Although we get many referrals from GPs, nurses, midwifes, dentists and consultants, you do not need to see them first. If the Osteopath thinks there is something that needs to be brought to the attention of your GP, with your permission we will, write to or telephone them.

The majority of medical insurance companies now cover osteopathy. It is best to check with your insurers first, as individual policies may have exemptions. If you do have complementary health cover then you should be given an authorisation number, which should be given to the osteopath at your first appointment.

An Osteopath must have completed an accredited course in Osteopathy at a renowned university or college. They are then required by law to be registered with the General Osteopathic Council (GOs.C) 

Osteopaths are also required to undertake Continued Professional Development (CPD) throughout the year to ensure they keep up to date with the latest developments.

On your first visit to see the Osteopath, a case history will be taken from you. This will begin by taking your personal details (name, address, date of birth etc), a history of the complaint you are presenting with, an outline of your past medical history and your current state of health. 

The initial consultation will allow you plenty of time to tell the Osteopath about your symptoms. This will be followed by a comprehensive examination to determine the severity and cause of your symptoms. This may include checking the function of your neurological system (reflexes) or measuring your blood pressure.

The Osteopath will then explain in detail what the cause of the problem is, the treatment that is required, and how long your recovery is likely to take. If treatment other than osteopathy is required, we will explain why and what to do next and will refer you to the most appropriate source of help. 

In order to examine you properly, it will be necessary to remove the outer layers of clothing, leaving your underwear on. This will enable the Osteopath to assess your range of movement and muscle tension.

Your first visit will be an interesting, informative and a pleasant experience.

These will be arranged to fit in around your schedule. The Osteopath will carefully monitor your progress and discharge you as soon as you have made a satisfactory recovery. We are able to provide off work certificates and GP letters if necessary.

Sometimes you feel immediate relief from symptoms. Other times, your body may feel like it has "had a work-out" and you may experience aches and pains in various places. This is a transition process and your body's way of adjusting to the treatment you have received.

Osteopathy is a very safe and effective form of treatment and most patients experience very little discomfort.

This will depend on the problem you have. With a new injury involving symptoms that are from a simple source, early assessment and treatment can greatly speed recovery within one or two sessions.

If your symptoms have been present for a long time or are severe, it may take several sessions to feel an improvement. Please remember that it might not be possible to undo overnight what has taken months or years to develop. 

Another factor that interferes with progress is continuing the activity that caused the problem. Often this is unavoidable - lifting your child or carrying on your job, but the Osteopath will advise on how best to manage this.

Occasionally, it is advisable to undertake "maintenance" visits to enable us to ensure the previous problem is contained. Patients will be given advice, and often, exercises concerning these complaints in the hope that recurrence of the condition can be significantly reduced or eliminated. 

After treatment, it is not advisable to partake in heavy exercise for 24 hours to give the tissues time to settle down.

There are many small differences between the three professions and most of them are due to their evolution of practice. Historically, osteopathy was the first to be developed in 1874 and chiropractic branched off to form a separate profession in 1895. Although there remain many similarities in terms of the type of conditions treated, their philosophies now differ as a result of this separation.

In general, an Osteopath would be concerned with the function of the whole body, as well as its structure, taking into account the health of the spine and other joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons and nerves. 

Chiropractors believed any vertical misalignment caused bony pressure on nerves, leading to problems not just in the surrounding muscles and tissues but also in other areas of the body. In treatment terms this can mean that Chiropractors may only require short sessions with quite focused and specific manipulation of the spine whereas Osteopaths prefer longer treatments with more work on muscles and, perhaps, a more gentle manipulation.

Physiotherapy has a less 'philosophical' approach to treatment than osteopathy or chiropractic. Its focus is very much on mobility and it is more closely aligned to traditional medical approaches due to its foundations in a hospital setting. 

Physiotherapists also have a particular focus on remedial exercises and increasingly offer facilities for supervised exercise as part of an effective rehabilitation program.

Simon charges £60 per 50 minute session
Marta charges £50 - £70 per 60 minute session

Our therapists work on different days. Please check their individual profile pages for further information.

It sincerely depends upon the presenting issues, and the timeframe / money one wants to allocate. For some people therapy is a solution focused exercise, whilst others stay in therapy for much longer.

You can either phone the therapist directly or book via this site.

Often a crisis or major life event starts us thinking about therapy or counselling for ourselves. We can also choose therapy at any point in our lives. We may want to learn more about ourselves, gain greater clarity on our thoughts and feelings, improve the quality of our lives and relationships, or unburden, have someone to talk to and tell our story. 

Therapy gives us the time and space - in a non-judgmental, safe, supportive and confidential environment - to reflect on what works for us in our lives and recognise changes we might like to make. 

Therapy gives us greater awareness of our emotions and our behaviours. With this awareness, we feel more in control of our lives, are able to make informed choices as well as recognising more options available to us.

Muscle tension is largely developed by your body continually contracting (shortening) the muscles without effective extension (release). Gradually, you lose the ability to let them go (relax). The work I do with you will re-train your muscles back to their full extension, allowing more flexibility in stiff joints and ultimately giving you a better range of movement. For example the result of continually contracting neck and shoulder muscles will be shoulders that creep up towards your ears, losing your neck somewhere in the process! The good news is that you can be fixed and feel like a giraffe again (if you desire). This of course is just one example of the benefits of my practice in deep tissue massage.

You will gain lots in one deep tissue and sports massage session alone and sometimes this is enough, however it can take a few sessions to really get muscles back on track. To help clients commit to achieving long term results and maintaining a better range of movement and comfort there is a special deal for a course of treatment. During this course of 6 treatments I will get to the root of the problem and, once fixed and armed with a toolkit of exercises to do to maintain what has been achieved, I probably won’t see you for months. The regularity of treatments depends purely on what you regularly subject your body to, mentally and physically. My aim is to help you get the best out of your body and increase your range of motion.

Foundation Training is EFFECTIVE, SIMPLE and UNIVERSAL. It targets the source of pain not just the symptoms. It brings the whole body into balance inside and out allowing you to function at your absolute optimum. You do not need any equipment it simply relies on your bodyweight, movement and breathing. It can be done anywhere anytime in just a few minutes each day. Whether you are young, older have limited mobility or an athlete Foundation Training can have an amazing impact on your strength, health and happiness. 

Foundation Training uses a combination of powerful movements, intentional poses and conscious breathing techniques to activate the muscles in your posterior chain ie calves, hamstrings, glutes (bum), lower mid and upper back.

By sitting at desks and crouching over our handheld devices we are continually compressing our spine and surrounding areas, depriving our body of oxygen and reducing blood flow. Foundation Training reverses this instantly by teaching you how to decompress your ribcage though breathing allowing your spine to lengthen and your diaphragm to open. By simply doing this your breathing capacity increases and oxygen levels rise giving you more energy and eliminating fatigue.

An amazing individual who radically changed his life overcoming debilitating chronic lower back pain. He was told the only way to resolve his Degenerative Joint Disease was to have lumbar spinal fusion surgery. He said NO and a decade on he is surgery and largely pain free, having evolved a series of strengthening exercises specifically modelled to support his lumbar spine by integrating the whole posterior chain of muscles in every activity he does on a daily basis. And now others have followed in avoiding surgery and chronic pain.

Massage is safe throughout the whole of your pregnancy unless you have specific issues outlined by your health professional. 

The following is a list of myths associated with prenatal massage...all misconceptions and misinformation due to ill informed individuals who have not spent enough time studying the physiology of pregnancy. 

Some Massage Myths

-Massage can cause miscarriage
-Massage is contraindicated in the first trimester
-The abdomen should never to massaged during the first trimester
-The feet and hands should never be massaged during pregnancy
-Pregnant woman should only ever lie on their left side during sleep and during massage

This massage is much less intense than my deep tissue massage treatments...rest assured! As well as addressing and easing discomfort for you it’s important that I ensure you de-stress and relax for a time. 

- Reduces stress, anxiety and tension
- Speeds up venous and lymph circulation, brings nutrients and oxygen to the soft tissue and helps to eliminate waste products
- Reduces swelling, eases varicose veins and can help to normalise blood pressure
- Treats common discomforts of pregnancy - lower back pain, heavy legs, tight shoulders etc

You are treated on a normal therapy couch, your comfort is a priority so lots of pillows. I treat you lying on one side then we swap over. I don’t agree with these pregnancy couches that have a hole cut out for your tummy to drop through. It puts far too much pressure on your ligaments which baring in mind are over bendy due to the relaxin hormone your body is producing from as early as week 10.