The following are common questions and answers about a visit with us at Osteopathic Care. Please contact us with any further questions you may have here.
Ahead of your visit, please log in to your portal account and complete the relevant tabs (on the right hand side), including: My Account Details, Questionnaires (New Patient Adult or New Patient Pediatric), My Medications, My Supplements, My Allergies, etc. This will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete.
Please bring any relevant medical records with you including lab tests, xrays and MRIs.
Wear comfortable clothing (loose, light-weight) and please bring and wear your mask.
If possible, please schedule other treatments, including massage, acupuncture, physical therapy, or homeopathy at least 2-3 days after your osteopathic appointment to allow your system adequate time to fully respond to each treatment before the next is introduced.
During your visit, we will review your completed new patient information and complete an initial exam, including an osteopathic structural exam. For much of the visit, the patient lies on the table while diagnosis and treatment occur.
Osteopathic treatment is generally quite gentle, as I go at “tissue speed” with my hands to listen to your body’s unique history of stresses and strains and work to remove and release old patterns of function in the bones, muscles, organs, fascia, central nervous system, etc to allow a new pattern of function to emerge. Most patients find treatment to be quite relaxing and enjoyable.
After an osteopathic treatment, your body requires some time to integrate the changes made during the treatment. Occasionally, some patients will have a mild treatment reaction, experienced as soreness for 1-2 days afterward. For 2-3 days following your visit, it is helpful to:
Drink plenty of water
Rest
Avoid vigorous exercise
Avoid other treatments including, physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, etc.
Healing time is subject to many factors, so this will vary from patient to patient. Depending on the underlying issue, acute adult concerns, infants, and children often respond quite quickly, such as in 1-2 treatments. Generally the more chronic the issue or injury pattern, the longer the healing time may take.
Initial patients often come in weekly for 2-3 weeks, then as your body begins to respond to the treatment, we can schedule appointments less frequently, perhaps every 2-3 weeks. On average, you should expect to see some signs of improvement within three to five treatments.
If desired, after your initial recovery, quarterly or bi-annual visits can be helpful to maintain your wellness.
Watching OMM and cranial osteopathy occur can be likened to watching someone read a book. From the outside, it looks like nothing may be happening; however, as the person reading the book, you can see a whole world of structure, tensions, restrictions, depth, and release. The story continues to unfold as the ‘book’ is read.
In any osteopathic treatment, the osteopathic practitioner is connected to the living anatomy of the patient before her. She listens carefully with her hands so that the patient’s body can tell the story of what has happened and direct the treatment. The osteopathic practitioner is guided by these living forces to support a re-balance or release within areas of strain or dysfunction. The patient’s body uses these moments of re-balance to return to a new state of healthy physiology. All of this happens during the course of the treatment, even though the patient may not be consciously aware of feeling some or any of these changes right in the moment.
I have not signed contracts with any insurance companies so my services are reimbursed as an out-of-network provider. We do not bill your insurance; however, we will provide you with a detailed super-bill after each visit. You may submit the super-bill to your insurance company to be reimbursed directly. The amount of reimbursement you receive will depend on your policy with your insurance company. Some patients receive full reimbursements, some receive partial reimbursements, while others count it towards their yearly deductibles. This will depend upon your insurance company and individual plan.