Social media for osteopaths: a practical guide

Most people find an osteopath when something hurts: a stiff back after gardening, a sore neck from desk work, a niggling sports injury. They want to know whether you can help, what will happen at the first appointment, how much it costs and how soon they can be seen.

Your other audience is people who refer: GPs, personal trainers, sports clubs, pilates teachers and employers. A steady, calm feed that shows how you assess and explain things builds their trust as much as your patients'.

Two to four posts a week is plenty. Keep a note on your desk of the questions patients ask during treatment, and turn one into a post each week.

• Monday: a simple movement or desk-setup tip, filmed in clinic.
• Tuesday: what happens at a first appointment, from case history to examination to a treatment plan.
• Wednesday: a plain explanation of a condition you can talk about, such as general back pain or sciatica.
• Thursday: meet the team, with each person's registration and interests.
• Friday: practical details, such as this week's availability, prices or parking.

The title: the General Osteopathic Council says Section 32(1) of the Osteopaths Act 1993 makes it a criminal offence for anyone not on its Register to describe themselves, expressly or by implication, as any kind of osteopath. Its protected titles include osteopath, osteopathic practitioner, osteopathic physician, osteopathist and osteotherapist. In a joint message, the GOsC and the ASA said they treat unregistered people aligning themselves with the title as misleading.

Advertising standards: the GOsC's advertising guidance says what you tell patients on your website, social media, directories and marketing must comply with the Osteopathic Practice Standards and with the CAP Code, and that information about your qualifications and services must be factually accurate.

Treatment claims: the ASA's osteopathy advice lists conditions it accepts osteopaths can claim to treat, based on evidence submitted before November 2016. They include general, acute and chronic backache (not arising from injury or accident), uncomplicated mechanical neck pain (not following injury such as whiplash), sciatica, lumbago, headache arising from the neck, migraine prevention, minor sports injuries, muscle spasms, frozen shoulder and joint pains including hip and knee pain from osteoarthritis as an adjunct to core treatments. Conditions not on its list are likely to be a problem without strong clinical evidence.

Babies, children and pregnancy: the ASA says osteopaths may refer to treating these groups, but claims about conditions specific to them, such as colic or morning sickness, are unlikely to be acceptable without a strong body of evidence. It also says that "Dr" is likely to imply a general medical qualification, so osteopaths without one should avoid it.

This is general information, not legal or clinical advice. Rules differ by country and change, so check with your regulator, professional body or a lawyer before you post claims, prices or photos of the people you serve.

1. Check your bio, page name and every graphic: use the title only if you are on the GOsC Register.
2. Compare each condition you mention against the ASA's current list before posting.
3. Talk about babies and pregnant patients in general terms, without naming conditions specific to them.
4. Remove "Dr" unless you hold a general medical qualification.
5. Look back through old posts and highlights, not just new ones.

Sources: General Osteopathic Council: How we protect the osteopathic title, checked 15 October 2026; ASA: Protecting the osteopathic title, a message from the GOsC and the ASA, checked 15 October 2026; General Osteopathic Council: Advertising, checked 15 October 2026; ASA Advice Online: Health, osteopathy, checked 15 October 2026

A patient filmed during treatment or quoted in a post reveals something about their health. The ICO says data concerning health is special category data, which includes information about the provision of health care that reveals someone's health status.

Testimonials are not a way round the claims list. The ASA treats before and after photos the same way as testimonials, says you should hold signed and dated proof that photos are genuine and not manipulated, and says they must not exaggerate the effect of a treatment.

US: HHS says that, with limited exceptions, the HIPAA Privacy Rule requires an individual's written authorization before their protected health information is used or disclosed for marketing. The FTC's endorsement guidance says that if you cannot show a patient's experience is what people will generally achieve, the ad must make clear what they can generally expect.

• Get written consent that names social media, and keep it with the patient's record.
• Film demonstrations with a team member or a willing friend instead of a patient where you can.
• Keep notes, screens and the appointment diary out of shot.
• Never quote a patient saying a condition outside the ASA list was cured.

Sources: ICO: What is special category data?, checked 15 October 2026; ASA Advice Online: Before and after photos, checked 15 October 2026; HHS: HIPAA Privacy Rule, marketing, checked 15 October 2026; FTC: FTC's Endorsement Guides, what people are asking, checked 15 October 2026

If you post prices, show the full price. The CMA says it is illegal to hide extra fees until later in the purchase process, and the headline price should normally include unavoidable charges. If a first appointment costs more than a follow-up, show both.

Google's guidelines let an individual practitioner who can be contacted at the verified location during stated hours have their own Business Profile, and say a location with several public-facing practitioners should also have a profile for the practice itself. Google's review policy bans offering incentives for reviews and selectively asking happy patients, so ask everyone the same way. In the US, the FTC's 2024 rule bans fake reviews and rewards that depend on a review saying something positive or negative.

Sources: GOV.UK (CMA): Providing clear and accurate information about prices, summary, checked 15 October 2026; Google Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google, checked 15 October 2026; Google Maps user-generated content policy: fake engagement, checked 15 October 2026; FTC: Final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (August 2024), checked 15 October 2026

Back and neck problems follow the calendar: new year gym starts, spring gardening, summer sport, long winter evenings at a laptop. Plan posts a few weeks ahead of each one.

Disclosure: this guide is published by Zolyp, an AI social media manager. Zolyp plans a calendar around your content pillars, writes and designs each post, and schedules it to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. You start in review-everything mode, so nothing goes live without your approval. Brand Brain can hold words you never want used, such as "cure", "Dr" or conditions outside the ASA list. Zolyp does not check posts against GOsC or ASA rules, so read every post before you approve it. Everything in this guide works just as well done by hand.

• Week 1: check Google hours, prices and practitioner profiles.
• Week 2: film two short tips and one first-appointment explainer.
• Week 3: one condition explainer checked against the ASA list and one team post.
• Week 4: reply to reviews, note which posts led to bookings and plan next month.