Come a few minutes early so you can register and fill out basic contact details in our waiting room. New patients should allow 45 minutes for their first appointment and arrive 5 minutes early to complete forms

Usually you will be examined fully dressed so please wear comfortable clothing. Note that jeans are difficult for us to palpate through…softer or looser fabric is much easier.

If you think your visit qualifies for ACC, please tell our receptionist so your claim form can be filled out. If you have already registered your claim, try to obtain the date of the accident, ACC45 number, and injury read codes. If you haven’t got these, don’t panic as we can obtain them from ACC.

You, and your support person if present, will be taken to a private room where details of the symptoms will be noted, and a medical history taken.

Bring details of any medication and any relevant X-rays. Note that children under 16 years must have an adult with them for their whole appointment. Parents having treatment are welcome to bring children into the treatment room if they will not be too distracting.

You will have a physical examination in which your posture, flexibility, reflexes and muscle strength and balance may all be checked. And the osteopath will do detailed palpation of the painful area as well as other related parts of your body. This is to enable the osteopath to come to a working diagnosis and treatment plan which will be discussed with you, and your consent obtained, before treatment begins.

The treatment itself is tailored to your problem, and should not involve more than moderate discomfort. It may involve stretching movements, massage, resisted movements, or ‘clicking’ manipulations. There is no standard ‘recipe’ for our treatment, and we will try to give you an accurate estimate of how long your course of treatment is likely to be.