When a patient shows up at the office the first question asked is "What's wrong?". The patient then tells what the reason was that led him to turn to a specialist, he shows the tests he carried out and the reason for sending him to the Osteopath. Once the reason for the consultation has been framed, the patient is then asked for further information on his general state of health. Sometimes other disorders can interact with the main problem and any medications taken can interact with the perception and progress of the problem itself.
It is therefore essential to have as complete a picture as possible of the patient who presents to the office.
However, this element is fundamental not only during the first visit but also in subsequent sessions, and even when, some time after the conclusion of the therapeutic plan, the patient presents himself for a simple check-up. Every type of independent physical activity, every pharmacological therapy and every manual and/or complementary therapy affects the state of the body in every single moment.
Beyond the moment of the manual therapy session, our body continues to adapt to the new inputs received and this also explains why the sessions are spaced out, to ensure that the body can integrate the changes and reorganize itself, a concept that is very valid for the action times of a drug, for its dosage and administration intervals, as well as for the processing times of manipulative inputs, the quantity of inputs administered in a session and the distance between one session and another.
Our body has times to react to everything and if there are too many inputs it goes into stress or, as they say, 'burnout'. At this stage he may overreact to even small stimuli.
We often have the idea that when faced with a postural problem, the more we do, the better, and we often embark on manipulative programs, in the gym and, if someone recommends it, in alternative therapies of another nature. It is almost never kept in mind that every change must be integrated by our body. The information given during the first visit must therefore be provided at each session, even for simple checks. It is necessary to communicate if other therapies have been carried out a few days before and what type of therapies, it is right to ask the various therapists whether or not it is appropriate to go to another professional and possibly at what distance from the session just concluded.
The therapeutic path is a path that should not be left to therapists alone but should be undertaken in collaboration between therapist and patient, only by being aware of the whole picture can the best objectives be achieved.