Questions people ask.
The practical things first, then the work itself, then a short glossary — because I use a few words in a particular way, and you should not have to guess what I mean.
Practical questions
Do I need a referral?
No. You can book directly. Some extended health plans ask for a doctor's note before they reimburse osteopathic sessions — worth checking your plan once, before the first visit.
How much does a session cost?
A first visit is $185 for sixty minutes. Follow-up sessions are $170 at sixty minutes, with shorter sessions also available. All fees include GST. I provide receipts for extended health insurance — most BC plans that list 'Osteopathy' will cover sessions; please confirm the specifics with your provider.
How many sessions will I need?
It depends on how long the pattern has been there. Something recent may settle in a session or two. Something your body has been adapting around for years usually needs a small series, with time between sessions so the body can use each change. I will tell you what I think after the first assessment — and if I think osteopathy is not the right tool for what you bring, I will say so.
What should I wear? Do I need to undress?
There is no need to undress. Loose, comfortable clothing is ideal — the kind you could stretch in.
Is there parking? Is the clinic accessible?
Street parking is available on Oak Bay Avenue, and Fell Street has two-hour spaces. The clinic is up a flight of stairs — if stairs are a barrier for you, please write to me first and we will see what can be arranged.
Do you see babies and children?
Yes — babies and children are a significant part of the practice, often referred by midwives. The work with them is very gentle, often just the weight of a hand.
Can I come while pregnant?
Yes. The second trimester is when most people come, often when the growing uterus starts negotiating space with the diaphragm and ribs. If you are in your first trimester, write to me first and we will decide together what makes sense.
Fees, hours, and the booking calendar are on the booking page; what a first session looks like, minute by minute, is on first visit.
About the work
Does treatment hurt? Do you crack joints?
Most of the work is slow and gentle — many people are surprised by how quiet it is. I do not use forceful adjustments as a default. If I think a more direct technique would be useful, I will explain it first and we decide together. If anything is uncomfortable at any moment, you can say so and we adjust.
Is osteopathic treatment safe?
Gentle manual work of this kind has a good safety record, including with babies and older adults. The most common after-effect is tiredness for a day or two — often a tiredness that was already there and was being masked. Mild, short-lived soreness can also happen. If anything feels off after a session, write to me.
Does osteopathy actually work?
Honestly: it depends on what for, and the research is uneven. The trial evidence is strongest for chronic low back pain, with moderate support for neck pain. For babies, safety is well supported but effectiveness research is still young — which is why I am clear about when I am working from clinical experience rather than trial data. There is also a growing body of research on what patients themselves report, and on how much the quality of the therapeutic relationship contributes to outcomes — something osteopathy is well placed to do carefully, though it is never automatic.
Are you a doctor?
No. In British Columbia I am an Osteopathic Practitioner — a hands-on practitioner of manual osteopathy, not a physician. The DO(FR) after my name is the Diplôme d'Ostéopathie from France: a five-and-a-half-year, full-time programme. If you are sorting out who does what in BC, the field guide page explains the titles.
What if my problem is not something you can help with?
Then I will tell you, and when I can, help you find the right person. Some things need a physician, a physiotherapist, a counsellor, or simply time. Sometimes the most useful thing I can do is a careful assessment and an honest referral.
I am anxious about being touched, or sensitive to sensory input. Is that a problem?
No — it is common here. The clinic is low-stimulation by default: warm lighting, quiet room, no surprise music, scents kept minimal. We go at your pace, nothing happens without your agreement, and you can pause at any moment. If specific accommodations help, mention them when you book.
The evidence summary above is the short version. The longer one, with citations, is in the evidence note on the homepage (Dal Farra; Driehuis; Draper-Rodi, Vaughan, Fleischmann, Sposato).
Words I use
- Osteopathic Practitioner vs. Osteopathic Physician
- Two professions share the word. An Osteopathic Physician is a medical doctor; an Osteopathic Practitioner (my title) is a hands-on practitioner of manual osteopathy. BC distinguishes carefully between them — see the field guide. What is osteopathy in BC →
- Tone
- How much background effort a tissue — especially muscle — is holding when it should be at rest. Tone can run too high (most common) or too low. When it runs high for a long time, joints carry extra load and the body has to work to stay in balance.
- Pattern
- The particular way your body has organised itself around the events of its life — injuries, surgeries, long stretches of stress. Not a defect; a record of adaptations.
- Adaptation and key moments
- The body adapts to what happens to it, often successfully for years. At some point one adaptation can become overwhelmed or get stuck — a key moment. Much of the first visit is building a timeline to find those moments.
- Overloaded vs. stuck
- Pain is often loudest in tissue that is overloaded — working too hard to compensate — rather than in what is actually restricted. The painful place and the place that needs work are frequently not the same place.
- Cranial and biodynamic work
- The gentlest end of osteopathy: very light contact, paying attention to subtle qualities in the tissues. It is also the part of the field with the most debate around it. I trained in this lineage and remain both curious and skeptical — I use what I can feel and verify, not a belief system.
- Visceral work
- Gentle manual work with the tissues that surround and suspend the organs — relevant after abdominal surgery, some digestive patterns, and in pregnancy. I taught visceral techniques at CEESO Paris for five years.
- Trauma-aware
- Not a technique — a way of working. Pacing, consent at each step, and attention to nervous system regulation come before any manual change, because a stressed body does not like change.
Still have a question?
Write to lucas@saisonsclinic.ca — I reply within a day or two. Some patients prefer to ask a few things before booking; that is a normal way to start.