A .The osteopath will have assessed your condition and be monitoring your response during treatment both verbally and through your reactions. For acute and inflamed conditions treatment will be as gentle as possible to illicit pain relief. With skilled handling and consideration most patients feel a lot better having had treatment.

A .When you visit an osteopath for the first time a full medical history will be taken and you will be given a physical examination. You will normally be asked to perform a simple series of movements so that the mobility of your body can be evaluated. Any points of postural imbalance, excess strain, weakness or specific injury will be identified. The musculo-skeletal assessment will be considered alongside lifestyle factors such as work and leisure activities to enable a full diagnosis to be made and a treatment plan to be determined. Osteopaths use their hands both to discover the underlying causes of discomfort and to carry out treatment using a variety of non-invasive techniques. After treatment, an osteopath can give advice on maintaining a realistic level of health and avoidance of things that may be damaging. For example, remedial exercise to adjust posture or advice on diet and lifestyle can be given as part of a personal healthcare programme. At this clinic the practitioners believe that their patients should have an understanding of their condition, so patients are given information and explanations at all stages of treatment. The prognosis and expected duration of treatment is also discussed by the patient and osteopath. Where necessary the patient is advised on how best they may include specific exercises, hydrotherapy etc. This not only affords the patient general independence but also reduces the number of treatment sessions required.

A .A government bill was passed in 1993 and from May 2000 all osteopaths will have had to pass a stringent acceptance procedure to become a member of the General Osteopathic Council. All osteopaths are also required by law to be insured, to protect both the public and themselves.