FAQS

Cash or EFTPOS.  Sorry, credit cards are not accepted.

• All private appointments – adults and children: $90 plus GST – 40 minute appts
• ACC appointments: $43.10 plus GST – 40 minute appts

We invoice ACC for the remainder of the fee

A variety, rather than the same thing each visit. Depending on what’s necessary, we often work to stretch soft tissues, articulate (i.e. move around), immobile joints to loosen them. Traction is also used sometimes to stretch joints & promote drainage. 

Where necessary, & providing it is safe, we also manipulate (‘click’) joints to free them up, but only part of a broader treatment plan.   Neuromuscular techniques are also used on contracted & painful muscles to relax them.

In addition, we offer other diagnostic & treatment techniques such as cranial osteopathy, which is used to treat adults & infants alike in the gentlest of ways. It is especially useful for those with chronic pain or limited tolerance of more physical techniques.

In summary, we offer a variety of techniques to suit the problem & individual, and always endeavour to keep treatments comfortable.

What sets us apart from many other types of manual healthcare practitioners is the time we actually spend on hands-on treatment, rather than using machines or getting the patient to do exercises during consultation times.

Treatment times of around half an hour allow us to treat not only the part that hurts but also to be more thorough by looking at other surrounding areas in trouble or helping to cause the problem. This leads to integrated treatments with better results in the long term.

In addition to standard physical tests, touch (also called palpation) is one of our major tools for assessing the body. These days it is highly undervalued, but in the right skilled hands, gives useful information about the state of a joint and the surrounding tissues.

Much of this sort of clinically useful information will not show on x-rays, which in any case are notorious for producing findings inconsistent with a patient’s symptoms. For example, it is not uncommon for x-rays to show significant wear and tear (arthritis) in a pain-free individual, but next to nothing in another person in a lot of discomfort.

The choice of how often you come or how long for is yours and no pressure will be put on you to commit to a programme of treatment.

Our goal is to get you off treatment by helping your body get back to doing what it usually does so well – looking after itself and recovering from everyday stresses without the need for constant regular visits over months and even years!

Where there is no history of significant damage related to the problem, & when the complaint is not a long-standing one, most patients will normally experience significant relief with the first 3 or 4 sessions, some in even fewer.

However, those with chronic issues or significant wear and tear may find a need for more regular ‘top-up’ visits. As for the frequency of treatments, we do not normally see patients more than once a week unless they are in severe pain, and visits are progressively spaced out as soon as lasting and significant improvements in symptoms are reported.

Allow 40 minutes. This enables us to:

• Take a detailed case history about your problem and general medical state.
• Do any specialist tests such as taking reflexes, blood pressure or listening to your lungs.
• Examine you by getting you to do a range of movements within your tolerance. We will also use our hands and sense of touch to assess the state of the relevant joints. Information from these steps allows us to come up with a diagnosis.
• Treat you and give advice about how to stay pain-free.