How Many Times Should You See Your Osteopath

17 May How Many Times Should You See Your Osteopath

‘How many sessions will it take?’…’ When should I come back?’… ‘Do I need to come back?’…

These are some of the most common questions asked by patients after a consultation with an osteopath. Unfortunately depending on the nature of the injury and the person, the answer may vary. The good news is one of the strongest skills Osteopaths develop is knowing when to treat and when not treat.

Can one session do the trick?

YES – With their strong diagnostic skills Osteopaths can quickly determine simple injuries and get to the root cause. However during your first visit it is important that the osteopath builds a picture of what is going on with your body. Therefore even with simple injuries it may still be recommended that the patient has another session wholly focused on treatment.

What if a patient still doesn’t feel quite right?

There are times patients will feel better after a few treatments but still not quite the same level as before. During your clinic sessions osteopaths will normally give some advice such as exercises for the patient to do away from the clinic. If there is still no improvement then Osteopaths will look to refer you to another healthcare professional such as your GP to determine a more suitable treatment.

Acute Patients Vs Chronic Patients

People attending clinic shortly after injury come under the category of acute patients; whilst they may present in more discomfort they also tend to respond quite early needing fewer treatments.

People who have long term injuries come under the category of chronic patients, they tend to present with less intense discomfort but respond slower to treatment. They benefit from more treatment sessions of a longer period of time.

Coming for a check up or maintance

Due to many factors there may be times when old injuries that had resolved return, therefore in order to prevent them from escalating it is often advised that patients see there Osteopath maybe one or two times in the year just keep on top things.

Just like for any motor vehicle, there is no need for an MOT or service every week.

So if you would like to arrange your bodies ‘MOT’ or just have more questions about how many treatment sessions please feel free to contact us or leave a comment.