We Got Your Back: Why Osteopathic Physicians Might be Your Next Best Friend

Getting a massage is one of the best ways to de-stress yourself and relax, especially from feeling tired of constantly working. However, if your body still feels stiff and exhausted even after getting a massage, then there might be a medical problem to address. The best solution to such an issue is looking for a physical therapist to cater to your body ache problems.

Although, choosing a physical therapist can be pretty confusing since numerous fields can cater to body pain issues. If you haven’t considered osteopathy, then you might give it a thought after knowing the benefits it can offer. Here is an overview of what osteopathy is all about, its health benefits, and the difference between a chiropractor.

What is Osteopathy?

Also known as osteopathic medicine, it is a drug-free and non-invasive type of manual therapy that helps the body through muscle and joint manipulation. The term “manual therapy” refers to the use of the hands in both diagnosis and therapy. An American physician named Dr. Andrew Taylor Still founded Osteopathy in the 19th century.

People who practice osteopathy are called osteopathic physicians or osteopaths for short, and they are considered medical doctors (MDs). These physicians will focus on a single aspect of the problem area and include other body systems since osteopathy aims to holistically provide balance in health and well-being and enhance the body’s self-healing capacity.

Like with any other health problem, diagnosis and treatment can vary in osteopathy. If you’re looking for an osteopath in Perth that can cater to your body ache issues, several clinics are open for patient consultations. Online consultation is also made available for people who live in distant places.

What are the Conditions that Osteopathy Can Treat?

Osteopaths specialize in treating any musculoskeletal pain relating to a sports injury or from work. For instance, osteopaths can treat conditions for muscle pain such as muscle strains and spasms or stiff muscle. In addition, osteopaths will help you understand the reason behind the conditions and help prevent them from happening again.

Some of the health conditions that osteopaths treat are:

● Sports Injuries

Osteopaths can treat sports injuries of both professional and amateur athletes. Although, treatment will depend on the severity of the injury. Usually, an osteopath will first recommend the RICE method, which is to Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate the area of injury to help manage the inflammation. Afterward, the treatment process can now begin to alleviate the pain of the injury.

Osteopaths often use various techniques called Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM), which will encourage the range of motions or the joints, which will increase blood flow at the infected areas, thus reducing pain and stiffness within the muscle.

● A Trapped Nerve

Osteopaths can treat trapped nerves that occur in any part of the body. Trapped nerves result when too much pressure from the muscles is applied to a nerve. People often experience discomfort and even moderate to severe pain from trapped nerves. An example of a trapped nerve is a sciatica symptom. Osteopaths usually use a specific OMM technique to treat the condition and even prevent it.

● Sciatica Symptoms

It might be a sciatica symptom if you have ever felt pain in your lower back and radiates through your buttocks and legs. Compression of the sciatic nerve causes the feeling of pain, burning, or numbness in said regions. Osteopaths treat such conditions through OMM techniques decreasing nerve compression at affected areas.

● Women’s Health Problems

Health problems during and after pregnancy, such as pelvic girdle pain and postnatal back and neck pain, can be treated by an osteopathic physician. Treatments are safe, gentle, and effective in dealing with the stresses and strains due to the developing fetus.

What are the Health Benefits of Osteopathy?

Osteopathy provides other long-term health benefits since it targets the root cause of health problems while aiming for the holistic self-healing capacity of the body. Alleviating discomfort and pain can lead to:

• Improvement of body function, flexibility, and movement
• Better sleeping pattern not disturbed by pain
• Reduces stress and strains in muscles
• General improvement of overall health and well-being

Are Osteopathic Physicians the same as Chiropractors?

Osteopathy and Chiropractic are relatively the same in terms of aiming to improve nerve function and healing ability. However, both differ in the treatment process. Chiropractors focus on improving the spine and joints through ‘popping’ and ‘cracking.’ At the same time, osteopathic physicians focus on improving total body health through manual therapy.

Takeaway

If you are experiencing any form of body pain, then seeing an osteopathic physician might know how to exactly treat it since osteopathy can treat various kinds of health conditions. It also focuses on preventing the condition from reoccurring while aiming to improve the body’s overall health. The best part is, it only uses manual therapy and doesn’t require surgery.

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