FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Your Questions Answered
We’ve taken some of the questions we get asked most frequently and compiled them in one place. If you can’t find the answer you're looking for in the list below, contact us and we will do our best to assist you.
Is Osteopathy Safe?
Osteopathy is generally regarded as a safe treatment, although you may experience minor side effects, such as mild to moderate soreness or pain in the treatment area.
You can be assured that our practitioners have a comprehensive and extremely detailed medical education. All our patients have an extensive history taken and a clinical examination before treatment begins.
Is Osteopathic treatment painful?
Osteopathy is not usually painful, although it's not unusual to feel sore or stiff in the first few days after treatment, particularly if you're having treatment for a painful or inflamed injury. This is similar to the feeling after exercising for the first time in a while. Your osteopath will explain whether you're likely to have any reactions.
How do I make an appointment or change my appointment?
To make an appointment, call our friendly reception team on (02) 6971 7780 or you can book online.
We do understand sometimes things come up and we are more than happy to reschedule your appointment. We do require a minimum of 12 hours notice for rescheduling of an appointment. Please be aware that a late cancellation may incur a fee. To make changes to your appointment or for any cancellations please phone our friendly staff.
What to expect on your first appointment?
You will receive a confirmation email the day prior to your initial consultation, in this email there is a link that we ask you to please fill in prior to your appointment. If you did not receive the link please arrive 10 minutes early to fill in the paper work. Otherwise it may shorten your treatment time.
Your practitioner will ask questions about your problem and symptoms and take a detailed medical history. Then they will conduct a thorough examination of the body which includes the area where you have pain/discomfort and related areas, to help determine how best to manage your condition. Once the osteopath has finished their examination they will formulate a diagnosis and discuss a treatment plan with you.
Your treatment will be tailored to your condition and may include soft tissue massage, manipulation, articulation, stretching, and gentle balancing techniques. Treatment may also include advice on stretching and strengthening exercises, posture, ergonomics and stress management techniques.
What should I wear to my appointment?
As osteopathy is a ‘hands on’ manual therapy, often the practitioner will ask you to remove some clothing, e.g trousers or top, depending on the area of your body requiring treatment. It’s important that you feel comfortable, so you may want to wear loose pants or bring a pair of shorts to change into.
What should I bring to my first appointment?
How long are appointments?
Please bring any relevant medical reports to your first appointment.
For new patient babies please bring along their Maternal and Child Health ‘green’ book to the appointment as well as a bottle if not breastfeeding.
Your consultation will take up to 45 minutes for initial and return appointments. This will enable your osteopath to take a thorough history, examine and treat you.
How much do the appointments cost?
Our fees are $130 for an initial consultation and $118 for return patients.
HICAPS allows you to make your private health claim on the spot to reduce your outlay. All of our practitioners have provider numbers to allow you to claim for their modality.
If yours is a long term, persistent complaint, you can ask your GP to refer you to one of the Osteopaths for care under the Chronic Disease Management scheme.
If you are making a claim under Workers' Compensation or Third Party insurance, you will need to have a Claim number and written approval for our care from your insurer before we can attend to you.
As a general rule, we do not offer discounts for our services.
How many treatments will I need?
Our osteopaths have been able to successfully treat a recent or acute injury within just one to three sessions. However, older problems or chronic pain is likely to take a little longer to improve and could see you completing up to six or more sessions before receiving the full benefits of the treatment. During your treatment your osteopath will discuss your options to reach the best outcome for you.
How will I feel after a treatment?
Because your osteopath is diagnosing and correcting mechanical imbalance and restriction, after a treatment you will usually feel more energetic, balanced and mobile. If yours is a chronic or acutely inflamed problem, the massage and mobilisation may well cause some post treatment soreness, which usually passes in a couple of days. You may find that after treatment you feel unexplainably lighter, and are able to sleep well and wake refreshed for the first time in a long time. This is indicative of reduced mechanical strain in your structure. Quality of sleep is a great indicator of both your need for osteopathic therapy and your response to it.
Do I need a referral to see an osteopath?
As a private paying patient you don’t need a referral to see an osteopath. Osteopaths are registered with the Australian Health Regulatory Agency and are primary healthcare practitioners. The only times you will require a referral from your General Practitioner (GP) is if you want to claim through Medicare on a Chronic Disease management (CDM) Plan or if you are a Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) client.
Is treatment covered by private health, medicare, DVA, work cover or the motor accident authority?
Private health rebates are available for osteopathic services. If you have ‘extras’ on your insurance policy you are most likely able to claim a portion of your treatment costs, which you can claim ‘on the spot’ at our clinic via HICAPS.
Medicare covers a portion of your consultation if you are referred under the Team Care Arrangement/ Chronic Disease Management Program, which is managed and provided by your GP
All our practitioners are registered with Workcover, CTP care and Veteran’s Affairs. Please contact our friendly reception team for more information about our service under these schemes.
What is a Team Care Arrangement / Chronic Disease Management Program?
The Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Program is a Medicare Scheme designed for people with a chronic disease or condition. It allows for up to five Allied Health consultations per year where a portion is subsidised by Medicare. If you are experiencing musculoskeletal pain in conjunction with another medical condition please ask your GP if you are eligible for a referral under this program.
Please make sure you bring your referral with you to your appointment, if you are attending an appointment under the CDM program.
Please note the program is not a bulk billed service. Full payment is required and then a proportion of the fee can be claimed back using our HICAPS terminal on the day. Please contact our friendly reception team for further information about the fees and out of pocket expenses.
Address
4 Tompson Street
Wagga Wagga NSW 2650
(within the Body Mind & Soul Healing Therapy Clinic)
Contact
Ph: (02) 6971 7780
Opening Hours
Mon - Tues
Wednesday
Thur - Fri
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Closed
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
​Sat - Sun
Closed