What is OSTEOPATHY

Osteopathy is a whole body system of manual therapy based on unique biomechanical principles. It uses a wide range of techniques to treat musculo-skeletal problems and other functional disorders of the body. Osteopaths find out your whole mechanical history ie all the accidents and falls you have had, as well as your health history to determine how these things are affecting or possibly have led to the problems you are having today. In this way osteopathic treatment addresses causes rather than symptoms.

Osteopathy was developed in America in the 1870's by a Missouri doctor, Dr Andrew Taylor Still. It has developed to the point where it is now widely recognised throughout the world as one of the most scientifically validated and effective complementary therapies. The World Health Organisation recognises the osteopathic concept of “somatic dysfunction” as being scientifically proven. The British Medical Association recognises osteopathy as a discrete medical discipline. In Australia, osteopaths are statutorily registered practitioners and complete five years of full time university education. They study anatomy, physiology, pathology and medical diagnosis in addition to osteopathic theory and practice. Osteopaths are primary care practitioners and are trained to recognise conditions that require medical referral.

Where does Osteopathy excel?

Osteopathy is best known for the treatment of a wide-range of musculo-skeletal conditions, but it also has a role to play in the management of a number of other conditions. The most common complaints that bring people to osteopaths include:

• Back and neck pain
• Sciatica
• Headache
• Pains in other joints such as the shoulders, hips, knees and ankles
• Tendonitis and muscle strains
• Work-related and repetitive strain injuries
• Sports related injuries
• Trauma such as from accidents, car accidents and head injuries

Osteopathic treatment can also play a significant role in the management of pain in arthritic conditions, and when there is a mechanical component to a problem, can be used in conjunction with medical treatment in conditions such as asthma, gynaecological dysfunction and chronic fatigue with good results.

Pregnant mothers find osteopathic treatment is helpful in reducing back pain during pregnancy and it also helps to prepare the body for birth. In addition, there are many gentle non-manipulative techniques used for the treatment of infants and small children. These can be used in the management of birth stress and problems such as the need to use forceps in delivery, neck strain, torticollis, infant colic, reflux, constipation and 'glue ear' to name a few.

What makes Osteopathy different?

Osteopathic treatment is based on a philosophy that is unique.
The philosophy is based on three principles:

1. The body is a unit.
2. Vix medicatrix Naturae: The healing power of nature.
3. Structure and function are inter-related.

Sometimes a 4th principle is added: All rational treatment is based on the first 3 principles.

The first principle tells us that you are always treating a person not a disease process or an injury. When treatment focuses on the disease process the person feels like a number and this can lead to dissatisfaction with the treatment, and the practitioner. For instance, when your consultation involves waiting for a long time, to then have your treating doctor spend most of the consultation looking at a computer screen interpreting a spread sheet with results on it, it can leave the patient feeling like their presence was not required since the important thing was the numbers on the screen and not them. The numbers on the screen are indicators of the disease process while the patient can feel invisible during the consultation, and therefore dissatisfied with the result even if the numbers are positive.
In another scenario there may be an insurance case involving an ankle injury.  The insurance company will not pay to have the shoulders treated ( as a result of the crutches) the low back treated ( as a result of walking on one foot) but will insist that the damage is to the ankle and that that is the only item that should receive attention.
Both the above scenarios are commonplace and do not occur in an osteopathic consultation which is true to philosophy.
Osteopathic training weaves the philosophy of osteopathy into a treatment session, resulting in good communication with patients, a better and more complete history taking and therefore a satisfactory treatment with improved outcomes.
In all cases osteopathy recognizes the need to listen and respect the person who is seeking help and treat them holistically.
Body + mind = person=patient.  This principle also leads to the osteopath choosing techniques and approaches which are compatible with the patient’s feelings (and fears) which will mean that treatment is better tolerated giving improved outcomes.

The healing power of nature is something that we all take for granted in everyday life. If you cut yourself you don’t rush off to have your wound treated. Rather you put a band-aid on it and wait for the body to heal itself. The body is constantly trying to repair itself and renew itself. We all know this and take advantage of it and so does your osteopath. We also know that there is a point of no return where the cut will not heal itself, and the wound will infect with dire consequence. This would lead to a crisis where an emergency intervention is required which is life saving and often we allow things to get to this level before we act.  The body is a homeostatic environment, in other words it maintains a constant internal environment: temperature, hydration, blood flow and oxygenation are all kept within limits which produce a regulated stable environment. Sometimes the body just needs a little bit of an adjustment to help with this process. Importantly we don’t have to wait till something goes wrong to get this help. We can get regular maintenance to improve the resilience of the body and not wait for a crisis to get treatment. In a crisis oriented society this type of action will often lead to misunderstanding of goals by patients and even worse abuse of goals by practitioners but in the end everyone must do what suits them. Rationally waiting for a crisis is the worst approach to healthcare but also the commonest in the western world. In all cases we are waiting for the healing power of nature to do its work, either aided or unaided.

The relationship of structure and function is self-evident in many cases. If you have a sore foot, you can’t walk, if you have an injured eye you can’t see as well and so on. These gross examples are obvious instances of this rule. If you have endometriosis you often have low back pain, if you have a sluggish bowel you will have muscle spasm.
Structure can also extend beyond the body. If your children upset you, headaches follow. If you eat the wrong foods or drink the wrong wine you will inflame. If your mouse is not positioned correctly your neck arm and shoulder will become painful. If you think negatively, failure is more likely, and illness will ensue. If you overwork or overplay and become stressed, dysfunction and pain will result.
How far can you tease this out is a matter of opinion and a function of your relationship with yourself and the world. The better the understanding your have of these matters the greater the subtlety will be able to recognize in your bodily responses, and the more effective and precise the intervention that you seek out.
Self-aware patients will present with a request to intervene in a specific situation to achieve a recognizable outcome. Less self aware people present with a bag of confusion which they wish to unravel to attain a better quality of life.
Clear communication and treatment can be achieved by the osteopath who applies the principles of osteopathy to each and every intervention. Correct application of these principles allow treatment to become a series of clear cut, sought outcomes where both the practitioner and the patient are in understanding of the goals and pitfalls of the therapy. This satisfies both the practitioner and patient and allows them to establish a working therapeutic relationship with clear goals and markers and empowers the patient to become part of their process.
The earlier and more clear the intervention the higher the chances of success. It’s much harder to put the cat back in the bag than to keep it in there, and to be aware of the cat status is the ultimate goal of rational therapy.

copyright Simply well 2011

QUALIFICATION DETAILS

The practitioners at Simply Well have been involved in educating osteopaths and naturopaths at RMIT university, the Southern School of Natural Therapies and Victoria University for many years. Our experienced, highly qualified practitioners can assess your problem and see if a course of osteopathic treatment, naturopathy, therapeutic massage or rehabilitation exercise would help your condition.