YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Frequently Asked Questions

What You Need to Know

• What happens at an appointment?

  Kirstie will take a case history relating to your presenting symptoms and current and past medical history. She will also ask you about how your symptoms behave, and may ask you about your work, activity levels and lifestyle, to understand the context of your presenting symptoms. If you don’t understand why a question is being asked, or you’re uncomfortable replying, please feel free for an explanation or context. Kirstie will then examine you – this might be visual, looking at you sitting, standing or doing an activity that relates to your presenting complaint. She will likely palpate your soft tissues and move your joints so she can assess the tissues. She will explain her findings and working diagnosis and explain a treatment plan. Treatment is generally manual therapy where she will touch parts of your body or move your joints or tissues. Treatment should be comfortable and should never be painful, so please do report any feelings of discomfort. You can ask for the treatment to be stop at any time. She will explain a treatment plan and may give you some exercises to do at home between treatments.

   

  We may send out a form before treatment, asking for details such as address, basic medical history and current and past medications. If you are able to complete or partially complete it before your session that can save us time in the session. Please feel free to email scan reports etc prior to your session. Copies will be attached to your records in our Patient record system and held securely encrypted on that system in the cloud. Email versions will be permanently deleted.

• What should I wear to my session?

  Osteopathy is a manual therapy involving both soft tissue treatment and movement. Kirstie needs to able to palpate your tissues and move your body. Please wear comfortable, thin and loose clothing or gym apparel to your appointment. In some cases Kirstie may ask to you to remove some clothing in order to be able to effectively examine or treat you.

• Can I eat before an appointment?

  Yes, there is no need to fast prior to treatment.

• Can I bring someone with me?

  Yes, if you would feel more comfortable with a friend or family member, or you’re struggling with childcare cover, feel free to bring another adult or your child.

• Can I do exercise after a treatment?

  Kirstie advises against undertaking activities that are high effort or speed on the same day as a treatment. Treatment will have an effect on the mobility of joints and tension of your soft tissues, and we hope that you are moving more freely after your session. Your proprioceptive system, the system that helps your central nervous system know where your body is in space and how fast and far different parts of your body are moving takes a little time to catch up. We advise maintaining hydration and gentle movement or activities to help your proprioceptive system clarify this information on the same day.

• How long do I need for my follow up appointment?

  All appointments at the Shoreditch/Liverpool Street clinic are 45 mins.

   

  At the Queens Road Leytonstone clinic Kirstie is able to offer 30, 45 and 60 min sessions. First appointments are 45 mins, but if you are travelling a very long way you can book a 60 min session as an initial consultation.

   

  Kirstie will advise about follow up length at your initial appointment, but in general a 30 mins appt is suitable if you’re having ongoing treatment for a relatively straightforward presentation. 45 mins is ideal if you’re coming back with a new condition, if your presentation is a bit more complex and the treatment is more involved or you feel you need more time in session for discussion, getting changed etc. 60 min appointments are useful if you are travelling a very long way, so want to allow a little time for travel issues, or have a very complex presentation – please discuss with Kirstie if you think you would prefer a 60 minute session for future appointments.

• What is your cancellation policy?

  If you need to cancel or reschedule please call the booking line as soon as you can and at least 24 hours prior to your appointment so the slot can be released to the wait list. Cancellations at less then 24 hours notice are chargeable at the full appointment fee. If we are able to fill the slot the short notice cancellation fee will be waived, so please cancel with as much notice as possible.

• There is a long wait for an appointment - how do I get on the waiting list?

  Kirstie has a really busy clinic, and spends some time teaching internationally, so there is often a 4-8 week wait for an appointment. Please do book online or by phone for the first available appointment that suits you, and ask the booking service or add a note to be added to the wait list.

  For the wait list, If you need an appointment on a specific day, time of day or clinic please specify this. If a slot becomes available the wait list  will be notified by SMS or email with a link to the online booking system. If the appointment suits you please book as soon as you are able, as the system cannot reserve the slot. It is also worth checking the online diary periodically as slots do appear at short notice.

  Some patients like to book a follow up appointment when they book the first one, to enable some continuity – generally a follow up 2-4 weeks after the first appointment is ideal.

• Are there any treatment reactions?

  Sometimes people feel stiff or a little tender for a day or two after treatment. This is normal where perhaps parts of your body are working a little differently. Keep moving gently and stay hydrated. These sensations tend to only last 2-3 days. If you have any concerns or queries after your session please email osteo@kirstiecousins.com