+ Do I need a doctor’s referral?

You do not need a referral to see an Osteopathic practitioner, but we do request that you get your primary care physician’s clearance for manual therapy if you have any pre-existing injuries or conditions.

+ How long is a course of treatment, and how often should I come in?

Osteopathic care is designed to find the problem, fix it, and leave it alone. Its intent is never to keep patients longer than needed. You won’t need to come in forever for the same issue if you are feeling better, or if you’re not seeing any results. However, Osteopathic practitioners do need some time to get to know your body and how it responds to treatment; a good metric is four sessions to see whether this will work out, whether it might need a little more time, or if it’s already feeling better.

Typically we schedule patients with 1 to 2 weeks between treatments to start. This allows the body time to integrate the treatment as you go about your daily life. Too much time between may allow too much of the structural progress made last time to fall away, while less time between might overwhelm your body and be counterproductive. Once we begin to see positive changes, you and your Osteopathic practitioner will decide how frequent your treatments need to be.

+ Do you use X-rays, electrotherapy, acupuncture, or any other form of prescriptive exercise in treatment?

Osteopathic manual therapy does not employ the use of any adjuncts. An Osteopathic practitioner instead relies on his or her structural diagnosis, developed palpation, and thorough understanding of how anatomical structures relate to one another. This allows us great freedom in designing treatments as we go; by assessing and re-assessing the relationship between structures throughout a treatment, and looking at the pattern of movement both globally and more locally, we can ensure that we are consistently reacting to your body as a dynamic unit of function in that particular moment in time.

+ What can I do at home in order to get better faster?

We understand that once people have made the decision to improve their health, they are often determined to do everything they can in order to support their healing. However, it is often the case that stretching or exercises at home can prevent the body from taking on the treatment as quickly. Through structural adjustment, an Osteopathic practitioner is working to set your body up for success in the long run, and we’ve found that taking some time off from activity is actually the best thing you can do during this time. Besides every day use, avoiding problematic postures and exercises, and getting in a gentle walk as often as possible, we usually leave it up to the body to do what it does best and work to heal itself. Typically we ask all patients to refrain from vigorous exercise for 24 hours post-treatment; for some patients this time period may be longer, but will be considered on an individualized basis.

+ I usually book in with my massage therapist or other bodyworker for a 60 minute session; why are your follow-ups only 30 minutes?

An Osteopathic practitioner charges for his or her treatment, not for the amount of time spent treating. Because we utilize our knowledge of interconnected anatomical structures, and tend to use what we call “long leverage” when delivering treatment, this allows for a more total-body approach in less time. Although it is very gentle, this long leverage is more taxing on the body, as we “collect” more anatomy between the lever and the point at which we are trying to affect change. A great example of this is hugging your knees to your chest to massage your low back to the ground; from a collective mechanics perspective, the soft tissue between your legs and your spine pulls the bones of the lumbar spine into a flexed position. You are actually affecting everything -- all the muscles, fascia, blood vessels and nerves -- between your legs and your spine!

Even shorter leverage (treating the structure we are attempting to make a change to directly, such as working directly on the lumbar spine itself) can be overwhelming for certain patients, as the “stuck” areas can often be tender. In our experience, treating on the table for longer than 30 minutes in this way can overtax the nervous system and cause undesired fatigue and soreness post-treatment. Since we are tailoring each treatment to the individual patient on the day of, it is easy to ensure that we do not make more changes than your body can handle.

+ What should I wear to a treatment?

We ask that you please arrive wearing appropriate clothing for treatment; this includes loose, non-restrictive items such as t-shirts and sweatpants, or anything that you would wear to work out in. This ensures that we can better assess what your body is doing without the restriction of movement afforded by certain items of clothing. In a pinch, we have a washroom where you can change if you are unable to do so before arrival, but we ask then that you arrive with time to do so before the start of your appointment.

That being said, we would not turn you away on the basis of your outfit. We can make it work whatever you are wearing!

+ Is Osteopathy covered by insurance?

MSP does not cover Osteopathic treatment.

Most extended health benefits do provide some amount of coverage for Osteopathic care. Please check with your provider, as all plans are different.

Osteopathy Nanaimo is a member of Osteopathy Canada (OSTCAN), which is in good standing with all insurance providers in Canada. If you do have coverage for Osteopathy, it will likely work here.

+ Do you do direct billing?

We are currently working on integrating our systems to provide direct billing. We will let all patients know once this is available. In the meantime, we issue you a receipt after every session with your practitioner’s unique billing number so you can run your claim through your insurance provider.

+ What are your fees?

Initial Assessment and Treatment (45-60 minutes): $142 including GST*

Follow Up Treatment (30 minutes): $84 including GST*

*Please note that there are a limited number of Community Treatments offered at a reduced rate if you are not covered by insurance or are in an otherwise precarious position. Please email info@osteopathynanaimo.com to inquire before booking if you feel this could be right for you.