Frequently Asked Questions
For those who have never seen an Osteopath before, it’s common to have questions and concerns about your treatment. If there’s anything you are unsure about, the best thing to do is speak to our team.
Osteopathy is a form of hands on manual therapy that is designed to help improve movement and reduce pain in people of all ages.
Osteopathy doesn’t rely on medications or surgery as part of your treatment plan, instead it uses a range of techniques from soft tissue release, joint articulation, which is a gentle, rhythmical approach to improve joint function, stretching techniques and joint manipulation to help you get up and about as quickly as possible.
This is difficult to answer until we have discussed your condition and I have examined you. As a rule of thumb, the longer that you have had your problem, the more treatments you will need. However, everybody responds to treatment in different ways, one patient will respond to treatment really quickly, while the next patient might take a little longer.
On average patients usually need 3 to 6 treatments.It is not unusual for patients to call in for treatment once or twice a year for a maintenance treatment to avoid flare ups, almost like a tune up.
It is likely that I will ask you to dress down to your underwear while I exam and treat you. This is because it is important that I can assess your posture and how well your spine and joints move.
I appreciate that some patients may be uncomfortable with level of undress so running shorts or yoga pants and a vest or running top are perfectly suitable.
Absolutely. You can bring anybody you like with you to sit in on the consultation. There is a limited amount of space in the treatment room and it would be appreciated if you would one ask one person to accompany you. Should you need to bring your children with you, that is fine also.
If you are taking any medications, please bring along a copy of your prescriptions. Also, if you have any relevant X-rays, scans or reports from other specialists or consultants that are relevant to you complaint please bring them with you.
Most of the techniques I use are very gentle but a few are a little stronger and can lead to some stiffness and/or soreness after the treatment. This is a normal reaction to treatment and usually only lasts for 24 to 48 hours.
I will discuss which treatment techniques are suitable at the time of your treatment as some techniques are not applicable in all cases.
No, you do not need a referral from your GP, just make a call and in most cases can you can be treated within 48 hours.
Unfortunately we do not treat babies or toddlers. We do treat children from the age of 12 years old providing that mum or dad is present during the consultation.
St James Clinic
The building that St James Osteopathy is in does have disabled access. However, the practice is situated on the first floor and the only method of access is via a flight of stairs.
Castlefields Clinic
Castlefields Osteopathy is located on the ground floor of Pearl house, with access via a paved ramp from the carpark and a paved walkway to the front door. There are car parking spaces directly outside Castlefields Osteopathy and there are designated disabled parking spaces around the car park but are a little further away from the front door.
Our practitioner alternates between both clinics during the week, both are closed on weekends.
You can find opening times for St. James in our Stoke Clinic Timetable , and Castlefields in our Stafford Clinic Timetable. More information is available on both clinics on our About page.