Frequently Asked Questions

The initial consultation lasts one hour and includes examination and treatment.

To help diagnose the cause of your complaint the osteopath will:

• Ask questions about your problem, including your general health, and medical background.
• Examine the health of your joints, tissues and ligaments using their hands.
• To allow your osteopath to examine you properly you may be asked to remove some of your clothing.  Tell your osteopath if you are uncomfortable with this.
• Any information you provide will be confidential.
• Patients under the age of 18 years must be accompanied by suitable chaperone.

To enable your osteopath to carry out a postural assessment you may need to undress to your underwear.  However, if you are not comfortable with this it is perfectly acceptable to wear shorts above the knee or leggings.

Not necessarily, but because of the physical nature of the treatment, you may feel sore in the first 24-48 hours after treatment. Your osteopath will explain any likely reactions that you could expect and may suggest using an ice pack for patients who come to the clinic in a lot of pain. If you have any concerns please feel free to call the clinic on 078303 12119 to ask for advice.

How many osteopathy appointments you will need will vary according to individual circumstances.  It will depend on how long you have had the pain, the cause of the pain, (is it a muscle strain, a disc issue, postural pain etc.)  Your age, general health and lifestyle. 

As a general guideline, patients with acute back pain may need 2-4 sessions over a few weeks.  Chronic back pain that has persisted for months may take 4-6 sessions.  Lifestyle is important, however, and it should be noted that patients with unhealthy habits, such as smokers or heavy drinkers often take longer to improve.

Referral by your doctor is not necessary before you come to see an osteopath. However, you are encouraged to keep your GP fully informed, so that your medical records are current and complete. This will ensure your receive the best possible care from both health professionals. With your permission, your osteopath may send a report to your GP with details of your condition and treatment.

Osteopaths undergo a rigorous four year training course and are trained to check for serious medical conditions.  If your osteopath suspects pathology may be the cause of your pain they will advise you to see your GP for further examination. In such a case your osteopath will provide your GP with a letter outlining his findings.

At Stillpoint Osteopathy Clinic, our aim is to get you back to your full potential as quickly as we can, so we certainly hope you won’t have any complaints.

However, sometimes things don’t go quite according to plan.   Everybody is different and some patients improve more quickly than others.  Furthermore, improvement is not always progressive, that is, sometimes a patient’s pain may briefly worsen, although, with the right treatment plan most patient’s symptoms tend to improve over time.

Perhaps you felt sore after your treatment, or perhaps your osteopath used a technique that you didn’t expect and you feel this might have aggravated your complaint?

Rest assured that it is not uncommon for patients to feel sore for up to 48 hours after treatment, this is because the manipulations performed during treatment can sometimes cause micro-trauma to muscle fibres.  This is a normal part of the healing process, similar to the soreness experienced after vigorous exercise; this soreness is usually temporary and indicates the body is adapting to the changes made during the session.

What to do if you would like to make a complaint?

The first thing to do is let us know as soon as possible.  It is always better to talk on the phone, or better still to come in to the clinic so that your osteopath, or the Practice Manager Chris, can listen to your concerns and better understand the situation.

Here’s what we will aim to do once we hear about your complaint (this might take a couple of days):

• We’ll look into your case notes and/or speak to the osteopath concerned to find out what happened.
• We’ll arrange a meeting either face to face or over the phone to discuss your complaint.
• We’ll try to work out what we can do to ensure that a similar problem does not arise again.

Here’s how to contact us:

By Telephone: 078303 12119

 By Email: stillpointosteopathyclinic@gmail.com

 By Letter: Practice Manager, Stillpoint Osteopathy Clinic, 29 Shirley Avenue, Denton.  M34 2LW

Whichever method you use, we will make sure that your concern is recorded in your case notes, and we will try to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

The Institute of Osteopathy

If you still don’t feel that your complaint has been resolved to your satisfaction you can talk to an independent source about it by ringing the Institute of Osteopathy on 01582 488455, or email enquiries@iOsteopathy.org.

The institute of Osteopathy is the representative body for UK osteopaths and they have a very successful record of helping patients who have concerns about their treatment.

The General Osteopathic Council

The highest authority for osteopaths is the General Osteopathic Council, a statutory body, set up by Act of Parliament to regulate the profession.  If your complaint is very serious, or concerns safety then you have the option of making a formal complaint to the GOsC.

You can do this through their website (www.osteopathy.org.uk/standards/complaints/) or by phone on 0207 357 6655.

Please note that the General Osteopathic Council cannot award compensation.