At the first consultation, the osteopath will compile a full case history of your symptoms, as well as asking for information about your lifestyle and diet.  The osteopath may also observe you making some simple movements to help them make a diagnosis.  You will usually be asked to remove some clothing near the area of the body to be examined.

Osteopaths are trained to examine areas of the body using a highly-developed sense of touch, known as palpation, to determine conditions and identify the body's points of weakness or excessive strain.  Osteopathy is a 'package' of care that includes skilled mobilising and manipulative techniques, reinforced by guidance on diet and exercise.

The osteopath will discuss with you the most appropriate treatment plan, estimating the likely number of sessions needed to treat your condition effectively.  If the osteopath thinks that your condition is unlikely to respond to osteopathic treatment, you will be advised about how to seek further care.  Osteopaths are skilled in diagnostic techniques and trained to identify when a patient needs to be referred to a GP.

The removal of clothes for osteopathic treatment is useful but is by no means essential, a patient can reduce the need to remove clothes by wearing or bringing with them appropriate clothing, for example a vest top and shorts would allow 99%  of treatments to occur without issues.

Most essential is that the osteopath can reach the area, so a polo neck top for a neck and shoulder treatment would be very awkward, but a vest top would be perfect.

Yes, Simon Irwin has trained in both Cranial and Structural approaches in how to treat babies and children, and is happy to treat both.

In general, the first treatment lasts about 40 minutes, and subsequent treatments around half an hour.  Your first appointment is usually slightly longer to allow for a full case history to be taken.

But your appointment length will vary depending on what you require treating, some conditions take shorter periods of time some longer.

At Irwin Osteopathy our initial consultation costs £38 and follow ups £33

Price varies for home visits and there is a reduced rate for babies and children.

Currently, access to osteopathy on the NHS is limited, but services are becoming more widespread as commissioning authorities recognise the benefits of providing osteopathy to patients.  We don’t currently have an NHS arrangement at Irwin Osteopathy but we are looking to do this in the future if the local primary care trust / GP commissioning groups make it available as an option to us, so all we can say is speak to your GP and/or contact the local primary care trust, if they are pressurised by patients enough in the future it might become an option.

Simon Irwin at Irwin Osteopathy is registered with numerous private health insurance companies and many private health insurance policies provide cover for osteopathic treatment, but not all.  It may be possible to claim for a course of treatment but you should check in advance with your insurance company before seeking osteopathic treatment, in order to confirm the available level of cover and whether you will need to have a referral from your GP or a specialist.

If you require a practitioners number for Simon please contact us and we shall provide it happily, you should bring your membership number and authorisation  code with you to your first consultation if you intend for us to claim directly for your treatment, otherwise you may be asked to pay and claim back the cost yourself.
  
Please note not all insurance companies have the same policies and it is your responsibility to check your policy coverage not your osteopaths.

Osteopathy is a primary care profession, focusing on the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal disorders, and the effects of these conditions on patients' general health.

Using many of the diagnostic procedures applied in conventional medical assessment, osteopaths seek to restore the optimal functioning of the body, where possible without the use of drugs or surgery.  Osteopathy is based on the principle that the body has the ability to heal, and osteopathic care focuses on strengthening the musculoskeletal systems to treat existing conditions and to prevent illness.

Osteopaths' patient-centred approach to health and well-being means they consider symptoms in the context of the patient's full medical history, as well as their lifestyle and personal circumstances.  This holistic approach ensures that all treatment is tailored to the individual patient.

Osteopathy focuses on the diagnosis, management, treatment and prevention of musculoskeletal and other related disorders without the use of drugs or surgery.  Commonly treated conditions include back and neck pain, postural problems, sporting injuries, muscle and joint deterioration, restricted mobility and occupational ill-health.

Most patients 'self refer' to an osteopath for treatment.  Although referral by a GP is not necessary, patients are encouraged to keep both their GP and osteopath fully informed, so that their medical records are current and complete and the patient receives the best possible care from both healthcare practitioners.
 

Yes.  GPs refer patients to osteopaths where they believe this intervention would be beneficial.  Referral guidelines are provided by the General Medical Council and British Medical Association.

Yes we do offer Home visits, there is a higher rate of charge for this service as it would require a minimum of double the osteopaths standard time to attend the appointment. The rate charged would depend on the distance the osteopath has to travel to attend the appointment, please enquire for a more specific price.

All osteopaths must be registered with the General Osteopathic Council.  You can use the Register to check whether your health professional is currently registered.

 

The title 'osteopath' is protected by law, and only those included on the Register are entitled to practise as osteopaths.  Unregistered practice is a criminal offence in the UK.

The date an osteopath was first registered with the General Osteopathic Council can be seen in the 'Practitioner Details' on the Register.

Undergraduate students follow a four or five-year degree course combining academic and clinical work. Qualification generally takes the form of a bachelor’s degree in osteopathy – a BSc(Hons), BOst or BOstMed – or a masters degree in osteopathy (MOst). Many osteopaths continue their studies after graduating.
  
Osteopaths are required to update their training throughout their working lives. They must complete at least 30 hours of Continuing Professional Development per year.

The standards of osteopathic training and practice are maintained and developed by the General Osteopathic Council, the profession’s statutory regulator established under the Osteopaths Act 1993.

Revalidation is the process by which osteopaths will have to demonstrate to us that they are up to date and fit to practise, and meet the relevant professional standards.

The General Osteopathic Council are in the process of developing our revalidation scheme, which they plan to introduce in 2014.

All healthcare regulators are required by the Government to develop a scheme for revalidating their registrants. For further information see our Revalidation page.

All osteopaths are expected to have a complaints procedure in place in their practice to address patient concerns.

Irwin Osteopathy’s policy is to firstly express your concerns / raise your questions with the Osteopath, if you feel they are not fully answered or you do not feel comfortable asking the osteopath directly in the first place then we invite you to approach the British Osteopathic Association directly and they will answer your questions or advise you how to take the matter further if required.

British Osteopathic Association – www.osteopathy.org.uk Tel: 01582 488455     

Contraidications for treatment (please note this is not an absolute list and many of these can still allow treatment as long as the practitioner is aware):

Local Contraindications: (treatment can proceed with these conditions on unaffected areas of the body). Before treatment begins, the therapist should be informed of any of these conditions. There will be cases where the practitioner will require a release from your doctor prior to the treatment.

These are particular situations where massage and bodywork to a specific or local area will not be warranted. These include, but are not limited to the areas of a:

Acute inflammation

Broken bone /over a non-consolidating fracture

Recent surgery

Inflammation of the skin

Varicosities (varicose veins) over sites with deep vein thrombosis

Local contagious conditions

Blood clots

Open wound or sore

Local irritable skin conditions

Undiagnosed lump

Acute lesion

Malignancy / over sites of active cancer

Skin infection

Tumor (secondary).

Acute flare-up of rheumatoid arthritis

Recent burn

Phlebitis (inflammation of a vein)

Phlebothrombosis (thrombosis is the formation of a clot; in veins that develop thrombosis, the veins are known to have phlebitis)

Arteritis (condition in which inflammation of the arteries occurs)

The therapist should be informed before treatment begins of any of these conditions. It is always important that the client inform the practitioner of their current health status. However treatment may proceed in the presence of these conditions on other unaffected areas of the body. There will be cases where the practitioner will require a release from your doctor prior to the treatment.


Complete Contraindications:

Clients experiencing the following illnesses or conditions recently should NOT get Massage therapy, but Osteopathy may be allowed; these include, but are not limited to:

Burns (severe)

Infectious disease

Anaphylaxis (life threatening allergic reaction)

Appendicitis (painful inflamed appendix)

Cerebrocardiovascular accident (stroke)

Insulin shock or Diabetic coma

Epileptic seizure (convulsions)

Myocardial infarction (heart attack)

Pneumothorax (air or gas within the chest cavity around the lung)

Atelectasis (a collapsed portion of the lung which does not contain air)

Severe asthmatic attack

Syncope (fainting or loss of consciousness)

Acute pneumonia

Advanced kidney failure, respiratory failure, or liver failure (a very modified treatment may be possible with medical consent)

Diabetic complications such as gangrene, advanced heart or kidney disease, or very unstable high blood pressure

Eclampsia (a severe form {life threatening} of pregnancy-induced hypertension resulting in seizures)

Hemophilia *severe type (a hereditary bleeding disorder)

*under a Doctors’ care & taking corrective prophylaxis those with moderate hemophilia receive modified massage therapy.

Hemorrhage (involves rapid and uncontrollable loss of blood

Arthrosclerosis (severe forms of stiffening or hardening of the joints

Hypertension (unstable) (conditions that are not stable i.e., post stroke or heart attack)

Medical shock (a life-threatening medical emergency and one of the leading causes of death for critically ill people: the body reacts, and
produces insufficient blood flow to reach the body tissues)

Fever above 38.5 degree C or 101.5 F (significant)

Some highly metastic cancers (diagnosed not to be terminal)

Systemic contagious or Infectious conditions