Have you ever wondered what is the most important part of an osteopathic appointment?

We know our patients who come to see us, by and large look forward to treatment, particularly when they are getting hands-on osteopathic care.

To be honest, as a practitioner, this is the part that I spend the most time honing and expanding my knowledge and skills on, as I too find this very valuable.

But believe it or not, this is not the most important part of the consultation with my patients (in my opinion), and let me tell you why.

PRESENTING COMPLAINT AND CASE HISTORY TAKING

Taking a great and detailed history is extremely important for a whole number of reasons.

1. We want to get to know what’s wrong

This may sound obvious, or if you come in limping, bent over or in a cast, it may seem like we should already know.

The simple fact is, we need to know what’s wrong, what happened, what if any tests you have had, and if you’re on any medications (plus lots more).

2. We want to know what your goals are

You will have a specific reason as to why you have decided to get treatment now and what you want/wish you were doing. This helps us work together to help you achieve what it is that you want.

3. We want to get to know you

Our philosophy is to provide the best possible care tailored to each person and the only way we can do that is to really get to know you personally.

If we don’t know what’s wrong, your medical history, the goals or expectations or get to know you, we have no chance in giving you a good treatment.

But before we do that, we need to do something very important.

ASSESS YOU SO WE CAN MAKE A DIAGNOSIS

Before we treat you, we need to complete a comprehensive assessment, which may include a variety of different things.

We may need to check your most vital signs (such as your blood pressure), perform special tests (such as orthopaedic testing to rule out specific medical conditions, such as a nerve impingement, disc bulge, muscle tear etc.).

Other special tests such as neurological testing (testing the function of your nerves) or for example an abdominal examination, to determine if your pain is coming from an internal organ may also be very important.

In some instances, we may need to send you for a test, such as an x-ray or MRI for more information.

This helps us to determine your diagnosis.

MANAGEMENT PLAN

Once we have a diagnosis, we can work together to come up with an appropriate plan to support you on your pathway to recovery.

This may include treatment, exercise rehabilitation, specific lifestyle advice, a referral to another professional whom you would benefit from seeing, as well as specific information about your condition and what else you can do to help yourself.

And this is why I believe this is the most important part of your consultation.

It is your pathway to making the progress that you are after.

Our passion is to help you get great results, as quickly and efficiently as possible.

And to do that, we need a plan.

TREATMENT

What many of our patients don’t know is, we tailor our treatment specifically for you and it often varies from person to person.

Even if you have the same symptoms, you may not have the same diagnosis.

Or you may have very different health profiles, which would then change our advice regarding what is right for you at this time.

There are instances where people like a specific style of treatment (such as cracking) where we would not do this on some people. This could be age-related, specific medication use, or if you have particular medical conditions, it could be ill-advised or downright contraindicated.

In this instance, not only would we not recommend a certain treatment, the practitioner would decline performing it if asked.

This is a sign that you are seeing a highly skilled professional, someone who won’t just do something because you like it, but rather because it is not in your best interest.

In this scenario, would it not only be dangerous for you, but also for the practitioner.

If something went wrong or you had a bad side effect, you wouldn’t be very happy, and neither would your Osteopath.

We always explain why we would or wouldn’t perform a particular technique or approach with you.

It’s all about consent, just like we wouldn’t perform a technique you don’t like, we won’t perform one that we are not comfortable with.

And like we said, we want you to get great results and exceed your expectations, helping you find more health in your body.

Every part of your osteopathic appointment is important, but I believe the most important is where we plan your pathway to recovery.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about what you think is the most important part of an osteopathic appointment and why, get in touch with us at any time.