Therapies
Osteopathy
What
it is Osteopathy
Osteopathy
is an established, recognised system of diagnosis and treatment that lays
its main emphasis on the structural integrity of the body. It is distinctive
in the fact that it recognises much of the pain and disability we suffer
stems from abnormalities in the function of the body structure as well as
damage caused to it by disease.
Osteopathy uses many of the diagnostic procedures
used in conventional medical assessment and diagnosis. Its main strength,
however, lies in the unique way the patient is assessed from a mechanical,
functional and postural standpoint and the manual methods of treatment
applied to suit the needs of the individual patient.
Osteopathy does more than just address problems of
the musculo-skeletal system. The British Medical Association in its report Complementary
Medicine: New Approaches to Good Practice describes osteopathy as a
‘discrete clinical discipline’. Osteopaths use a wide variety of
approaches to treatment and can bring relief or improvement to many
conditions affecting, for example, children, the elderly, sportsmen and
women, or to problems which arise during or after pregnancy.
A thorough knowledge of the basic medical sciences
followed by an extended period of clinical training is central to the
osteopath’s ability to make a differential diagnosis and to distinguish
conditions which are amenable to osteopathic treatment from those which are
not.
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The
history of Osteopathy
Osteopathy was developed over 100
years ago by a Union Doctor in the American Civil War called Andrew Still.
He had always cleared his own headaches by cracking his neck and he reasoned
that the spine was the source of good health, so rather than offer drugs, he
began to investigate the manipulation of the joints which he believed would
release the body's abilities to heal itself.
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How
does it work?
Osteopathy is based on
the theory that many of the body's health problems are due to misplaced
vertebrae which hinder the body's own self-healing process. Therefore, by
realigning these vertebrae the body's natural substances are released to
heal the specific symptom. Like other holistic therapies, osteopathy works
on the premise that good health requires proper equilibrium and as such will
take into account all the details of a patient's lifestyle, such as
environment, nutrition, posture, and so on.
Osteopaths place great
importance on 'lesions' which occur when a joint becomes jammed and
therefore restricted within its natural scope of movement. Lesions in the
lower back can cut off circulation which may lead to disease, they can also
cause disc damage and inflamed nerves. These lesions do no necessarily show
up on an X-ray and therefore are often missed by GPs who rely greatly on
X-rays for their diagnosis.
As an addition to osteopathy,
a student discovered that there is a gentle movement in the joints of the
cranial bones and that when these bones become misaligned and restrict this
movement, for reasons such as a birth defect or a blow to the head, then
this can lead to disease. It is through this discovery that cranial
osteopathy was developed, and just like osteopathy it involves the
manipulation of the cranial bones.
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What
does treatment involve?
A first visit
to an osteopath will take the best part of an hour and subsequent visits
will take approximately 45 minutes. The Osteopath treats the individual and
not just the disease, and will therefore take a detailed case history from
you to make himself aware of any outside influences that could cause the
symptoms. The osteopath will note how you walk and your general posture and
will examine the patient in their underwear in sitting, lying and standing
positions. He/she is looking for any damage to the body's framework and will
point out any interesting postural abnormalities, such as having one
shoulder higher than the other or other uneven angles.
The osteopath may use blood
and urine tests to aid diagnosis and will pay close attention to certain
areas with palpation (use of the hands). There are several techniques that
the osteopath may use to treat the patient's condition, such as spine
cracking, soft tissue technique which is similar to massage, osteopathic
manipulative therapy which is used to restore movement in the musculo-skeletal
system, or movement of the joints to restore muscle alignment. The technique
will depend on the diagnosis of the health problem.
The osteopath will most
likely give advice on posture, nutrition, exercise and relaxation in
addition to the manipulation treatment.
Osteopaths are
independent practitioners and therefore a letter of referral is not
necessary, and the cost of treatment can vary. Private health insurance
often includes osteopathy now and will allow a certain amount of money to
pay for osteopathic treatment if it is recommended by your GP.
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Which
patients consult an Osteopath?
A survey
of osteopathic practice throughout the country revealed that approaching a
quarter of patients attend an osteopath with their doctors’ approval, over
10%, in fact, being formally referred by their GPs or Consultants.
The main survey findings were:
• The UK’s 2500 practising
osteopaths give over 6 million consultations a year.
• Of these almost 15% had
never consulted an osteopath before.
• 58% of patients are
women; 42% men. Pregnancy puts a strain on the low back but it could also
reflect the fact that many women have two jobs - paid work and looking
after the home - and both can give rise to the problem.
• Almost a quarter of patients
are in their forties. Many patients are losing their physical fitness at
this time in their lives and are more prone to injury when taking physical
exercise.
• Almost a half of patients
complain of low back trouble. Back pain is one of the major ills of modem
society resulting in 100 million working days being lost each year. The
lumbar spine is a vulnerable link in our bodies but there can be no doubt
that problems are compounded by bad posture and the largely sedentary
lifestyle that people lead.
• One in five patients
considered that their problem was related to work. One in ten attribute it
to some sporting activity and a similar number
to incidents
within the home.
Source: 'Osteopathy &
Medicine Today' Osteopathic Information Service
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What
it can help
Osteopathy has
earned worldwide respect as a treatment for back pain, although it is also
used for other problems such as menstruation pains, allergies, headaches,
digestive disorders and breathing difficulties. For a list of research
studies relating to Osteopathy, click here.
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