Ok the short version is yes, it is a bit like a chiropractor or a physiotherapist and some of the ways we apply treatment overlap. We all attend training at university level and go on to do further short courses with each other and held by each other (and when I search for free pictures to use on my website of osteopaths working, they are exactly the same as if I enter physio or chiropractic, so no wonder everyone gets confused!). However, sometimes, our way of thinking maybe a little different and that comes from our basic foundation principles. Osteopaths and physiotherapists are allied heath professionals, meaning they are health professionals that are distinct from doctors, nurses and pharmacists. They share this title with other professions such as paramedics, dieticians and speech and language therapists.
Osteopaths are neuromusculoskeletal experts that believe that the body is a unit and when a part is not working to full capacity it can cause problems in other areas. This is why you may find that your osteopath may perform treatment on areas you may not initially think your problem is related to.
They feel that the free movement of fluid through the body will allow health to be maintained and when this fluid movement is disrupted it can cause a lack of health and reduce the ability for the body to heal itself. Osteopaths believe that the treatment they perform allow the body to heal itself and this allows the patient to then maintain their own health, through advice, guidance and maintenance where appropriate.
Who can be an osteopath?
You can legally, only call yourself an osteopath if you have the correct level of training and you are registered with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC). This means that you must go to university for typically between four and five years (you can study osteopathy right up to PHD level) and hold the correct insurance to allow you to practice. When you are registered, an osteopath is given a unique registration number and can be found on the GOsC online register. This register is to protect the public and make sure you know, that your practitioner is appropriately qualified to understand and diagnose what they are treating.
But my massage therapist uses osteopathic techniques and they are much cheaper!
Ok, the short version is yes, it is a bit like a chiropractor or a physiotherapist and some of the ways we apply treatment overlap. We all attend training at the university level and go on to do further short courses with each other and held by each other (and when I search for free pictures to use on my website of osteopaths working, they are exactly the same as if I enter physio or chiropractic, so no wonder everyone gets confused!). However, sometimes, our way of thinking maybe a little different and that comes from our basic foundation principles. Osteopaths and physiotherapists are allied health professionals, meaning they are health professionals that are distinct from doctors, nurses and pharmacists. They share this title with other professions such as paramedics, dieticians and speech and language therapists.
When you pay for osteopathic treatment, you are paying for the knowledge of the practitioner. You are paying for the years of training in the mechanisms, signs and symptoms of pathology to allow them to know when you can be treated or who you need to be referred to, the pharmacological knowledge that allows them to understand that your symptoms may be related to your medication, or that other potential problems could occur if treated. You are paying for them to look for the cause of your back pain, so that it can be treated or maintained properly and not just masked and for it then to return.
Osteopaths have specific undergraduate training for the treatment of children, pregnancy, elderly and sports injury rehabilitation. Some then go on to undertake further specialist training in these areas. But the long and short of it is that they are trained to treat everyone and this is assessed through over 1000 hours of supervised clinical attendance, exams, assignments and course work to prove they are capable of diagnosing and treating or referring patients to where they need to be.
What do osteopaths treat?
There are many things that osteopathy has been proven to help, these include;
Joint pain
Headache and migraine prevention
Sports injuries
Neuralgia
Rheumatic pain
Muscle spasms
Sciatica
Fibromyalgia and much more
If you would like to discuss if treatment would be appropriate for you, then do not hesitate to contact us.
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