Ithaca Wellness

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Why have I chosen to offer a mobile as well as a clinic-based service?

There is something about delivering pain relief and relaxation to people who might not be able to get out to a clinic that really speaks to me. Bringing a joke and a smile to people who might otherwise feel isolated and helping them feel better is a very satisfying feeling. I can’t think of a more idyllic way of doing this than driving around beautiful British Columbia. Meeting new people in new places everyday with the forest and mountains as my office is heaven to me quite frankly.

I have a therapy space set up at my home and I do see clients there occasionally. And the goal, eventually, is to operate from my own clinic, while keeping the mobile service running.

However, when I was a young boy, my older brother, whom I idolised, talked of only ever wanting to have a “whistler’s job.” By that he meant driving from place to place, job to job (he worked as a bricklayer on houses and suchlike), whistling as he drove and worked, helping people and laughing and joking along the way. I always loved that idea. Mobile osteopathy is my whistler’s job!

What can I expect in a Manual Osteopathic & Therapeutic Bodywork treatment?

For your home visits the therapist will bring their own massage table, saddle-stool and any other equipment required. See more details for how to prepare at the bottom of this page.

During a Manual Osteopathic & Therapeutic Bodywork treatment the client is fully clothed. Osteopathy is a gentle and non-intrusive physical therapy that aims to create ease within the body. In your first session the therapist will assess the whole body for misalignments, mobility restrictions, pains or tenderness, and will ask for any relevant medical history. Using a massage table, practitioners will use gentle techniques such as soft tissue massage, joint mobilization, muscle energy techniques, gentle viscera and organ kneading, and other therapeutic exercises to guide the body’s structure back into optimal alignment and good circulatory flow. The techniques used are specific to each patient’s requirements.

How will I feel?

Osteopathy has a gently gently approach and most clients feel a sense of relaxation and relief from pains. Using gentle musculoskeletal movements, stretches and adjustments to realign the body’s structure, the flow of all the body’s systems is freed-up and there can be a sense of one’s posture feeling opened up. You can expect to feel relief from techniques such as assisted stretching and joint mobilization as previously restricted movements are gently released.

Osteopathy is not about cracking bones, which can be seen in many social media videos of physical therapies. On the contrary, in a Manual Osteopathic & Therapeutic Bodywork treatment the techniques can often seem very minimal but the effect is maximal and often takes place as the body heals itself in the days to follow. The Osteopathic approach is never to lean into pain but rather to move into a position of comfort, away from pain, so the body can relax, feel at ease and heal itself. A tense body rarely heals.

Osteopathic techniques calm the nervous system, which is in control of the whole body. A calm nervous system relaxes the patient which then allows more of the body’s energy to be refocused on healing diseases and other conditions of the somatic kind. Less aches, pains and illness in the body has a positive impact on the patient’s stress reduction and mental health, resulting in the Osteopathic treatment having optimum impact on the whole person, not just the body. As a result patients often experience sleepiness after a session.

In the days following a Manual Osteopathy & Therapeutic Bodywork treatment you may experience mild soreness or aches as the body readjusts back into it’s natural posture, similar to how you might feel after exercise, a hike or massage. This is perfectly normal and is part of the body’s healing process. This typically subsides after 24 hours and then your body will feel like new. Much like a lotus flower floating on water!

Pain dissolved, problem solved!

Osteopathy and Therapeutic Bodywork is not all about solving problems.

You don’t need to have pain or a physical condition to book sessions. Maybe you or a loved one you want to treat enjoy looking after yourselves, are craving a pampering session and want to feel good. Here’s the thing, Osteopathy, Therapeutic Bodywork, in fact generally working with the body’s tissues, improves flexibility, mobility, circulation and is a proven relaxation method. It’s common knowledge that massage helps people relax but what isn’t as well known is that some people find Osteopathy even more relaxing than massage. It is often the case that clients who come for an Osteopathy treatment begin to favour that as their go-to wellness and relaxation treatment from then on.

Preparation for a home visit

Very little needs to be done by you. For your home visits the therapist will bring their own portable osteopathy/massage table, a small saddle-stool and other equipment (such as hygiene products like disposable gloves, disinfectant wipes, face covers if required.)

Location of the treatment in your house

A clear room of any kind is fine. The portable osteopathy table measures 6 Foot by 3 Foot and the therapist needs some clear space around this table to manoeuvre and to sit on the small saddle stool if required.

A well-lit space with good air ventilation is ideal. The temperature of the room should be comfortable-to-warm as if it is too cold this will contribute to tense muscles.

What to wear for a Manual Osteopathic & Therapeutic Bodywork Treatment

You should wear comfortable loose attire such as yoga clothes, gym-style tops and pants/shorts or t-shirts. Jeans/denim, or other tougher textiles, are not suitable as the material is too stiff for manoeuvering the body. Skirts are not suitable. Belts can poke into skin so are not advisable to wear.

As treatments are fully clothed there is no use of oils on the skin.

Insurance Submissions

All receipts are fully itemized for the purposes of insurance submissions.  

Full clinical notes are available for insurance submissions. Simply download clinical notes from the patient portal or ask your therapist for a digital copy. 

Ithaca Wellness does not provide direct billing service to insurance companies. We provide full receipts and clinical notes required for patients to submit their own insurance claims after their treatment.  

Osteopathic Manual Practitioners (OMP) and Bodywork Therapists are not permitted by Canadian law to give medical diagnoses. OMP is a gentle physical therapy that aims to help with pain management and relaxation of the nervous system. For medical diagnoses it is always advisable to seek the advice of your family doctor.

Skip the commute, skip the waiting room — I can come to you!

Member of British Columbia Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners (BCAOMP)