How to Find an Osteopath

So you’ve done your research, or your friend has told you “You must go to an osteopath for your back pain or neck pain”. But how do you find an osteopath? There are so many options out there.

Ask Friends and Family For Recommendations

Firstly, start with your family and friends. The best osteopathic practitioners are often the ones who your peers rave about. Chances are you hang out with people you trust. If they’ve had good experiences (or even poor experiences), your friends and family are your best port of call. Just remember to ask why they recommend their osteopath. Take their recommendation with a grain of salt if they can’t pinpoint the exact reason for seeing their regular osteopath.

Who’s Your Local Osteopath?

If your family/ friends haven’t visited an osteopath (or an osteopath nearby), try researching your closest practitioners in your neighbourhood. The Internet is an easy way to start. Simply Google a few terms and compare multiple osteopathic clinics.

Take into account a practices location, hours, treatment costs and how professional their website and location seems. These are all great credibility factors which will help in your decision.  You may find that the look and feel of a website may lead you to prefer a practitioner over another.

What to Look For When Choosing an Osteopath?

Be aware that your body responds to treatments differently to other people. You can’t know how many treatments you will need before a practitioner has looked at you. Try and avoid clinics selling you multiple treatments in advance. This can save you a lot of money if you find the problem was a simple fix.

A great guide is: 10 Questions to ask your osteopath

Make sure the practitioner is registered with their regulatory body. In the case of osteopaths, this is with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). AHPRA is a a government body formed to look after patient interests. You can do a simple practitioner lookup on their website if you feel a practitioner doesn’t seem 100% legitimate.

In a similar vain, if the practitioner is registered with their professional association, then you will know that they have a level of qualification, continuing education and professional development opportunities at their disposal.

Our South Yarra Osteopath clinic sees a wide variety of patients and we are sure we can help you regain or maintain your optimal health too.