I cannot remember the first date that I saw Jo. I had seen other osteopaths, before moving to Brockley, and at the Sunflower Centre who have helped when Jo was not been available. But we have established such a healing bond of trust over all the years of treatment that I am not keen to see another now as she knows me, holistically, so well. So for a long time now Jo is my must see person to asses any damage, realign my body and give advice. All of which speeds up my healing. As a retired homeopath I self prescribe for injuries and feel a two pronged approach with osteopathy can work well for me.
Falling downstairs, twice, and many times falling off my bike are some of the reasons to see her quickly. After one particular bike fall Jo advised me to see my GP to arrange an MRI. This revealed a torn cartilage which needed an arthroscopy to remove the loose bits of cartilage causing pain, by surgery. Jo has maintained my knee in a good state of health minimising pain. She has recommended books and other sources for me to use with specific exercises. I already do regular yoga which really helps too. Sometimes I have symptoms which I think are nothing to do with the alignment of my back but turn out to be relieved by her treatment. So I briefly tell her all my symptoms just in case they are relevant.
I have known Jo so long it is a joy to see her. Walking over beautiful Hilly Fields to see her is always an optimistic experience. I have absolute trust in her abilities and after a short explanation of why I am needing help I lay down on her couch and relax allowing her magic fingers to assess and deal with the difficulty. I may give feedback when needed and in-between we can laugh a lot. Sometimes when there have been sad times there are some tears. Mostly, I feel I am floating in a totally relaxed dream like state.
Following her treatment I feel lighter and more energetic which is very different from when I arrived at the clinic. I see Jo depending on need throughout the year to maintain my 72 year old joints in good health and more intensely if I have damaged myself. Recently I had some complications after having a dense cataract removed, some flashing in that eye, some dizziness etc. Jo did a lot of work on my head and after one session my head felt much clearer and the symptoms much reduced and are now almost gone.
I have recommended Jo to many adults and their children who rate her highly and she has helped me find a recommended osteopath for a family member outside of London which is going very well.
This was written as a testimonial by a patient of Joanna Mitchell, lead osteopath at the Sunflower Centre. We didn’t want to edit it down to fit into a testimonial space and so have elevated it to a blog post.