What Is Osteopathy?
Osteopathy is a medical field that takes a holistic approach to the treatment of illness and injury. Considered a form of alternative medicine, osteopathy is based on the principle that illness and injury stem from structural alterations within the body. Osteopaths aim to correct these alterations through hands-on manipulation of the muscles and joints. This may be done through massage and stretching, and many osteopaths also use advanced technology in their practices. Treatment can help increase blood flow to injured areas, relieve muscle tension, and improve range of motion. Where necessary, osteopathy can be supplemented with medication or surgery. Patients typically seek osteopathic care for musculoskeletal conditions, including lower back pain, shoulder pain, sports injuries, arthritis, and tendonitis.
How It Works
Like other forms of medicine, osteopathy begins with a medical history and physical examination to detect issues that may require treatment. The osteopath will ask the patient about their symptoms, and they will also ask about the patient's home, work, and family life to obtain a holistic understanding of what could be contributing to illness or injury. Next, the osteopath will conduct a complete physical examination, but unlike exams with conventional doctors, this exam pays special attention to the muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints, and spine. The osteopath will quickly check the patient's posture as well. Based on the exam results, the osteopath might order tests, including blood tests and imaging studies. Treatment tends to emphasize manipulation of the body with the practitioner's hands, and patients may be taught stretches or self-massage techniques to use at home. Regular follow-up appointments are recommended to monitor the patient's progress, and treatment methods are adapted as needed.
Connection To Traditional Medicine
Osteopathic medicine has a particularly strong connection to traditional medicine. In fact, doctors of osteopathic medicine are also fully-licensed medical doctors, and many of them serve as primary care doctors. Doctors of osteopathic medicine practice across all medical disciplines, and they receive specialized training in understanding the musculoskeletal system. Like other physicians, osteopathic doctors can prescribe medications and order tests such as bloodwork and imaging studies. Although osteopathy uses manipulation with the hands as a potential treatment option, osteopathic physicians are qualified to use conventional techniques, and they will do so if this is best for the patient. Osteopathic physicians typically work in clinics or hospitals along with traditional medical doctors, so they are well-connected and can make referrals for specialized treatment if necessary.
Benefits And Goals Of Osteopathy
While conventional medicine often focuses on alleviating the patient's symptoms, osteopathy goes beyond this by aiming for total health in mind, body, and spirit. Osteopathic physicians try to take a holistic view of the patient's overall health, and they treat the patient as a person, avoiding investigating the patient's symptoms alone. Osteopathic physicians may have more time to spend at each appointment than patients would receive with a conventional doctor, and osteopaths emphasize patient education. They instruct patients in steps that could minimize injury risk or illness. Generally, osteopathy uses a medication-free approach to treatment, and the majority of treatments involve the practitioner's touch. Since no medications are involved, the risk of potential side effects is much lower than with other treatments. Studies have shown osteopathy may be of particular benefit to patients experiencing chronic lower back pain, and patients who are pregnant can safely benefit from osteopathy by seeking out an osteopath trained in the care of pregnant individuals. Small studies have shown osteopathic care is also beneficial for patients with Bell's palsy, reflux, tendonitis, arthritis, epilepsy, degenerative disc issues, and fibromyalgia. Evidence suggests it can also help aid recovery after hip or knee replacements, and it can be an effective treatment for uncomplicated neck pain (other than whiplash).
Safety Of Treatments
Given its non-invasive approach, osteopathy is regarded by many as one of the safest alternative medicine treatments available. The treatment is even considered safe enough that it is regularly used on infants. After an osteopathy session using manipulation, some patients might experience minor soreness for up to forty-eight hours, though this is considered normal. If soreness continues for more than forty-eight hours, the patient may wish to speak with the osteopath or with their primary care doctor. Post-treatment soreness that persists for more than forty-eight hours only occurs in an estimated one out of every 50,000 to 100,000 patients. While osteopathy is very safe for most patients, individuals who have bone cancer, infections of the bones or joints, or severe osteoporosis should avoid forceful manipulative maneuvers during a session, including lymphatic pumps and all types of thrusts. For optimal safety, patients should always seek advice from their primary care physician about whether osteopathic treatment is safe for their health needs. It is also important to check an osteopathic doctor is registered before undergoing treatment with them, and patients may wish to interview several osteopaths and ask questions about their credentials and experience before choosing to be treated.
Where It Falls Short
Currently, scientific evidence supports the use of osteopathic treatments for back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions. Some osteopathic practitioners treat depression, colic, and headaches too. While individual patients with these conditions might feel they benefit from osteopathic treatment, there is not yet enough scientific evidence to show a clear benefit to the treatments when used for these illnesses in large groups of patients. In addition, osteopathic treatment takes longer to produce results than medication or surgery, so it may not be the most effective treatment for patients with debilitating conditions that severely impact their ability to perform daily tasks. Patients with severe injuries or illnesses could benefit most if they choose to combine osteopathic treatment with medication and other conventional therapies.
Osteopathy VS Chiropractic Medicine
There are a few key differences between chiropractic medicine and osteopathy. The biggest difference is the main focus of these treatment methods. Chiropractic medicine is primarily focused on the relationship between a patient's nerves, bones, and muscles, particularly in the spine, whereas osteopathy is primarily focused on the body as a whole and treats a wider range of issues that may include digestive ailments and respiratory problems. Osteopathy uses a variety of manual techniques to alleviate a patient's symptoms, but chiropractic medicine is known to mostly use physical manual spinal adjustment techniques to treat pain and joint problems. Chiropractic medicine is known to use diagnostic medical testing methods and equipment like MRI scans and x-rays to determine the condition of a patient's spine before treatment. Osteopathy uses techniques like palpitation to determine the condition of a patient's muscles and bones before treatment.
Osteopathy VS Physiotherapy
The primary difference between osteopathy and physiotherapy is their philosophies on how the human body works and heals its tissues. Physiotherapy aligns closely with Western medicine and tends to focus more on certain problem areas. Osteopathy has a more holistic approach with the viewpoint that all the systems in an individual's body are interconnected, and the body should be treated as a whole. Education for individuals who perform physiotherapy includes neuromuscular, respiratory, musculoskeletal, and cardiovascular training. Physiotherapists provide treatment based on exercise and help with rehabilitation following an injury or surgery. Osteopathic practitioners have an education and training based on palpitation, musculoskeletal health, cranial, visceral, pediatrics, and women's health. Treatment in osteopathy is more than ninety percent hands-on, whereas only sixty percent of physiotherapy is hands-on. Osteopathy is used more for pain and symptom relief, and physiotherapy is used more for rehabilitation and recovery.
What Patients Can Expect With Osteopathy
An individual who decides to see an osteopathic practitioner should ensure they are accredited by the American Osteopathic Association. Patients usually attend a consultation with an osteopath before beginning any active management or treatment. The consultation usually lasts for around forty-five minutes and includes a summary of the patient's ailments, health issues, medical history, lifestyle choices, and other relevant information. An examination appointment is carried out after the consultation that can take anywhere from one to two hours. The examination of the patient involves the demonstration of simple movements and stretches that help the practitioner analyze their mobility and posture. Palpitation will be used by the osteopathic practitioner to evaluate the health of a patient's joints, tissues, and ligaments. After the physical examination, the osteopathic practitioner will go over a treatment plan with the patient that includes how many sessions are needed, what the treatment will cost, and what lifestyle changes need to be made.
Regulations And Osteopathy
Osteopathic medicine in the United States is regulated by each state. State licensing boards are what give osteopathic physicians their license to practice like any other physician in the United States. All individuals eligible to receive a Doctor of Osteopathy degree have a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree and have a minimum of three years in college. Osteopathic medicine is a distinctive type of medical practice, and Doctors of Osteopathy and Medical Doctors (MDs) are the only kinds of complete physicians in the United States. Both types of physicians are fully licensed to prescribe medication, order diagnostic procedures and laboratory tests, deliver babies, and perform surgery. The United States currently has twenty-nine accredited osteopathic medical schools. Any individual who practices osteopathy and does not hold the title of a Doctor of Osteopathy will have the title of a Manual Osteopath, Osteopathic Manual Therapist, or an Osteopathic Therapist. While they have been through advanced training in manual osteopathy, they are not Medical Doctors and are not able to perform surgery or prescribe medication.
History Of Osteopathy
Osteopathy came into existence in 1874 through the hands of an American physician who was born in 1828 named Andrew Taylor Still. Andrew was not a fan of the practices used in medicine at the time, such as emesis, sedation with narcotics, and venesection. Believing that all things necessary to sustain life are already in the body, this physician found non-surgical and non-medicinal avenues to help the body heal itself. Andrew Still opened the first school of osteopathy in 1892 in the city of Kirksville, Missouri. The American Osteopathic Association in the United States was founded in 1897. These traditional osteopathic principles and philosophies were introduced to European regions by a student of Andrew in 1917. The American Academy Of Osteopathy was founded in 1937 by sixty-six physicians who wanted to perpetuate the teaching of basic osteopathic principles from Andrew Still. The United States Department Of Health, Education, and Welfare recognized the American Osteopathy Association as the official body that accredits institutions for osteopathic medical education in 1957.