WHAT TO EXPECT

At Alpha Health we combine a number of different treatment methods to create a bespoke treatment designed around your needs and goals. Or Osteopaths are dedicated to helping you get back to doing the things you enjoy without pain, and take great pride in their success in doing so.

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Recently we have moved into our new clinic, with much larger, better equipped rooms. The new clinic will not only enable us to provide more appointments, but also to improve the standard of care we provide, with more space to complete examinations, and run through exercises with our patients. 

During the 4 year Masters degree course Osteopaths are taught a multitude of different ways in which to treat musculoskeletal problems. While training, Osteopaths are required to have completed 1000+ working in a clinical setting. This means even a newly qualified osteopath has a large amount of clinical experience when it comes to treating patients.

Osteopaths are required by law to be registered with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC). This registration is renewed annually, and requires all Osteopaths to complete 30 hours of continued professional development, essentially extra learning to keep up to date with the current best practise. The GOsC are the governing body of osteopaths in the UK, their function is to act as the quality control for all Osteopaths, making sure that every Osteopath has the required insurance and is fully capable and safe to treat.

So what exactly is Osteopathy?

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Osteopathy is a philosophy for diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal problems. We utilise the body’s capability to heal itself. We achieve this by using a number of techniques with our aim being to relieve you of your aches and pains as quickly as possible.

Firstly we will help to establish a diagnosis. We do this by asking a number of questions about your symptoms to gain an understanding of what may be causing it. During this process we take into account as many factors such as work, posture, previous injuries, age, maintaining factors and more. Following this we use a number of assessments  that may include active and passive movements, strength testing and orthopaedic examinations to help guide our diagnosis. You may be asked to dress down to your underwear or sports wear during this process, if you are uncomfortable at any point please let your practitioner know.

Once we have confirmed a diagnosis we can tailor a treatment plan based around your specific needs, this treatment plan may include:

- Soft tissue manipulation (massage)

- Articulation (mobilisation of a joint)

- Joint manipulation (the clicks and cracks you may have heard of)

- Stretching

- Muscle Energy Techniques

- Postural assessments and advice

- Exercise and rehabilitation programmes

- Lymphatic Drainage

- Lifestyle and exercise advice