Frequently Asked Questions
HERE ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS WE ARE OFTEN ASKED. IF YOU CAN’T FIND THE ANSWER YOU’RE LOOKING FOR PLEASE CALL 5941 4157
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PAKENHAM OSTEOPATHY
- Australian Osteopaths have completed 5 years of university training.
- They have obtained a Bachelor of Science (Clinical Sciences) and a Master of Health Science (Osteopathy).
- During the Masters degree osteopaths have completed research into their chosen area of the osteopathic field.
- All osteopaths must be registered with the Osteopaths Registration Board of Victoria.
- All Osteopaths are also registered with the Australian Osteopathic Association, which maintains continual professional education and standards.
No, you don’t need a referral to see any of our practitioners. They are primary health care practitioners, which means all you need to do is call to make an appointment.
Initial osteopathic consultations are 1 hour in duration. This allows the Osteopath to conduct a thorough medical history, diagnosis, treatment and discussion of further management.
Please arrive 15 minutes before your initial treatment to fill out a brief questionnaire about your past medical history and your presenting complaint.
During the first consultation your practitioner will take a detailed case history including past medical history. This will be followed by a systematic physical examination (including orthopaedic and neurological testing if required) which involves assessing joint range of motion, postural analysis and palpation of the muscular system.
Your practitioner regards the body as a unit; therefore the examination may involve adjacent areas that may also be impacting on your presenting problem. Once your osteopath has finished the physical examination he/she will discuss their diagnosis with you and outline a treatment plan.
Treatment may include soft tissue massage and myofasical release, gentle joint manipulation and articulation, stretching and ligament balancing techniques.
At the conclusion of your treatment your osteopath may also provide you with postural, stretching, exercise or dietary advice to improve your body’s health and function. To learn more about what you can expect during a consultation please click here.
Yes, please bring with you any x-rays, ultrasounds, CT and MRI scans and reports or any other test results that you feel are applicable to your presenting complaint on your initial consultation.
Osteopathy are ‘hands on’ treatments, so you will most likely be asked to remove certain items of clothing (e.g. tops and trousers) depending on the location of your presenting complaint. We recommended you wear comfortable clothing that is easy to move around. If you are uncomfortable with removing certain items please let you therapist know. Alternatively, wear thin clothing such as bicycle pants to allow the practitioner to assess your complaint.
Some complaints can be treated in one or two treatments. Others may require three or four. Some more chronic complaints may take several treatments to eradicate. It depends on the type of condition you have, how long you have suffered it, how well advanced it is, and if your work or recreational activities continue to aggravate your condition. You will be given a guide on the number of treatments required after your initial consultation.
People with ‘extras’ cover as part of their private health insurance are able to claim a portion of their treatment costs.
At Pakenham Osteopathy we have the HICAPS facility so people with private health insurance extras are able to claim on the spot and only pay for the remaining gap.
Osteopathic treatment is not covered by Medicare unless you are on a Chronic Disease Management (formerly an EPC) plan. This is managed and provided by your GP. For more information please click here
A CDM Plan is part of Medicare scheme and is designed to provide patients with chronic (long standing) problems treatment at a reduced cost. It allows you five Allied Health consultations per calendar year. Medicare will pay a portion of your consultation fee, which is claimed at a Medicare office.
Please note: Full payment is required on the day of treatment however we can make an on-the-spot claim to Medicare on your behalf to re-coup their contribution.
If you have experienced chronic musculoskeletal pain in conjunction with another medical condition please ask your GP if you are eligible to go on a CDM Plan, or for further information please click here
This is a commonly asked question. These health modalities may appear very similar in the problems they treat and techniques they use. However, it is the difference in philosophies, principles and the way the techniques are applied that sets them all apart. While it is not for us to explain the philosophies of Chiropractic or Physiotherapy, we can tell you all about Osteopathy.
The holistic approach of osteopathy encompasses all aspects of the patient’s health and assesses factors that can be addressed both in and out of the treatment room. For example, if you are suffering from knee pain it is important to assess not only your knee biomechanics and associated muscle groups but also your foot, hip and low back as they too will influence the function of your knee.
Osteopaths:
- Will not put you on a ‘plan’ where payment is expected up-front for subsequent treatments
- Will not just treat the sore joint or muscle
- Do not treat multiple patients at a time
- Do not just give exercises and use heat or ultrasound
- Do not just manipulate or crack joints exclusively, excessively or heavily
- Offer a much wider range of hands on techniques of varying pressure
- Our goal is to not only treat the symptoms of your problem but the causes behind them.
To learn more about this please refer to our blog article here