Osteopathy is regulated by the General Osteopathic Council. Osteopaths are regulated by law and recognised as an allied health profession by NHS England. This gives them a similar status to dentists or physiotherapists and guarantees an equivalent high level of care. By law, an osteopath must be registered with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) to practise in the UK. Before an osteopath can obtain registration, they must attain specialist degree-level training, either a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) or integrated Masters (MOst.), plus complete over 1000 hours of clinical placements (direct patient contact time). To maintain their registration with GOsC, which is renewed annually, osteopaths must meet mandatory continuous professional development (CPD): keeping skills and knowledge up-to-date and maintaining high standards of professional development. (NICE)

At your initial assessment you will be asked questions related to your current physical problem, your general health and your lifestyle. A physical examination will follow in which you may be asked to wear shorts and remove as much clothing as you feel comfortable with to allow examination of your posture and joints movements, special clinical tests may be carried out as appropriate. When necessary, examination of your cardio- respiratory, digestive and neurological system may be carried out.

At the end of the physical examination, the findings and a working diagnosis will be discussed. Where necessary you may be referred for further scans or referred to your GP or other Specialists.

Treatment plan will be tailored individually according with your diagnosis and findings and your own goals. Maria uses a combination of Osteopathy and Physiotherapy techniques and dry Needling. Osteopathy techniques are rooted in the belief that the body has the capacity to heal itself when the integration between the body systems (such as the musculoskeletal, cardio-respiratory, nervous, immune, digestive systems) is enhanced. Osteopathy also follows the bio-psychosocial model in which also your emotional wellbeing is considered as contributing factor to your general health. Therefore, Osteopathy manual therapy help restoring this integration between all the body systems and stimulate the body’s mechanism to heal itself. Osteopathy is particularly effective in the treatment of lower back, neck and spinal pain.

Physiotherapy techniques mainly focus on the musculoskeletal system and the neuro-muscular pathways systems. It helps with rehabilitation after an injury, as well as to prevent and reduce the risk of injury.

Dry needling is used to treat myofascial trigger points which are painful areas within the muscle and the fascia (thin layer that covers the muscle and connects the muscles to surrounding structures) caused by inappropriate blood supply to the affected myo-fascial cells. The application of thin needles in the interested area will help promote and restore normal blood flow and relax the affected muscle.