top of page
"Dream big. Take action. And do more than what you get paid for"
Dr. Shahin Pourgol, MBA, DC, DO, DOMP, PhD, Professor, President of NAO, NUMSS
First visit
How to prepare? What to expect?
~
Please remember 10 important tips
Here is the case history form for the patient. For your convenience, you can download it right here and fill it up by yourself all the fields, that you are informed about, and give all inform consents that you are agree or not.
Through the first visit you can expect the following events:
1.
Inform consent.
To sign up the inform consent, where the main aspects of the forthcoming manual osteopathy treatment are discussed in advance.
4.
Physical examination.
You will have a physical examination in which your posture, flexibility, functional tests, reflexes and muscle strength and balance may all be checked. The practitioner will do detailed palpation (examination using a highly-developed sense of touch called palpation) of the painful area as well as other related parts of your body. This is to enable the manual osteopathic practitioner to understand better your current condition and treatment plan, which will be discussed with you, and your consent obtained before treatment begins.
7.
Undressing.
Remember undressing is not compulsory. Usually, you could be examined fully dressed, so please wear clothes you feel comfortable to move in. From the rational point of view, being able to see the problem area is a great help e.g. if you have an elbow problem it is useful for us to see the shoulder/neck as well, since the symptoms may be referred. If you feel uncomfortable about undressing, please immediately notify your manual osteopath about this.
10.
Post-treatment adaptation.
After treatment, you may feel tired and need to rest or sleep more. You could experience transient discomfort or an aggravation of your symptoms. This is a normal part of your body’s reaction to the treatment. If you are at all concerned about your reaction, please ask your practitioner. Remember that the sessions of manual osteopathy do not guarantee the healing of the disease but can contribute to this.
2.
Consultation.
The manual osteopath will make up the case history, by talking with you for 15-20 minutes as it’s important to get accurate information about the complains, current issue and symptoms, any medical history or medications and your general lifestyle. It’s also a good time to discuss your expectations and answer any questions that you may have.
5.
Treatment.
Treatment is mostly hands-on and consists of joint mobilizations, stretching techniques, soft tissue (looks like massage) techniques, cranial, visceral techniques, prolonged palpations called "body listening". However the style of treatment used is always a dialogue and if there are treatments you wish to avoid, we can work to your preferences. If appropriate, you may be given exercises or other lifestyle advice to augment the treatment between sessions.
8.
Rules.
Patients under 18 y.o. Note that children under 18 years must have an adult with them for their whole appointment. Parents having treatment are welcome to bring children into the treatment room if they will not be too distracting. A female patient has the right to ask for the presence of another person, husband, or relative during the procedure.
Thank you for your time.
Now you aware of your first visit
a lot
3.
Assessment.
Osteopathic science is about how all the parts of your body relate to each other. So if you come in with knee pain, they are likely going to look at more than your knee. Your practitioner might want to hear more amplified about different aspects of your life - such as what you eat, what you do for exercise, and how stressed you feel etc - as well as any symptoms that bother you. You may feel some of this is irrelevant to your problem, but please do not worry, the more your practitioner knows the easier it is for them to help.
6.
After treatment.
At the end of the visit, some finding could be discussed, that came to light during treatment and how it feels is best to progress. Manual osteopath could give you the advice to help you avoid injuries or diseases down the road. Prevention is a big part of the osteopathic approach. The practitioner may also provide education to help you manage your condition between treatments. This may include giving you advice about eating or lifestyle changes or exercises to do at home or work.
9.
Please.
Should you bring with you any relevant medical reports like (MRI, X-ray, any notes from referring specialists, etc). A manual osteopath can get acquainted with the results of medical tests, but he can not independently interpret them. Also, he may ask you before the treatment to visit other specialists (MD, Physiotherapist, Chiropractor, Athletic Therapist, Occupational Therapist, etc.)
Remember that the manual osteopath has the right to refuse the patient's treatment without explaining the reasons.
bottom of page