Chiswick

Osteopath & Naturopath

020 8987 8581

 

Member of the General Osteopathic Association

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAQs

 

1) I have back / neck pain, may an osteopath help?

 

2) What are the common causes of back or neck pains?

 

3) I know you treat backs and necks, but do you treat other joints and musculo-skeletal soft tissues?

 

4) I am in agony, I feel very sore and delicate, is it safe and beneficial to begin osteopathic treatment now?

 

5) I’ve been told by my GP, I’ve just got to live with my joint or muscles pains, is this true?

 

6) Do I need a referral from my GP?

 

7) How long is a course of treatment?

 

8) Can I claim refunds from my health insurance policy?

 

9) What is the difference between an osteopath and a chiropractor?

 

10) Osteopathy treatment has made me so much better, why didn't my GP suggest I see an osteopath?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q1) I have back / neck pain, may an osteopath help?

 

Yes. Osteopaths are trained specialists in diagnosing the cause of your back or neck pains and then providing an appropriate treatment to help you get better.

Your back problem may be causing pain, tingling or numbness to travel down the leg(s). It may make it very painful to stand, walk or even sit. Osteopathy can also provide a very effective treatment for these associated symptoms.

Your neck problem may be affecting other areas causing, tingling, or numbness to travel down the arm(s). It can also cause headaches & pains over the eyes, resulting in disturbed concentration when working. Again, osteopathy can provide a very effective treatment for these associated symptoms.

Similarly osteopaths are trained to diagnose and treat problems in all other skeletal joints and muscles.

 

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2) What are the common causes of back or neck pains?

 

Typically patients say things like, my back or neck pain:

Is related to work or sports activities,

Was produced by a bending down or a reaching action,

Is related to a hobby, for example, playing an instrument, knitting, walking,

Is stress or tension related,

Was caused by a whiplash injury in a road traffic accident,

Just appeared on waking,

Had been niggling for long then suddenly flared up,

Resulted from getting out of a chair or the car,

Appeared after a long journey,

It was caused by a wind draft on my neck or back,

Or it just appeared for no apparent reason.

 

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3) I know you treat backs and necks, but do you treat other joints and musculo-skeletal soft tissues?

 

Yes. Osteopaths are trained specialists in diagnosing the cause of your musculo-skeletal soft tissue & joint problems. Some commonly treated conditions are include:

Arthritis in knees, hips & other joints,

Sports injuries such as;

tennis or golfers elbow;

rotator cuff injuries of the shoulder;

hamstring muscle injuries;

ankle & knee injuries from skiing or skate/snow boarding,

RSIs (repetitive strain injuries), such as wrist RSIs from typing, writing, or playing an instrument,

Operational traumas. Joint and muscle (corrective) operations can become a necessity, but will still result in operational traumas to overlying tissues. Osteopathic treatments will optimise recovery results & assist faster healing rates,

 

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4) I am in agony, I feel very sore and delicate, is it safe and beneficial to begin osteopathic treatment now?

 

Yes, it is both safe and beneficial. Osteopathy encompasses a wide range of treatment techniques, which includes both very soft gentle techniques and advice to speed up (assist) your recovery.

 

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5) I’ve been told by my GP, I’ve just got to live with my joint or muscles pains, is this true?

 

More often than not the answer is, no!

In the vast majority of cases even patients who have been told this by their GP gain a huge benefit from osteopathic treatments. The common sequelae being that once such patients have improved with osteopathic treatments they ask, why didn’t my GP send me here in the first place, or, why was I told I’ve just got to live with it. An answer is, although a large number of GPs are aware of the benefits of osteopathy and so frequently refer their patients to osteopaths for treatments, there are still a large number of GPs who are still unaware. So when these latter GPs have exhausted all the treatment resources available at their fingertips, the only suggestion they can give is, you’ve got to live with it.

 

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6) Do I need a referral from my GP?

 

No. However, the more frequently patients mention the benefits of osteopathic treatments to their GPs, the more you will help your GPs to appropriately refer other patients to osteopaths.

 

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7) How long is a course of treatment?

 

There is no simple definite answer to this question. Maybe your condition will require only a single one off treatment and you will be perfectly okay or you may require a course of treatments. Bearing in mind, every person and their conditions are all individual, the following list is a very rough guide, of what tends to favour a speedy recovery

Good general health.

Youth. However a young person with poor general health is likely to have a slower rate of recovery than an older person with good general health. So youth is NOT everything.

Acute conditions which have occurred recently. Long existing chronic conditions tend to require more treatments the longer you leave them.

Being able to avoid or rest from the aggravating factor(s)

As a rule it is easier to give a more specific, answer on the appointment after your first treatment.

 

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8) Can I claim refunds from my health insurance policy?

 

Yes, in the majority of cases. If in doubt you should check with your health insurance company. Also check the requirements of their terms and conditions.

 

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9) What is the difference between an osteopath and a chiropractor?

 

Both professions use manipulations to correct joint restrictions and misalignments. However traditionally osteopaths tend to use gentle long leverage techniques whereas chiropractors tend to use more vigorous, high velocity short lever techniques. Osteopaths also use a wide range of other joint & soft tissue techniques. This is especially of use when manipulations are not appropriate or would be more effective when used alongside other techniques. Chiropractors traditionally use X-rays to assist their treatment plan, whereas osteopaths arrange X-rays if they believe the clinical situation needs clarifying. There are other differences as well.

 

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10) Osteopathy treatment has made me so much better, why didn't my GP suggest I see an osteopath?

 

An increasing number of GPs are realising the benefits of referring patients for osteopathy treatments.

Efforts need to be made by osteopaths, patients and GPs to increase GP awareness. The more frequently you patients mention the benefits of osteopathy treatments to your GPs, the more you will help your GPs to appropriately refer other patients to osteopaths.

 

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Registered with General Osteopathic Council & Member of British Osteopathic Association
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