How Often Should You Visit Your Osteo?

This is a question we get a lot in the clinic and the answer varies person to person.

Everybody (every-body…get it?) is different. We have different work demands, life and family demands, we are of differing health and fitness levels, different stress levels, we have different past medical histories and we all expect varying amounts out of ourselves physically.

There is no one size fits all recommendation when it comes to frequency of Osteo visits.

For example if you’re a very active person that places high demands on yourself physically by hitting (HIIT’ing…two puns already) the gym six times per week then your body is more likely to need some TLC more often than someone who doesn’t exercise as frequently.

Though that being said, if you work a desk job and live a fairly sedentary job, you too are going to need do more to reverse the negative effects of being stationary and sitting most of the day. This lifestyle can commonly manifest as upper shoulder and neck pain/tightness, headaches or low back pain.

You can visit your Osteopath for multiple reasons. You may be in agonising, debilitating pain - thats a good reason. You may have some general aches, pains and tightnesses that are bothering your or impeding on your ability to perform certain exercises or activities of daily living. You might want to have your posture (general or desk) assessed, have that niggly shoulder pain diagnosed, get advice about what might be the best exercise program (CrossFit, Yoga, Pilates, Personal Training, Running etc etc) for you. You may also want to learn more about what you can do outside of the Osteopathic clinic to maintain a healthy musculoskeletal system.

Your Osteopath can help you find relief from your acute, debilitating pain through hands on manual therapy. But they can also offer helpful advice on stretches and exercises you can do at home or in the gym to address your own personal physical deficiencies and asymmetries.

In your appointment you can also discuss with your Osteopath your own personal lifestyle (occupation, family situation, diet, current exercise, stress levels etc) and come up with the most appropriate management plan for yourself.

If you’re suffering from an acute onset of severe pain, you may need to have a few treatments in concurrent weeks to get you back on track. If you expect a lot out of yourself physically it might be a good idea to visit fortnightly to stay well tuned. Or maybe you experience a lot of pain that decreases your quality of life and you want to manage that better. Maybe you generally feel quite well but if left unchecked you’re prone to flare ups of quite severe pain, therefore maybe a monthly or quarterly appointment may be best for you.

It really does vary person to person and in different situations.

I, personally, get treated every fortnight because my job is quite physical, I spend a lot of time in the car and I like to exercise six days per week. I find that this keeps me feeling quite mobile and frees me from the creeping of low back tightness and neck discomfort that I’ve experienced throughout my life. I also find that I high really high quality sleep on the nights where I’ve received treatment.

I also perform my own self maintenance plan at home using two key tools. A spikey massage ball and a foam roller. Doing this on a near-daily basis helps undo the negative effects of performing repetitive, asymmetrical actions at work and the days workout. More about specific methods of using these tools in an upcoming blog.

Some of the most important information you can receive from your Osteo is the self management techniques, this will empower you to take care of yourself and not rely simply on treatment to keep you functioning. So don’t be afraid to ask what more you could be doing to stay physically healthy.

If you’re in pain, feeling tight and uncomfortable, unable to hit certain ranges of motion during exercise, recovering from injury or just want to get a general biomechanical assessment and have a self maintenance program written then come see us at Osteopathic Movement South Yarra.

You can book online at: www.osteopathicmovement.com

or

Call: 0402 377 209