Advantages And Disadvantages Of Osteopathy

… the General Osteopathic Council, and preferentially uses the cranial approach to osteopathy

This is a very gentle form of treatment, and suitable for people of any age, from newborns to the elderly. It is a very safe form of treatment but there are some facts that you should be aware of:

Osteopaths treat using their hands and will place their hands on various parts of your body. If you feel unhappy with hand contact in any part, you should tell Manuel immediately

Whilst we use our professional skill in doing our utmost to help you with your problems, we cannot guarantee the outcome because every patient is different

Osteopathic treatment affects the whole body, and it is not possible to treat one part in isolation without influencing and changing other parts

Manuel may spend some or all of the session in an area distant from your symptoms. This is because the cause of a problem frequently lies distant to the area of symptoms

During treatment you may feel sensations in various parts of your body. This is usually a feeling of warmth or tingling, or a sense of deep relaxation. Occasionally you may feel some discomfort. You should tell Manuel immediately if you are in pain

It may be helpful during the course of your treatment for the Manuel to inform your GP about areas of your health and treatment or to obtain details about your medical history. Your written consent is required for this

A normal treatment response is for symptoms to change after a treatment, often for up to a week. Normally any new symptoms will be short lived and pass after 2 to 3 days

It is common for old symptoms to reappear temporarily during a course of treatment

If you are in more pain for more than 2 to 3 days after a treatment, or if you are concerned, please contact Manuel for advice

Occasionally a new symptom area develops; this is due to the whole body responding to the treatment

A degree of light-headedness is common after treatment. This is normal and usually lasts a few hours at most

More rarely dizziness may occur after treatment. If this persists for more than 2 to 3 days you should contact Manuel

Babies are usually relaxed settled and sleep well after a treatment, but occasionally they may be unsettled, sometimes severely so. This is temporary, but if it persists for more than 24 hours, again contact Manuel

Cranial osteopathy is very low risk because it is so gentle, but no treatment is 100% risk free

In some cases pain may get worse before it gets better

If you are a migraine sufferer, in a small number of cases the treatment will trigger a migraine. It will not cause migraine if you are not a migraine sufferer, although a headache can occur after treatment for a few hours

In a patient with a history of seizures or epileptic fits, although osteopathic treatment is often beneficial in reducing the number of fits, it may trigger a fit after treatment

Rarely tinnitus (ringing in the ears) can be caused by cranial treatment.

Serious reactions are extremely rare. Osteopaths are trained to take the utmost care to fully assess the suitability of all interventions to protect you from harm

Osteopathic manipulation is contraindicated in cases of fracture, joint dislocation, tendon and ligament rapture and where disease such as cancer or osteoporosis may weaken bone

Vary rarely osteopathy has been implicated in cases of stroke. This is almost invariably after high velocity mobilization of the neck

Rarely, cranial osteopathic treatment has produced tinnitus, dizziness and migraine in sufferers. Cranial treatment can also trigger a fit in epilepsy sufferers in the short term, although it can help in the longer term

It is important that you tell your osteopath as soon as you know you are pregnant

We know of no evidence to show that osteopathic treatment carries a risk of miscarriage even curing the critical first 12-week period. However Manuel prefers to avoid any forceful manipulation in the first 12 months of pregnancy

Under the Data Protection (1988) Act, we are required to advise you on our Data Protection Policy

As part of the patient record, practitioners are required to retain information for the purpose of consultation for treatment, recording subsequent treatments and for the use by third party medical practitioners only at the request of the patient in writing

All information will be stored for as long as you remain a patient of the clinic and thereafter for a period of 7 years (until the age of 21 for children)

All information provided will be treated as confidential and will not
be shared with any other person or organisation without your written consent

Please bring with you any documented information you have about your health, such as

• Xrays / scans
• Blood, urine and other laboratory tests
• Letters and reports from your GP, consultant, physio or other health professional
• A list of medications you’re taking
• Your own notes on your current and past medical history. eg. a diary of your symptoms, or a list of any diagnoses you’ve been given

The assessment is based on taking a history, observation, and hands-on examination

Your consent is required at every stage during examination and treatment

Consent to a procedure is for that occasion only and does not automatically apply on a subsequent occasion

Manuel uses a variety of treatment methods including

• massage
• joint mobilization
• acupuncture
• the cranial approach

He uses the cranial approach preferentially. This is a very gentle, safe and effective form of treatment suitable for all ages and all body regions

You can wear any combination of loose-comfortable or stretch clothing which doesn’t restrict you movement. Please avoid items such as tight jeans or leathers

Manuel will need to examine you sufficiently to adequately investigate your symptoms and reach a diagnosis to offer you a treatment plan

This does not automatically entail undressing. However, on occasion Manuel may suggest you remove some item of clothing to carry out some vital procedure, following which you will be able to re-dress

If you are not happy about any aspect of undressing please let Manuel know, if possible prior to your session

If you were not aware of this beforehand you’ll be given a chance to reschedule your treatment so you can plan your attire, perhaps bring a chaperone, or maybe consider consulting a different practitioner

Absolutely: you are more than welcome to bring a chaperone of your choosing so your session is enjoyable and beneficial

The use of some procedures, such as acupuncture and high-speed manipulations is not to everyone’s taste

Or you may find that a procedure requires being touched in a place you’re not comfortable with

Manuel will check with you beforehand. Even so, if you decide against it, please let Manuel know immediately

In most cases we can offer you an alternative that’s appropriate, effective and safe

In every case you can take time to consider, even postponing your decision for a future session if necessary

A normal treatment response is for your symptoms to change after a treatment, often for up to a week

• occasionally a new symptom area develops; this is due to the whole body responding to the treatment. New symptoms are normally short lived and pass within 2 to 3 days
• old symptoms may reappear temporarily during a course of treatment
• light headedness and rarely dizziness can develop after treatment. If dizziness persists for more than a day you should contact Manuel

Manuel will advise on whether he expects a reaction after your treatment, but please note that it can be difficult to predict accurately because every patient reacts differently.

A normal treatment response is for symptoms to change after a treatment, often for up to a week. Normally any new symptoms will be short lived and pass after 2 to 3 days

It is common for old symptoms to reappear temporarily during a course of treatment

If you are in more pain for more than 2 to 3 days after a treatment, or if you are concerned, please contact Manuel for advice

Occasionally a new symptom area develops; this is due to the whole body responding to the treatment

A degree of light-headedness is common after treatment; this is normal and usually lasts a few hours at most

More rarely dizziness may occur after treatment, if this persists for more than 2 to 3 days you should contact Manuel

Babies are usually relaxed settled and sleep well after a treatment, but occasionally they may be unsettled, sometimes severely so. This is temporary, but if it persists for more than 24 hours, again contact Manuel

Manuel treat babies almost exclusively using the cranial approach

Examination of joint mobility and function may require gentle, slow movement of the limbs and head-neck

It is best for your baby to be settled and calm during a treatment. A sleeping baby presents the ideal opportunity. Alternatively you can breast or bottle feed your baby during treatment

Manuel prefers the cranial approach at all times, and especially during pregnancy 

We know of no evidence to show that osteopathic treatment carries any risk of miscarriage, even curing the critical first 12-week period

However, Manuel prefers to avoid any forceful manipulation, especially in the first 12 months of pregnancy. It is therefore important that you tell Manuel if you think you may be pregnant, or as soon as you know you are pregnant

Alternatively you may prefer to avoid treatment altogether in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy

For general questions please contact me via the contact form or call me on +44 7735 448588

To give positive feedback you can leave a testimonial with a star rating on my Google Review page

If you have a concern about your treatment please contact me by phone on +44 7735 448 588 or in writing via the contact form or email to manuel@cranial-osteopath.com

I will do my utmost to listen to your concern and offer you ways to bridge any communication gap, apologize and offset any adverse effect with further treatment or referral to a colleague

I take your concerns very seriously and will undertake to learn from the situation to rectify any mistake and prevent such an event happening again in the future

If you are not comfortable speaking to me directly or are not satisfied with the outcome of our conversation you may wish to contact the General Osteopathic Council (Tel +44 20 7357 6655 x224) for information and advice

For your information the Council provides a pdf leaflet How To complain About An Osteopath

If you wish to lodge a formal complaint please contact the General Osteopathic Council:

• GOsC web-site
• GOsC Tel +44 20 7357 6655
• General Osteopathic Council, Osteopathy House 176 Tower Bridge Road, London, SE1 3LU
• Re. Joseph Manuel Ponce – Ref 1038