As with any healthcare appointment, it may be necessary for your osteopath to ask you to remove some clothing. This is so they can see and touch the areas of the body causing you concern. Your osteopath will want you to feel at ease, therefore if you feel uncomfortable undressing to your underwear, your osteopath may be able to suggest wearing clothing, such as shorts and a t-shirt, or close-fitting garments, that will enable them to work effectively, so please do discuss this with them.

You may wish to seek treatment from an osteopath of the same sex as yourself. You are also welcome to ask a friend or relative to accompany you and be present throughout your appointment.

Treatment is tailored to suit each individual patient. Osteopaths use their hands to carry out a wide variety of treatment techniques. The techniques utilised depend very much on the severity of the problem, fragility of the tissues, age and anxiety of the patient. They include muscle and connective tissue stretching and massage, joint articulations and traction. Manipulation or high velocity thrust techniques (which sometimes produce an audible click) are used to improve the movement at a joint that is restricted. Very gentle releasing techniques including cranial osteopathy are also used, especially when treating children or elderly patients.

As a general rule osteopathic techniques are chosen to best suit the individual patient and their complaint. The Osteopath aims to make the patient as comfortable as possible at all times during the treatment. Some techniques can feel a bit uncomfortable or sore but not cause pain. If your tissues are tense and sore, it may be uncomfortable at first to have them stretched and relaxed, especially if they have been tense for a long time. Some patients can feel some mild aching or a slightly “bruised” feeling after treatment, for the next 24-48hrs, but this is not unusual and therefore is nothing to worry about. The Osteopath will give advice to help ease these symptoms.

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

Many private health insurance policies provide cover for osteopathic treatment. 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.

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.

All osteopaths must be registered with the General Osteopathic Council. You can use the Register to check whether your health professional is currently registered. Can anyone call themselves an osteopath?

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. Who sets the standards of training and practice for osteopaths?

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.

If you have concerns about the competence or the professional conduct of your osteopath, and you have been unable to resolve the issue satisfactorily with the osteopath, or their employer, the General Osteopathic Council will advise on the next steps to take under a formal complaints procedure.