In short, Osteopathic techniques should not be painful but sometimes may cause some discomfort when applied. Often patients describe this as "good or beneficial discomfort".

Osteopathic manipulative techniques consist of massage or soft tissue techniques and joint mobilisation called articulations. The forces used will directly be proportional to the person's strength or frailty or the pain levels that you are on the day of the treatment. Sometimes we use subtle and gentle techniques called Cranial or Functional or more affirmative techniques like clicking or High-Velocity Trusts (HVTs).

Your osteopath will discuss your treatment options and which techniques may be unsuitable for your particular needs. They will also discuss any possible treatment reactions that occasionally occur after treatment and will inform you on what to expect so that you can take an informed decision about what works best for you.

Your practitioner will ask for your consent throughout your appointment before they perform a technique. However, if you feel uncomfortable or unsure at any stage, you have the right to withdraw your consent.

Like with any healthcare appointment, it may be necessary for your osteopath to ask you to remove some clothing. This is because they may need to assess the spinal curves or ensure no signs of tissue injury are present. They will also want to touch to evaluate the quality of the tissue or apply manual treatment to the area of concern. They will explain why this is needed and will ask for your permission.

Your osteopath will want you to feel at ease. Therefore if you feel uncomfortable undressing to your underwear, you may prefer to wear comfortable garments like shorts and a t-shirt that will enable them to work effectively. They will always ask you for consent, so please discuss this with them and make appropriate arrangements.

If you feel uncomfortable, please let your osteopath know, and they would be happy to discuss how best to adapt to your needs.

You may wish to seek treatment from an osteopath of the same sex as yourself. Just book your appointment with your preferred therapist. You are also welcome to ask a friend or relative to accompany you and be present throughout your consultation and treatment.

As we cannot provide a chaperone service, we strongly advise legal guardians to attend the appointment with their children under 16 for at least the first appointment. If this is not possible, please provide written and verbal consent from the legal guardian and contact the clinic before your appointment.

Your initial consultation should not take longer than one hour. During this time, your osteopath will ask questions about your current problem and general health for approximately 10-15 minutes.

If it is appropriate and you are happy to proceed, your osteopath will perform a physical examination with various tests and assessments. They will then discuss their findings and agree on how best to proceed. Here they should be able to inform you of the diagnosis and the factors contributing to your complaining presentation, tell you how long it should take and what you can do to speed up the recovery process. Finally, they will explain the benefits and risks associated with osteopathy and osteopathic treatment.

With your consent, they will typically proceed with manual treatment if this is appropriate for your condition and show you some movements that can help you.

Occasionally, when osteopathic treatment is not indicated, they will discuss with you the best course of action and write any appropriate referral letters so that you are cared for appropriately.

Any follow-up appointments should take 30 to 50 minutes, depending on what you need to do. During this time, the osteopath will re-assess your symptoms and movements to help them gauge progress before treating you.

Patients often tell us, "how do you know that it hurts there?"

In the same way a trained blind person can read Braille through their fingers, osteopaths are trained at reading what is happening under their fingers while treating or examining an area of the body.

In a clinical context, during physical examination, palpation is the professional use of touch to assess tissue behaviour and determine their quality of movement, stability and behaviour when in pain or presented with a particular condition.

Palpation is also used during the treatment to get feedback on how the tissues respond and to help decide if more or less pressure is needed.

This depends on your condition. Generally, you would expect to see some changes in your symptoms after one or two visits, but more complex, long term or chronic conditions may require more appointments. Your osteopath will discuss this with you and provide you with an indication of what length of treatment you might expect.

Typically Osteopaths begin their treatment by releasing and relaxing muscles and stretching stiff joints, using gentle massage techniques, rhythmic joint movements and muscle release techniques. The osteopath may also manipulate (click) specific joints. While manipulation can be suitable in some presentations, it is not always essential, and other techniques may be as effective as clicking the joint. Some of our osteopaths also use acupuncture as part of their treatment. If this may help your recovery, they will explain the procedure and obtain your consent before proceeding.

The osteopath will always try to discuss the benefits or risks of any treatment modalities with you to help make an informed decision on what works best for you.