What Is Osteopathy? Benefits & Treatment Explained
Osteopathy in the United Kingdom holds a significant place in the realm of complementary and alternative medicine. It is regulated by the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC), ensuring that practitioners meet the necessary standards of education, training, and professional conduct. Your Osteopath will have undergone rigorous education and training, often completing a four year degree program in osteopathy, which includes clinical experience.
What are the Osteopathic Principles?
Structure and Function are Interrelated: This principle emphasises the interconnectedness of the body’s structure (bones, muscles, ligaments, organs) and its function (movement, circulation, nervous system activity). Osteopaths believe that optimal health depends on maintaining proper alignment and mobility of these structures.
The Body Has Self-Healing Mechanisms: Osteopathy recognises the body’s innate ability to heal itself. Osteopathic treatment aims to support and facilitate the body’s natural healing processes by removing obstacles to health and promoting optimal function.
The Rule of the Artery: This principle highlights the importance of blood flow and circulation in maintaining health. Osteopaths believe that proper blood flow is essential for delivering oxygen, nutrients, and immune cells to tissues, as well as for removing waste products and toxins. They focus on improving circulation to support overall health and healing.
The Body is a Unit: Osteopathy views the body as an integrated unit, where all systems are interconnected and influence each other. Dysfunction in one area of the body can affect other areas, so osteopathic treatment aims to address the body rather than focusing solely on symptoms or isolated body parts.
When should I see an Osteopath?
Individuals seeking osteopathic care can choose from a diverse pool of practitioners, ranging from osteopathic physicians who hold medical degrees to osteopathic practitioners or manual osteopaths with specific training in Osteopathy. Regardless of their designation, all osteopaths in the UK adhere to the same professional standards set by the GOsC.
Like the rest of our multidisciplinary team, our osteopaths adopt a holistic approach, viewing the body as an interconnected system where musculoskeletal health plays a pivotal role in overall well-being.
Osteopathy can help with a number of issues, including:
Sports injuries
Arthritic pain
Back pain
Neck pain, headaches & migraines
Concussion
Disc injuries
Sciatica
Frozen shoulder or elbow pain
Muscle spasms
What does treatment typically look like?
In practice, you can expect your osteopath to use hands-on manual techniques to assess and treat various conditions, as well as joint mobilisation and soft tissue manipulation. These methods aim to restore mobility, alleviate pain, and enhance the body’s natural healing processes.
Treatment can include:
Rehabilitation services
Manual therapy
Mobilisation & manipulation of joints
Biomechanical assessments
An initial appointment with an Osteopath will include a full musculoskeletal assessment, individualised treatment and a discussion of the treatment plan required to help you achieve your specific goals.
You will leave the appointment with a unique individualised management plan, which will explain the treatment you require including other members of the multidisciplinary team who may be involved in your care.
If you have any questions on whether physio is the best option for you, or you have any questions about MVMNT in general, feel free to contact via email.
- Jay Towolawi, Specialist Sports Physiotherapist and MVMNT Founder.