Osteopathy
Osteopathy is a form of manual therapy which seeks to find and treat the physical obstacles that are principally responsible for preventing a person's body from feeling and functioning at an optimal level. Osteopathic medicine is a distinctive form of medical care founded on the philosophy that all body systems are interrelated and dependent upon one another for good health. This philosophy was developed in 1874 by Andrew Taylor Still, MD, who pioneered the concept of "wellness" and recognized the importance of treating illness within the context of the whole body.
Dr. Still was born in Virginia in 1828, and at an early age he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become a physician. After the Civil War and following the death of three of his children from spinal meningitis in 1864, Dr. Still concluded that the conventional medical practices of his day were frequently ineffective, and sometimes harmful. He devoted the next ten years of his life to studying the human body and finding better ways to treat disease. His research and clinical observations led him to believe that the musculoskeletal system played a vital role in health and disease. He concluded that the body contained all of the elements needed to maintain health, if properly stimulated.
Dr. Still believed that by correcting problems in the body's structure, through the use of manual techniques now known as osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), the body's ability to function and to heal itself could be greatly improved. He also promoted the idea of preventive medicine and endorsed the philosophy that physicians should focus on treating the whole patient, rather than just the symptom and /or disease. These beliefs formed the basis of a new medical approach, Osteopathic Medicine.
Osteopathic Treatment
An Osteopathic treatment is surprisingly gentle as only the hands of the practitioner are used in the evaluation and therapeutic process. Osteopathy is unlike Chiropractic treatment, Massage Therapy, or Physiotherapy and is best understood through experiencing it, as the sensation is unique.
“Simply put, Osteopathy is the art of using one's hands to engage a therapeutic process governed by the Health of the patient.”
Osteopathic philosophy recognizes that a person’s symptoms (with the exception of acute trauma) can take a long time to develop. A number of convoluted and interacting factors, such as previous injuries, surgeries, illnesses, pregnancies, or even major dental work, may be preventing the person from improving as rapidly as anticipated. Poor posture and undue stress can also contribute to the state of the condition.
By combining the patient’s history with the use of the hands in detecting areas of diminished mobility, the osteopathic assessment focuses on finding the cause of the symptoms, whether near to or distant from the person’s area of complaint. The treatment attempts to help the body normalize any areas of dysfunction. Thus, it is actually the patient who heals himself or herself; the practitioner's role is to facilitate the initiation and guidance of the process.
When should I seek Osteopathic treatment?
Osteopathic treatment can be effective for addressing a variety of ailments and physical pains. When traditional or conventional therapies have been partially or ineffective the “lens” of Osteopathy may be an effective choice. The primary concern is not always the cause of the problem (sometimes a knee problem is not a knee problem). From an Osteopathic vantage point the practitioner will investigate inter-related structures and systems in search of a primary point of origin.
Osteopathy Promotes the Relief of:
Frequently Asked Questions
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When you arrive at your osteopathy appointment, it’s best to be wearing something similar to what you may wear to a yoga class. Unlike other appointments, you remain clothed. You’ll start with an in-depth assessment to see how your body is moving and any problem areas, ranging from your spine or ankles to your organs. Osteopathy treats your body as a whole, which means that while you’re having hip pain, you may receive treatment in your shoulders and neck which allow for your hips to move better.
From there, you’ll receive a hands-on manual treatment specific to what is going on in your body. You may receive stretching, gentle pressure or resistance; often the movements feel quite gentle, but have a big impact.
When a consultation is coming to an end, it’s not uncommon to be told not to participate in sports activities for the next couple of days, and to let yourself rest instead.
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It’s not unusual to feel slightly worse after treatment. It can take time to process the therapeutic input and self-correct toward better health. As your body adjusts and releases tensions, you may experience an exacerbation of symptoms or re-balancing reactions. Local tenderness, stiffness, achiness, headaches, diarrhea, fatigue or menstrual cycle changes are all within the range of typical responses.
Relief may be felt immediately at the end of a consultation, there could be muscle soreness or hypersensitivity of the area that was worked on for two days following the procedure; this is a natural effect called rebound. The rebound effect is a temporary, reactionary aggravation that can happen one or two days after the osteopathic treatment, even though everything seemed to have gotten better. The intensity of the rebound effect depends on each patient and seems to depend on the chronic nature of the condition, the tissues concerned and the importance of the trauma at the origin of all the pain.
The rebound effect
In the first 24 to 48 hours, it is possible to feel:
• Pain in the areas of restriction/contraction as they release.
• An increase in the original pain, the appearance of new pain in areas above and below.
• Some visceral symptoms such as irregular bowels or gastric reflux.The normalisation of zones can therefore cause an increase in symptoms or can cause some new ones to appear, although these can be reversed.
As of the 3rd or 4th day, the body finds its balance following the session: It is at this moment that you will feel the benefits of the treatment. There are improvements that you will see over time, in the intensity and the frequency of the pain.
Did you book a follow-up appointment? If so, that means that your therapist hopes to extend or complete their treatment.
In fact, when the body is not in balance, it has a tendency to return to its original state and the initial pain can return.
You should understand that the body remembers the mobility restrictions, no matter how long ago they occurred. That is why you may be advised to book another session to ensure that the body has completely integrated the corrections that were made.
Under these conditions, you can then expect to receive long-lasting results from your care.
Don’t hesitate to contact your practitioner with any questions that might arise after treatment, as they are the best person to address them.
In conclusion, it is recommended not to do intense physical activity, to not plan on large cleaning tasks or moving of furniture, nor any intense DIY projects.
Take advantage of the time to take a break and to let your body rest. Thank your body, treat it well and watch over it carefully. It does what it needs to do, and it does it well.
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The majority patients require 3-6 treatment sessions. We often recommend 2-3 sessions in the first 10-21 days, with intervals increasing to match your progress.
Every patient responds differently, and your Practitioner will discuss with you the anticipated course of treatment, your prognosis and realistic expectations for recovery.
For chronic pain injuries it may be recommended that treatment is given at regular intervals (once every month) on a long-term basis to maintain and keep symptoms at bay as far as possible.
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Yes, you can. Discussion and questions are common during a treatment. There is often a period of quiet (no talking) at some point in the session. This quiet period is due to a shift in relaxation of the patient and a calming of the nervous system.