into ten vertical zones that correspond to toes and fingers right up to the head. The theory states that every muscle, organ and gland that is located in a zone is accessible through a reflex point on the feet or hands.
The guiding principles in the practice of reflexology are:
This is proof enough for people who are stressed and suffering from chronic ailments to try this form of treatment that has been in use in India, China, Egypt and other ancient civilizations.