Osteopathy
Osteopathy is a manual therapy approach which works with the body’s natural mechanisms to promote healing. The approach uses a combination of joint manipulation, soft tissue release and articulation of the musculoskeletal system. It’s based on the theory that our health relies on the integrity of all the body’s structures, and that a wide range of conditions and injuries can be treated by addressing these structures and correcting them. The body has inherent self-healing mechanisms that can become impaired by the effects of chronic postural strains, traumas or just every-day stress. Osteopathy aims to restore, encourage and enhance these physiological mechanisms to aid recovery and physical wellbeing.
Osteopaths are registered practitioners who are governed by the General Osteopathic Council (GOSC), they must complete a minimum of four years’ university training in anatomy, physiology, pathology, general medical diagnosis and osteopathic techniques.
What does osteopathy treat?
People often visit osteopaths for back, neck, joint and muscle pain, for short-term issues and for help with conditions such as migraines, headaches or digestive issues. Many patients visit osteopaths on a regular basis to help manage chronic conditions such as arthritis and to maintain their overall wellbeing. Osteopaths take the time to understand every patient as an individual, considering other factors that could be contributing to the problem, including biological, psychological and social factors. We treat the patient not the problem!
What to expect
During your initial consultation we will:
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Discuss your presenting problem in detail to try to identify what has happened
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Review your previous medical history to identify if there are any other factors that may influence your problem in any way
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Explore other factors relating to your work, lifestyle, hobbies and interests that may be relevant
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Summarise our findings and discuss possible explanations for your pain.
Once we have a good understanding of your presentation, we can then plan with you how best to proceed. At this stage we would typically:
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Complete a thorough physical examination that will involve you performing certain movements and activities to help us identify your problem and evaluate any other local or distant factors that might be contributing to your problem
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Perform special tests to help our diagnosis but to also assess other health related factors (such as blood pressure, reflexes etc) to make sure we fully understand things
All of this information helps us to talk with you about a final osteopathic evaluation and from here we can plan together to decide on how best to treat and manage your problem.
Treatment typically involves the use of a number of different approaches, including
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Soft tissue manipulation and stretching
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Joint manipulations (clicking techniques)
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Joint articulation
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Other methods which may include medical acupuncture, postural advice and exercises
Patients typically come for 2-5 sessions, during which time their symptoms resolve. However, some patients may require further treatment, depending on their problem, and some patients receive ongoing care if their condition cannot be completely fixed (e.g. for those patients who may have an underlying problem such as arthritis causing their pain). We will discuss your presentation with you and carefully explain how we think your problem should respond. We will also discuss other treatment options that are available to you, so that you can make a fully informed decision about your care.
