What to Expect
Before your visit
Visits are most easily booked online, but can also be booked by email, text, or phone if needed. You may want to check with your insurance company about reimbursement (see Fees section). After booking, you will receive an email with intake forms and consents to be filled out online prior to your appointment. If you decide you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, you can do that online as well up to 48 hours prior to your appointment (before the late cancellation period). If you are experiencing new symptoms of respiratory infection, such as fever, cough, chills, loss of taste or smell, or sore throat, or you have tested positive for COVID, we will ask you to reschedule at least 10 days after the onset of symptoms.
​
In order to protect our chemically-sensitive co-workers and clients, we ask that patients avoid wearing any fragrances, scented products, or clothes that have been smoked in, and avoid smoking for at least an hour before your appointment. Wear comfortable clothing that is easy to move in and hydrate well before your visit. Please bring a mask as they are required for the visit.
​
Please be aware that we are not a primary care office and our practice is not set up to order labs, imaging, or prescriptions. Please address these issues with your primary care physician or other members of your healthcare team, and results can be sent or brought to your visit here.
​
At your visit
Our office in Columbia is located in the Be The Change and Health and Wellness Center.
Our office in Silver Spring is located in the Dr. Edris Osteopathy office.
When you arrive for your visit, please have a seat in the waiting area and Dr. Levy will come bring you back to the treatment room.
​
Health and safety
Face masks covering the nose and mouth are required to be worn by all people in the treatment room aged 2 years and older throughout the appointment. Dr. Levy wears an N95 mask during your visit and washes or sanitizes her hands between every patient. The table is disinfected or new sheets/pillow covers are placed for each visit. We also ask that patients wash or sanitize hands right before their treatment. ​
Clothes generally remain on during osteopathic treatment, though at times it may be easier to address something directly on skin. Please wear comfortable clothing, opt for pants or shorts rather than skirts, and wear socks.
​
Due to room size and needs for healing, we may not be able to accommodate for more than one person accompanying the patient. If young children must come to the visit or they are the patient, please make sure they have snacks if needed and quiet entertainment of some kind, such as toys or books.
​
The visit itself consists of history taking, a basic physical exam, osteopathic exam, osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), and recommendations. The time required depends on complexity involved, and average visit times are noted on our booking page.
​
The osteopathic approach involves listening to the body and letting it guide the treatment, with an osteopath essentially working as a mechanic for the body, removing restrictions to proper fluid flow and function, and helping the body in what it is already trying to do to find balance in its structures, nervous system, and physiology.
During a treatment, Dr. Levy will use gentle pressure and movements to assess and treat different structures of the body. Occasionally, if required and tolerated by the patient, more direct pressure or patient muscle activation may be involved. At other times, the motion may be so subtle, it may not feel like anything is happening, such as when holding balanced tension for the body to move itself back into a neutral state. There may also be moments during treatment that seem more energetic than mechanical. Often after a treatment, people will feel looser in their tissues, and sometimes the release will be a more pronounced physical or emotional one. When there is a large amount of guarding and a person is less in touch with feeling their body, they are less likely to feel as much change.
The duration of the treatment depends on what the body requires - sometimes it needs (or can handle) more or less on any given day. It is manual medicine, and some people need a bigger or smaller dose depending on their needs and reserves.
​
After your visit
Generally, changes are expected to continue in your body most strongly in the 48-72 hours following a treatment, and it is advised during this time to stay well hydrated and avoid strenuous activity (such as intense exercise or heavy housework) to allow your body the best chance to reorganize and heal.
Despite treatments often being very gentle, sometimes patients can feel quite sore or tired in the day or days after a treatment as the body continues its own release work. It is also possible to have emotional changes, shifting sensations in the body, feeling very cold or warm, or even to have increased energy in that time. To avoid excessive input for the body as it is healing, additional body work or energy work should be avoided in these first few days, and ideally for the week after treatment.
​
Frequency of treatment depends on the patient and their response to treatment. Chronic conditions usually tend to take longer to improve than acute ones. Sometimes the body has compensated for so much trauma over the course of its existence that layers need to be peeled back slowly over time, allowing for the body to reorganize each step of the way. It's generally recommended in these cases to have the first few visits about a week apart, and then start to space them out as symptoms improve.
​
While many patients feel a change at their first visit, some patients do not notice any changes until they’ve had 4 or so treatments, and on occasion, may not subjectively feel any change and find that their issue may require things besides osteopathy to help it improve. Aside from contributing medical issues, sometimes people hold or recreate their dysfunctional patterns on a regular basis with things like prolonged sitting, poor posture, repetitive or excessive use of a body part, or negative thoughts that affect the body, all of which can slow progress. People who are motivated to enact and continue healthy lifestyle habits at home without trying to rush their body’s progress are the ones who tend to have the best outcomes. Ideally, with time, you can learn to find and maintain your own health. For patients who still appreciate the assistance in facilitating their health maintenance, it may be helpful to have follow-up visits a few times per year.
​
Accessibility and Accommodations
Please note that the office buildings are all wheelchair accessible with elevators and wheelchair-accessible bathrooms. Dr. Levy is happy to accommodate for patient treatment preferences with regard to increased sensitivity to touch and movement, and can treat patients lying down or seated, including in wheelchairs.
Reviews that have been sent to us by patients
2024
"Dr. Levy listens to me and is very positive. She has been able to help me where other therapy has not."
"Amazing!!! 5 stars 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩"
"Dr. Levy is a great osteopath, she is kind and wise and always gives me and my family the best support."
"Dr Levy was thorough and caring"
"Dr. Levy is excellent. She has been able to help me where other doctors and therapists have not."
"Dr. Levy has been so helpful in getting rid of and reducing my pain. She has taken the time to explain and show me how to continue the great work she has done in the office at home between sessions. By listening to her and doing the prescribed exercises at home (although not religiously), I am in less pain. She knows her stuff and knows how my body works so much better than I do."
"Excellent doctor. I had the treatment yesterday after surgery. I feel much better today. Thanks so much Dr. Levy."
​
2023
"My first visit was more than I'd hoped for. I had several areas needing treatment and Dr. Levy listened intently and I'm feeling much better as a result. She also gave me exercises to help with stiffness/soreness."
"Very clean- organized liked Dr. Levy"
"Dr. Levy is a skilled osteopath. She treats on many levels. I recommend her without hesitation!"
"Scheduling online was easy; the office was clean and relaxing. Dr. Levy listened carefully and asked a lot of questions. She explained more about the process since I'm a new patient. The feedback afterwards was helpful and specific."
​
More reviews on GOOGLE and HEALTHGRADES ★★★★★ Feel free to leave your own!
​
We love our patients and appreciate the feedback! We do our best as osteopaths to help people find their health. It's a team effort.
Sign from the office of William Garner Sutherland, DO