What does an osteopathic consultation involve?

Your first consultation with the osteopath will involve a period of time at the beginning of the consult sitting and answering a range of questions not only in relation to your presenting complaint, but also regarding your past medical history.

 

We will then undertake a systematic examination to assess posture, range of movement and tissue texture including any orthopaedic, neurological and physical testing that we feel is important to determine a diagnosis.

 

Once this examination is complete, we will discuss your working diagnosis and provide you with a treatment and management plan before proceeding with treatment, once gaining informed consent.

Treatment will then be individualized each visit depending on what the examination has determined and may involve soft tissue massage, stretching, fascial stretching and release, joint articulation and gentle mobilization and indirect tissue release.

The treatment may be concluded with some ‘homework’ such as take home exercises, stretches, dietary or lifestyle advice.

Osteopaths belief is that the body is a unit, so we may ask questions and examine regions of the body that you might think are unrelated to your presenting complaint on that day. This helps us get a whole picture of how your body is functioning and allow us to determine a more accurate diagnosis, treatment and management plan specific to you.

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How long do the appointments go for?

Your initial osteopathic consultation will take between 45 minutes to 1 hour including a thorough case history and past medical history to allow the osteopath to build a full picture of your health.

Subsequent return consultations will take between 30-40minutes.

Please arrive 10 minutes prior to your initial consultation to allow time to fill out the appropriate paperwork.

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How much will it cost for my appointment?

Initial osteopathy consult =  $140 

Subsequent osteopathy consults = $90 or $80 for concession

Concession rates are available for health care card holders, pensioners, seniors, full time students and under 18.

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Lymphoedema consultation: $160 for 45-60 minute appointment

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What do I need to bring to an appointment?

Please bring along any relevant X-Rays, CT scans, MRI scans, ultrasounds, DEXA scans or any other test results that may relate to your current condition.

If you are eligible for and have elected osteopathic treatments using the Allied Health Medical Referrals, please bring along the relevant paperwork from your GP for us to sign and log in our system.

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If the appointment is for someone under the age of 18, please ensure a parent or guardian is present.

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Do I need to wear particular clothing for my appointment?

You will often be required to remove some items of clothing depending on where your presenting complaint is. We do provide shorts for your comfort but we do recommend wearing comfortable light clothing that is easy to move in. Please ensure you also have appropriate under garments for the session.

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Is osteopathic treatment painful?

In most cases, osteopathic treatment is gentle and should not cause undue pain. Your osteopath will take care to make you as comfortable as possible throughout the appointment.

You may experience some post treatment soreness, similar to that felt following exercise, however this is a normal physiological response of your tissues to the change made by the osteopath and should subside in 24-48hours.

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Do I need a referral to see an osteopath?

No, you do not require a referral to see an osteopath.

However, if you are under the Chronic Disease Management Plan Referral you will need a referral from your GP to be able to claim these appointment fees.

If you are under DVA, we require a GP referral prior to beginning treatment.

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Can I claim an osteopathic treatment with my private health insurance?

Yes you can as long as you have extras cover with your private health insurer. At RHO we have HICAPS facilities so you are able to claim on the spot using your private health care membership card and only pay the remaining gap. The rebate amount varies depending on your insurer and level of cover.

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What is a Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Referral?

If you suffer from a chronic or terminal condition, your GP may deem you eligible to receive a Medicare rebate for up to 5 allied health treatments per calendar year. If you feel that you suffer from musculoskeletal pain in conjunction with a chronic condition, please discuss this option with your GP.

Medicare will pay a portion of the fee however please note that full payment is required on the day of treatment. The osteopath will provide you with a receipt for you to submit to Medicare to receive the CDM rebate.