Treatment Tips

For everyone:

If you are sick, PLEASE keep your appointment.  Osteopathy can help you to recover faster.  This includes your children.  If you or your child has a communicable disease (i.e., chicken pox) please call ahead so that we may make special arrangements to have you seen.

For your visit it is best to wear light weight, loose fitting, soft clothing for treatment (no jeans please). Light pants are better than skirts.

Our goal is to restore normal range of motion wherever possible.  This may not totally reduce or relieve pain during your visit.  However, the increase in motion will aid the body’s healing.  It may not reduce or eliminate the pain initially.  It can be compared to freeing a rusted door hinge – the first few movements may squeak, but as motion returns, so does ease of motion.

Because we are introducing movement into areas that were restricted, you may experience some pain as the tight muscles relax and blood flow increases.  This may occur any time within the first week after treatment.  If you experience pain, an increase in limberness may denote that it is a positive sign.  The pain is a result of the muscles being stretched with the increased range of motion.   If you experience pain and you feel that:

•The pain is from tight muscles– heat will help to ease it.  Apply heat for 20-30 minutes.  Constant heat produces swelling and therefore more pain.  Allow about an hour between applications of heat.  Repeat as often as necessary.

•The discomfort is more than just pain and not due to muscle tightness – ice may help.  Apply for 20-30 minutes, but not directly to bare skin – use a towel between your skin and the ice bag.  Wait an hour between applications.  Repeat as necessary.

In the first 12-24 hours after treatment avoid unnecessary lifting, bending and twisting, as well as intense exercise. I like to call it a “half day” – you either do half of the things you had scheduled, or you do all of them in twice the time. Athletes, performers, and those who do physical work may not be able to avoid the above activities, but will still generally benefit from treatment.

If possible allow at least 48 hours between this treatment and any other manual modality, including massage and acupuncture.  A treatment is much like dropping a pebble into a still pond, and I would like for the ripples to settle before any other treatment from anyone else is administered.

Try to avoid hot tubs and saunas immediately after treatment for at least 12 hours.  They tend to increase blood flow (and thus inflammation initially after treatment) and can make your discomfort worse.

Walking is often the best exercise after treatment.  I recommend at least one trip around the parking lot before getting back in your car to drive home.

Most people immediately feel better with OMT.  Frequently the patient will see gradual improvement with treatment.  Some patients will see no change in their pain symptoms until nearly all of their somatic dysfunction has been corrected.  This may take a few visits, so please be patient with your body and your doctor as healing occurs.

For the little ones:

For infants and toddlers you can bring along a couple favorite toys  (we have many in the office as well) or a binky/plug/dummy (if you are using one). I have toys to help distract during treatment. IPODs/IPADs with children’s applications, cell phones with pictures, or cameras with short videos can be helpful during challenging treatments. We will work as a team to keep your little one as happy as possible through the treatment!

Even though the treatment is exceptionally gentle and is not painful, sometimes infants will cry during treatment.  While this can be upsetting to you as a parent, and we try to avoid it if possible, it is important to realize this is the how your little one will express themselves.

After treatment infants and children may be a bit more tired than usual. They may nap for a longer period than usual or might “melt down” earlier than usual. Occasionally there can be some increased fussiness over the first 24 hours after treatment as a result of tiredness and processing the treatment. Many parents report their infant or child has a very good night of sleep after treatments.  This is normal and should not be a cause for alarm.

If your infant or child has a cold, ear infection, or sinusitis do come for treatment. Osteopathy will often help. We are kid friendly.

Your children are most certainly welcome in our office!!!