Below you will find answers to some of the common questions our patients ask. If there is something else you would like to know before booking a consultation, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Your first consultation will last approximately 45 minutes. Your practitioner will begin by taking a full case history about your presenting symptoms and past medical history. They will then proceed with an osteopathic assessment as well as specific medical and neurological screening if necessary, and come to a diagnosis. The diagnosis and treatment plan will be thoroughly discussed with you to give a full understanding of what the treatment will involve.
Your osteopathic treatment will generally involve a combination of gentle manipulative techniques and joint adjustments, massage of the soft tissues and craniosacral release. All the above techniques are aimed to restore mobility and function of the joints and affected tissues.
In general osteopathic treatment should not be painful. However, in conditions where tissues have been chronically affected resulting in persistent tightness and stiffness, or in acute conditions, the patient may feel mild discomfort during certain specific techniques. Nonetheless, your practitioner will always and only work within your tolerance level if any discomfort is to be felt.
Following treatment, the body is lifted from lesion patterns, chronic tissues and compensations regain their mobility, resulting in a change in function of the body systems. Therefore, patients can commonly report feeling a sense of weightlessness and tiredness, and it is advised to rest in the hours following consultation. Similarly, depending on the chronicity of the patterns, patients may feel sore for a period of up to two or three days after treatment, until the body has accepted and adjusted to the changes in the tissues.
Generally, most complaints require approximately three or four treatments, however, this will vary greatly depending on your condition. After your initial osteopathic assessment, your osteopath should be able to give you an estimation of the number of treatments you may require.
During your first consultation, your practitioner will need to make a full osteopathic assessment. You will be asked to undress, as your osteopath will need to be able to examine your spine and pelvis clearly. We therefore advise that you wear appropriate underwear, if you feel uncomfortable feel free to bring a pair of shorts with you to the appointment.
Currently, the Natural Health Centre is not affiliated with any health insurance providers. However, a number of healthcare providers may later reimburse patients for the cost, or part of the cost, of their treatments. This is upon receipt of a copy of the payment invoice for the treatment, which we are happy to provide. You will need to contact your individual provider to see if this is something they will accept.
With regard to AXA, Francois Mezei is the only osteopath at the clinic who is registered with them, so you would need to notify us at the time of booking, so you can be placed with him.
