Common Reactions Post-Osteo Treatment

Via Emma Tranier, MOMSc

 

So, you just had an osteopathic treatment, and you have a few questions: Why do I feel so tired now? What did they do to make me feel so great? Where did this new pain come from? Is this a common side effect? Will this happen every time? Am I fixed? One thing is for sure: This is a new sensation, and your body isn’t used to that!

The results following an osteopathic treatment aren’t immediate. Your body needs a little time to integrate the treatment and adapt. The osteopathic manipulations during treatment often affect joint balance, muscular tension, blood and lymphatic circulation, encourage toxin evacuation, and more! After all of that, it’s super common to experience different sensations immediately following your treatment. It’s hard to say how soon after and for how long because every person is unique and each body has its own reaction.

 

Osteopathy is based on 3 main principles:

• The body is a whole unit. An anatomical reality. It isn’t uncommon to experience side effects that differ from the pain you came in for or the areas that were worked on.
• Your body’s job is to heal itself, which is called auto regulation. This process requires lots of energy from your body. It’s perfectly normal to feel tired and sluggish after a treatment.
• Especially when working on structural aspects of your anatomy, there are different types of side effects that you may experience depending on the area of treatment. For example, you may have some digestive or gynaecological reactions after a visceral manipulation, or, your head might feel a little sensitive or headache-y after a cranial treatment.

On the other hand, a lot of people also feel great after treatment! Some experience a lightness, like they’re walking on a cloud. Others might feel a little strange and unbalanced. Sometimes your pain might increase a little bit – this is what we refer to as the “rebound effect”. Picture this: It’s like a ball bouncing – The first time it’s super high, and each bounce is a little softer and lower until it settles on the ground. That ground area is where your body settles into the proper balance.

 

Some other possible side effects include (but aren’t limited to):

• Fatigue
• Soreness
• Headaches, dizziness
• Disruption of intestinal transit or menstrual cycle
• Your mood could even change!

 

It’s not all negative, though! Some great side effects include (but also aren’t limited to):

• Feeling more centred, stable, straight-up
• Feeling better rested after you sleep
• Better breathing and a better range of movement
• Feeling more energetic (though this usually happens around 3-4 days later once the body has balanced again)
• A noticeable decrease of pain

 

With those who are pregnant during treatment, you can experience all the same side effects, but it’s common that even the baby can feel a little more agitated after a session. This is usually because they’re not used to the kind of added space that they have inside the belly right after treatment. This can often result in some movement and turning over if they need to! (It’s a great idea to try osteopathy for those breech babies!)

Speaking of babies, once they’re born and start getting treatments (yep! We treat babies, too!), most of the time they need a little more rest to get used to the changes in their bodies. We highly recommend not waking up your baby once they’re asleep after a treatment, even if they sleep through mealtime. Sometimes they can be a little more irritable or agitated in the hours after treatment due to the changes. Like adults, their bodies need time to recalibrate – Symptoms might get a little more intense for a bit before they get better.

 

So what do we advise after an osteopathy treatment?

• Follow your regular routine, but try not to push your body too far. You need the energy for the auto-regulation process to work properly! We don’t recommend going directly to the gym after, or over-exerting yourself at the farm – Take it easy!
• Stay hydrated, especially between meals. Being hydrated will help ease the intensity of any side effects you experience.
• Take advantage of few-day recovery period to really pay attention to your body – Trust yourself, your body knows how to heal!

 

We hope that this provides you with a pretty good understanding of what to expect after a treatment. Just know that the symptoms vary form person to person because everyone’s body will react differently, nobody brings the same issues to treat, and not all practitioners use the same techniques!

If you have any questions, concerns, or need help booking an initial or follow-up appointment, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We’re here to help in any way we can to support your health journey.

You can call us at any time (feel free to leave a message!) at 613-766-3503, email us at info@fchn.ca, or even message us on Instagram (@fullcirclehealthnetwork). Feel free to take a look online at our availability and book from there!