What can I expect during an Osteopathic Consultation & Treatment?

The goal of Osteopathic treatment is to find the cause of your pain and remove it.

In order for the Osteopath to accomplish this, you will be asked to complete a health history questionnaire to share your medical history and some details about your pain. The Osteopath will review this with you and a more detailed history of your current complaint and symptoms will also be discussed.

She will then assess you using various osteopathic assessment techniques to gain a clearer picture of the cause of your symptoms. She will verify all of the tissues and structures surrounding the problem area, as well as assess you overall to determine how your current complaint might be impacting over structures of the body, or vice versa. She will explain to you what she finds, and how it all "fits together".

She will then start a first treatment using various manual techniques, which are generally gentler and have a deeper effect on the body than other therapies. The choice of techniques are usually determined by your needs that particular day, as well as what we are trying to accomplish overall in your body. Any potential contra-indications are taken into consideration. The need for follow-up visits will be discussed. 

Since Osteopathic treatments are longer and have a deeper effect on the body than some other forms of manual therapy, generally 3 - 5 sessions are all that is required to resolve a simple pain or mobility issue. If you have a more chronic or complex condition, with longstanding pain or mobility issue and multiple injuries, effective healing might require more sessions. 

Maureen takes a very honest and pragmatic approach with her patients and might refer you to a complementary therapist if needed, or will communicate with your physician for test results or to recommend any possible medical investigation.  

Answers to some common questions about Osteopathic Treatment

Q: What kind of conditions does Osteopathy treat?

A: A variety of conditions are successfully treated with osteopathy. Generally, if the problem is chronic (ongoing) or recurring, or other forms of treatment havent given the results you had hoped, Osteopathy can help. Some conditions that osteopathy treats are back & neck pain, headaches/migraines, sciatica, arthritis, nerve pain, sports injuries, pelvic & lower pain, infants reflux & colic, pregnancy discomfort, jaw pain such as TMJ, rhinitis /sinuses, vertigo, menstrual pain, asthma, difficult digestion, acid reflux, constipation, and much more..

Q: Why chose osteopathy over traditional medicine like pain medication?

A: Manual Osteopathy is a gentler, more effective alternative to pain relief. Increasingly people wish to avoid the side-effects of traditional pain medication and many physicians such as family medicine doctors, sports medicine doctors, neurologists, and orthopedists refer patients for osteopathic treatment. Increasingly, yoga and pilates instructors are seeing the benefits of referring their members for osteopathic treatment, because it is a gentle approach, and because it helps their members get back into their exercise routine faster!

Q: How can I know if Osteopathic Treatments are right for me?

A: Maureen will be happy to talk with you for a few minutes to discuss your symptoms and determine whether Osteopathic treatment is right for you. Simply call or send e text message to (647) 967-6355 or send an email with your day time number and best times to be reached at osteomaureen@gmail.com.

Q: What should I wear during a consultation or treatment?

A: Women are encouraged to bring a loose camisole that is not "racer-back" or with tight underwire, and loose loungewear or sweatpants or leggings. Men are encouraged to bring shorts and a T-shirt. Open back gowns are also available.

Q: Will my insurance reimburse my osteopathic treatments?

A: As an accredited member of the Ontario Federation of Osteopathic Professionals, Maureen provides insurance receipts to every patient who requests one. The Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) does not cover osteopathy. Many extended health care insurance plans do cover a portion of these services, but the amount of coverage varies. We sugest you verify the details of your specific coverage if you intend to submit your claims to your insurance company. If your insurance plan does not cover the service you are receiving, you may contact your group policy administrator to request that your policy be changed.

Q: Do you read results of medical tests such as X-ray, MRI and CT Scan?

Conventional imaging reports (X-ray, MRI, CT Scan) will be referred to during the assessment and treatment of the involved area(s). Additionally, referral for further testing or consultation with a specialist, when deemed necessary, will be facilitated with a letter from your practitioner.

Q: Do I need a doctor's referral?

A physician's referral is not necessary to make an appointment for osteopathic treatment, however some insurance plans require a physician's referral prior to reimbursing claims.

Problems in any one part of the body can affect other parts and cause a pattern of symptoms that Osteopathic Practitioners understand. This is why Osteopathy doesn't just treat a problem locally. It looks at the body as a whole to find and treat the cause of a problem, often leading to lasting relief from recurring problems that other forms of manual therapy were not able to fully resolve.

 Osteopathy seeks to identify the underlying cause of your current complain, which might be due to the interaction of malfunctioning of several systems within your body, both close to the painful area as well as further away. An Osteopathic Practitioner has been trained for several years to deeply understand how all of your bodily systems (circulation, skeleton, muscles, ligaments, lymphatic fluid, ect) work TOGETHER and impact each other, as well as vice versa. This understanding goes beyond the general orthopedic assessments that other manual therapies use.

Your body is a complex machine with many parts and systems that interact and affect each other's functioning in a reciprocal fashion. Osteopathic Practitioners are trained to assess your body in a comprehensive way, chose from among a vast array of techniques to treat the problem, and often resolve it more fully than conventional medicine.

A holistic approach enables patients to gradually and safely obtained wellbeing. Through a process of self-empowerment the patient acquires the ability to deal with issues and pain, attaining peace within themselves and in their relations, while gaining a broader understanding of themselves as part of the cycle of life.

Osteopaths are qualified to use a great variety of manual techniques to relieve musculo-skeletal conditions causing chronic pain or restricted movement. Unlike other forms of manual therapy which might incorporate the use of machines, equipment, or exercices, Osteopathic Practitioners rely mainly on their unique form of manual therapy. They are considered around the world to be a gentler, more natural and effective alternative to pain relief.

Osteopathy is taught at the post graduate level and Quebec trained Osteopaths begin their studies with a university undergraduate degree in the health sciences. They then go on to study anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, clinical medicine, as well as perfect a vast array of techniques used to address your complaint. Osteopaths then complete hundreds of clinical hours, and write a thesis. Many Osteopaths, have between six to seven years of university, graduate level, or private college education. If you are unsure about the credentials of the manual therapist you are currently consulting, simply ask!