We hope that your appointment with your osteopath is both successful and enjoyable. In order to make your time with us be effective and run smoothly we would like you to take the time to read the information below.

Your First appointment

This is a 2 stage process- a telephone consultation and then a face to face appointment for treatment (unless deemed inappropriate by your osteopath.) This is for new patients to the clinic or for current patients where 12 months or more has lapsed since their last treatment. This is so we can update your medical history and take your current case history.

During your telephone consultation the osteopath will get your agreement to keep your notes under the new GDPR rules. Let us know if you require a copy of our privacy policy, it is available on our website or as paper copy in the clinic. The osteopath will take the time to understand your problem through finding out where your problem is, how it started and what makes it feel worse and better. They will then go through your past medical history with you including any medication that you are taking. At this point the osteopath may give you some advice to help your problem or await the second part of your appointment which is face to face.

At your face to face consultation, you can use our waiting room or wait in your car and we will call you when we are ready for you. When inside the clinic you will be asked to wash or sanitise your hands and then you can go through to the treatment room. Your osteopath can wear a face mask if you prefer and will do so if they think in their professional opinion that it would be better for your health. You can also choose to wear a face mask if you wish.

The Waiting Room

The waiting room is now open but if you prefer to wait in your car or outside we will ring you when we are ready for you.

What Should I wear?

As osteopaths, we need to make an examination of the body structure to help us form a diagnosis of what is wrong with you.  If you have a neck problem we will need to look at your spine to see how it works with the neck.  It can be possible that a foot problem may affect your postural balance giving you headaches thus an overall view will be required.  So when deciding what to wear, as we may require you to undress down to your underwear, bring some shorts (or we have some available).  You might wear a camisole or vest top over your bra, if applicable.  We have a policy to assess the problem area, then ask you to replace your clothes, but still giving us room to examine you and treat you effectively.  We are all used to seeing bodies and will make you as comfortable as possible.  If you still feel uncomfortable with this, you could choose to specifically see a male or female osteopath or you could bring a chaperone.  If we need to provide a chaperone, let us know.

What treatment will be used?

Osteopaths have many manual techniques at their fingertips which they can use to make you better.  Your osteopath will discuss with you the options of the techniques before using them.  If it is appropriate and you give your permission for us to proceed, we would give you a treatment at this stage.  Often the first treatment is short so that we can use it as a test bed for further treatments.  If osteopathy is not the treatment of choice we will point you in the right direction.  If you need further investigation e.g. X-rays, we will arrange this or write to your GP on your behalf.

Structural Osteopathy

This type of osteopathy involves:

Soft tissue work (a skilled form of massage)

Articulation techniques – where the joints are repeatedly encouraged to move

Joint Manipulation – these techniques bring about a change in the movement of a joint and also can calm an area down.  They can be carried out on any joint on the body and just like when you flex your fingers can produce an audible click.

Muscle Energy Techniques – these can be used to allow the body to reset the tone in a muscle

Inhibitory Techniques – these are used to encourage muscle to let go

Traction – we use only that which we can induce with our hands, so this is milder than a machine can give.

Cranial osteopathy

Covers a set of osteopathic techniques for the whole body which takes into account the motion of the individual cranial bones and an involuntary regular pulse throughout the whole body. The techniques involve small movements of the practitioner’s hands which help improve blood and lymph flow and cerebrospinal fluid.  The techniques are subtle and gentle and therefore are suitable for new-born babies through all ages to the very elderly.

How long will my appointment last?

Your telephone consultation is a very variable time depending on the complexity of your case history. Generally they take about 15-20 minutes. The face to face consultation takes up to half an hour, subsequent appointments will be half an hour. These times are allocated to allow for discussion, removal of any necessary clothing, examination and most importantly treatment. It includes time for your osteopath to write up your notes. The length of appointments may vary as sometimes discussion time and removal of clothing is not necessary. Osteopaths are experienced allied health professionals and would not wish to over treat, particularly if your condition is sensitive or in the treatment of babies and young children.

If you are pregnant

Please talk to your practitioner ahead of making your first appointment

Exercises

As osteopaths, we will give you advice on lifestyle and what you can do and not do to aid recovery.  Sometimes we will give you exercises, some of which may be Pilates based.

Post treatment

Most people go on to find that they improve after treatment.  A minority find that they can ache for 24-36 hours after treatment before feeling better.  If you are worried, please contact us, we do wish to know.  We can then give you advice or perhaps you may need to come back in sooner for reassessment.

  1. Will I be able to drive after treatment?
  2. If you are fit to drive to your appointment, you should be fit to drive away after. Cranial treatment can cause you to feel temporarily dizzy and may need you to pause for ½ hour before driving.
  3. What if my pain comes back after my course of treatment?
  4. Please ring and book an appointment so we can reassess what has happened to you. We do tend to write to your doctor after your first visit unless you advise us otherwise.

With children, some sleep all the way home, others are more alert. Should you be worried post treatment, please do contact us.

Corona Virus 30th May 2022 Update

Since the 30th May the English government have removed the requirement for face masks to be worn. We will continue to assess the risk of infection of any type and apply mitigations which in our professional opinion are deemed appropriate to protect either you as the patient or us as the osteopath. We would like you to continue to wash or sanitise your hands.. All bed linen and towels have been removed from the clinic.

Complaints procedure

We hope that you will have an outstanding experience of care and treatment at Kendal house Clinic as others have had in the previous thirty years. In the unlikely event that you have to complain, please in the first instance go back to the Osteopath you have seen. If this is not satisfactory or possible then please talk to Robin or Hilary Percival the senior partners who will give you advice on how to proceed.

Babies and children

We treat lots of babies and children using mainly cranial osteopathic techniques .It is very possible to feed your baby via bottle or breast at your consultation. Treatment can carry on while your infant is feeding. Please do bring soothers, toys for your children to play with and a small clean cot blanket. It is unfortunately not possible to use our toys and books at the time of the corona virus.

At your first appointment we need to find out all about your child and the problems they are experiencing. We need to ask you and your child questions that will help formulate a diagnosis; this is also likely to include a history of the child’s birth and their past medical history.

Children and young people under the age of 16 should be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. It is very useful if the mother is able to give us details about the birth and formative years.

 

Updated June 2022