You’ve chosen to visit an osteopath to get better. So you need to give your body the chance it deserves to get better. It is extremely unlikely that the aches and pains of your body can be completely treated within one treatment. One osteopathy treatment isn’t simply a magic bullet with a 100% success rate. Even if you feel great coming out of your initial treatment, your body is a creature of habit and will often switch back to its old ways, causing your joints and muscles to revert to previous positions.

Your Osteopathy Treatment Follow ups are Essential

Osteopathy focuses on the structural integrity of your body’s muscular skeletal system. Your first osteopathic treatment aims to diagnose your condition, assess your treatment options and begin treatment. The actual treatment phrase will often reposition or manipulate your muscles and joints to retain them to perform in the best position. Some conditions can be successfully treated in only two treatments, others may need three or more. It just depends on how well your body responds to the osteopathic treatment.

I don’t like wasting money. And I’m sure you don’t either. But let me give you a tip – if you only commit to one osteopathic treatment, you’ve wasted your money. There’s no point. If you’re looking to achieve long term pain relief you need to attend your second osteopathic treatment. Your follow up treatment allows your osteopath to observe your body’s response to its first treatment, then make any changes necessary to further enhance your treatment result.

Everyone’s different. And everyone responds differently to treatments. The follow up treatment will assess how you respond to treatment and will make any adaptations necessary to give you the longer term result you’re looking for.

As a general rule, less serious conditions that have only been present for a few days require less treatments than chronic longer term conditions.  As with all health related questions, treatment estimates will vary from individual to individual. Your osteopath will discuss your needs during your treatment.

Is that why my Osteopath Books me in for a Second Treatment When I’m Feeling fine?

Yes. Sometimes people feel perfect after a treatment. And that’s great.  However there are limits to how your body responds and reacts after one treatment. In most cases your first osteopathy treatment often  gives just temporary relief. Therefore, if you opt to miss your follow up treatment, your pain will usually return shortly. Hence, committing to one osteopathy treatment is a waste of money.

Generally the first treatment will offer pain relief for about for only 3-4 days, after which your muscles and connective tissues revert back to where your body’s ‘memory cells’ tell them they should be. This is when the vicious pain cycle returns. Your osteopath is acutely aware of these ‘memory cells’ and targets their positioning in your follow up treatment

This is important to understand. You’ve made a commitment to see an osteopath to achieve long term pain relief. Long term pain relieve cannot be extinguished in one treatment.

How Can I Best Aid my Recovery?

It is important for you to take any advice that your osteopath gives you and do it. If your osteopath recommends that you regularly exercise or stretch, ensure that you do. Each time you do, you are one step closer to longer term pain relief. This will help your body to recover from any kind of strain or injury. The less you contribute, the longer your recovery will be.