This article examines the “follow up appointment(s)” and the reason why it is important to try to keep on track with your visits to the osteopath and adhere as much as possible to the exercises prescribed.

As a healthcare practitioner your osteopath will have your best interest in mind at all times. The aim is getting you back to a high standard of quality of life in terms of ability to perform daily activities and more in the most efficient way possible.

The aim is achieving the state of no pain or pain management without a high intake of pain killers resulting in a healthier lifestyle (and liver!).

At the start of your journey towards health, your osteopath will assess you, formulate a diagnosis and a treatment plan. The latter is usually based on your symptoms, presenting problem, your age and predicted recovery rate.

Between sessions, your osteopath might give you exercises to strengthen an area or perhaps give you stretches and mobility exercises to make a part of the body more mobile.

These are essential to carry out both to speed up the recovery and keep up the good work achieved in the treatment room.

It is not uncommon for patients to either forget the exercises or simply avoid doing them entirely!

It’s generally not a problem, usually resulting in a slower time of recovery but in some cases it might predispose patients to reverting back to pain in the long run (for example an area of the body needed strengthening to avoid certain patterns of movement that made the pain come about in the first place).

As a patient you are encouraged to actively take part in the treatment process and plan, so that your osteopath will be able to tailor the treatment specifically to you making it unique.

Furthermore a good strategy to stay healthy is maintenance. Prevention is key, and often a revelation to those who chose this modality of healthcare. Taking care of the body is essential to keep each and every component of our perfect machine running at its best so it can take on any problem that might arise.

We do stress that there is a difference between having maintenance versus being dependent on treatment.  Some people exercise religiously on their own, whilst others benefit from exercising with others or with a trainer.  If you have a lifestyle which means you sit a lot or place strains on your body, maintenance treatment can identify potential issues such as tight or weaken muscles, stiff joints and thus prevent problems from building up to a point of breakdown.

Here at Spinex we like to make sure that each and every patient is satisfied and that we have delivered the best possible care. That’s why our patients are always being heard and understood. The establishment of a therapeutic alliance is the first step to success.

If you have paiu and would like to do something about it (finally!), we’re here to help.

Call us on 02071004598 or book an initial consultation online.

Guglielmo (Will) Loleo
Osteopath