Osteopathy
A natural medicine which aims to restore function in the body by treating the causes of pain and imbalance. To achieve this goal the Osteopathic Manual Practitioner relies on the quality and finesse of his/her palpation and works with the position, mobility and quality of the tissues.
1: What are the benefits of Osteopathy?
1. It boosts the self-healing power of the body, offers more flexibility, and eases the pain due to muscle stiffness. The great advantage of this system is that it requires minimal medicine as it improves the natural healing powers of body and the mobility and structural stability of the body.
In simple terms osteopathy is a whole body treatment which focuses
on the motto, ‘prevention is better than cure’. It was Andrew
Taylor, a doctor, who invented this branch of health in 1800.
Though there is specification to bones, it is a whole body
treatment. This branch of health considers the body as a whole
unit and this holistic medicine is considered as a complete
medical discipline, which treats bones, muscles, and the complete
body systems. Moreover, it is a non-invasive drug free method
which aims to strengthen the musculoskeletal frame work. The main
aim of this branch of medicine is to enhance the circulatory
system, nervous system, and lymphatic system of the body.
Nowadays this branch of healthcare has gained wide popularity as it improves the health of the entire body. This system offers a wide range of techniques to treat musculoskeletal issues. It is a whole health package which can assess and treat from the tips of toes to the top of head. Back pain, muscle strains, headaches, tennis elbow, rib pain, leg and foot pain etc are the most common conditions which can be cured by this treatment.
The manual and gentle hands-on technique of osteopathy can eliminate the disturbance and pain occurred on the affected areas. It boosts the self-healing power of the body, offers more flexibility, and eases the pain due to muscle stiffness. The great advantage of this system is that it requires minimal medicine as it improves the natural healing powers of body and the mobility and structural stability of the body. As its aim is the prevention of diseases, it can enhance the general health and fitness of the body. Moreover, this treatment helps one to say good bye to restless nights.
Today many people are suffering from back pain and thus a good osteopath can support people by giving instruction to prevent this condition, by performing stretching exercises, breathing, and stress reduction methods.
To become an osteopath physician, 4 years medical school after 4 years graduation is required. Most of the osteopathic treatments include soft tissue stretching, which improves the blood circulation and thereby provides more mobility to joints and muscles. The treatment of osteopathy aims at the whole body and it focuses on self healing, dietary and lifestyle changes and exercises are required in order to treat the health problems. This branch of medicine also gained wide popularity as it is safe for children as well as adults.
Nowadays this branch of healthcare has gained wide popularity as it improves the health of the entire body. This system offers a wide range of techniques to treat musculoskeletal issues. It is a whole health package which can assess and treat from the tips of toes to the top of head. Back pain, muscle strains, headaches, tennis elbow, rib pain, leg and foot pain etc are the most common conditions which can be cured by this treatment.
The manual and gentle hands-on technique of osteopathy can eliminate the disturbance and pain occurred on the affected areas. It boosts the self-healing power of the body, offers more flexibility, and eases the pain due to muscle stiffness. The great advantage of this system is that it requires minimal medicine as it improves the natural healing powers of body and the mobility and structural stability of the body. As its aim is the prevention of diseases, it can enhance the general health and fitness of the body. Moreover, this treatment helps one to say good bye to restless nights.
Today many people are suffering from back pain and thus a good osteopath can support people by giving instruction to prevent this condition, by performing stretching exercises, breathing, and stress reduction methods.
To become an osteopath physician, 4 years medical school after 4 years graduation is required. Most of the osteopathic treatments include soft tissue stretching, which improves the blood circulation and thereby provides more mobility to joints and muscles. The treatment of osteopathy aims at the whole body and it focuses on self healing, dietary and lifestyle changes and exercises are required in order to treat the health problems. This branch of medicine also gained wide popularity as it is safe for children as well as adults.
2: The benefits of Osteopathic Treatment are the following: removes the underlying cause of pain, reduces pain and stiffness in muscles and joints, increases range of motions in the joints, treats spinal problems resulting from poor posture or spinal disk injuries, relieves tension headaches and migraine headaches,
3: Osteopaths treat the pain you experience in a way that considers you as a person and your body as a whole. Osteopathic treatment can be used to effectively reduce and cure pain in a number of different areas including back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, headaches, swelling on knee, ankle sprains and feet fasciitis.
2: What should you expect on your first visit?
When visiting an osteopath for the first time, it is natural to feel a little unsure of what to expect. The following information has been developed to explain what happens and answer any questions you may have.Your Consultation
Osteopaths are healthcare professionals who are specifically trained in diagnosing health issues. (To find out more about osteopaths, click here) At the start of your first appointment, your osteopath will ask you questions about your medical history and lifestyle, as well as any symptoms you may be experiencing. This is very important as it will help them to make an accurate diagnosis and suggest appropriate treatment.
They will write down what you tell them in your records. These will be treated as confidential in accordance with standards of practice set out by the General Osteopathic Council and the Data Protection Act 1998. If you wish, you may request a copy of your notes, but you may be charged an administration fee for this.
Your osteopath will need to examine the area(s) of your body causing discomfort. Sometimes the cause of the problem may be in a different area to the pain, (For example, pain in your lower arm may be linked to the nerves in your neck) so they may need to examine your whole body. They will need to feel for any tightness in the muscles and stiffness in the joints and may need to touch these areas to identify problems. They will explain what they are doing as they go along.
If you are uncomfortable with any part of this, you have the right to ask them to stop at any stage, without prejudicing your future treatment.
What to Wear
As with any healthcare appointment, it may be necessary for your osteopath to ask you to remove some clothing. This is so they can see and touch the areas of the body causing you concern. Your osteopath will want you to feel at ease, therefore if you feel uncomfortable undressing to your underwear, your osteopath may be able to suggest wearing clothing, such as shorts and a t-shirt, or close-fitting garments, that will enable them to work effectively, so please do discuss this with them.
You may wish to seek treatment from an osteopath of the same sex as yourself. You are also welcome to ask a friend or relative to accompany you and be present throughout your appointment.
Your Treatment
Your osteopath will make a diagnosis and discuss a course of treatment with you. This may involve further visits for manual therapy – a range of gentle hands on techniques that focus on releasing tension, stretching muscles and mobilising joints. Together with exercises that you can do at home and helpful advice designed to help you relieve or manage your pain, keep active and maintain the best of health. They will discuss the likely cost of this and ask for your consent to begin treatment.
Most osteopaths will begin your treatment at your first appointment, but sometimes they may require further tests first i.e. blood tests or scans. Occasionally they may diagnose an illness that they are unable to treat and may refer you to your physician or another appropriate health professional.
Is Treatment Painful?
Osteopathic treatment is usually a very gentle process and osteopaths work very hard to make treatment as painless as possible, but you may experience some discomfort during and after treatment. Your osteopath will warn you if they think that the technique that they are about to use is likely to be uncomfortable and will stop if you tell them that you are feeling too much pain.
Following treatment you may experience some mild soreness in the area of their body that was treated, this will normally will go away within 48 hours. If you experience serious or unusual symptoms after treatment you should contact your osteopath straight away for advice.
We hope that you have found this information useful, if you haven’t yet arranged an appointment with an osteopath – you can reach the clinic by telephoning on (289) 812 5518