There is no doubt that popularity of osteopathy has been recently increased thanks to more awareness on the benefits of osteopathy. It is important, first, understand what osteopathy is really, in order to appreciate why it has got an impulse in recent times. It is alternative and, in addition, holistic treatment procedure, that can be used for treatment of any pain or injury.
It is called as alternative medicine due to the fact that it is natural medicine which is designed to restore a body to its normal functional state by treating the causes of pain that may spring up as a result of injuries, stress and other factors that affect on a typical human being. The philosophy of osteopathy is that there is innate or natural ability that the body has to regulate and heal itself.
Why Osteopathy Is Chosen?
There are a lot of reasons why most people begin to choose osteopathy in recent times; this is because it has been proven to be effective to restore the body to its normal functional state by elimination of the root cause of imbalance and pains as the basic case may be. Besides, osteopathy looks natural because the hands are used in treatment of a body; such treatment is coupled with some gentle techniques that include as follows:
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- Structural.
- Craneal.
- Visceral.
It is important to understand that health of the musculoskeletal system is very important. For instance, if there is a problem in bones and muscles, it may likely start affecting or interfering with the blood flow efficiency in the system and could start affecting the nervous system afterwards. This will have an adverse effect on your well-being and may also put you in a precarious position where you may be vulnerable to further diseases.
Benefits of Osteopathy
There are a lot of bodily problems where osteopathy can help to combat. This is because osteopathy by design is aimed at restoring the healthy and proper relationship between bodily functions and structure. For this reason, it is not surprising to see that osteopathy play a major part in handling a lot of health issues. In recent times, osteopathy has been specifically used for treatment of musculoskeletal problems like joint pains, bone injuries, muscular pains and pains because of other accidental injuries.
It is important to note that osteopathy will treat your pains in such way that recognises your body and you as a person. Some of what osteopathy can do in a person include the following:
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- Relieving migraine headaches and blood tension ones;
- Reducing blood tension in a body;
- Helping a body in adapting to some structural and hormonal changes especially for women during pregnancy;
- Decreasing stress onto joints;
- Relieving chronic pains by using some non-invasive treatment.
Benefits of Osteopathy in Reduction of Discomfort as a Result of a Chronic Disease
The use of osteopathy in treatment of many chronic diseases is on the rise since it has been confirmed to be effective in these cases. It provides the required treatment that gives a needed relief from symptoms of some chronic health conditions which include arthritis, asthma as well as IBS which is known as irritable bowel syndrome. Note that osteopathy can work well in this area and this provides a number of benefits when compared to the traditional methods of fighting this sort of discomfort because from chronic diseases.
Benefits of Osteopathy in the Relaxation Area
Osteopathy is known to do a lot of better in this area when this method is compared to other treatment systems. It ensures the adequate relaxation of a body since it gives you enough time to become aware of yourself and your body. It is important to note that stress is one component that disrupt the body systems and should be handled appropriately to avoid escalation of health problems.
The good thing is that osteopathy can help in reduction of the stress level of the body. It does this by increasing of efficiency of your body systems such as: immune system, nerve supply as well as blood flow. In fact, other bodily things that can be achieved through osteopathy include reduction of blood pressure as well as increasing circulation.
Benefits of Osteopathy in Terms of Preventing Injuries
When a person normally battles against an injury, there are just few ways in which it can be tackled. It is important to mention that a lot of recurring injuries have been tackled in the past through the effective use of osteopathy. Osteopathy can go a long way in preventing recurrence of these injuries.
It can also be useful in prevention of acute conditions as well as prevent injuries due to lifestyle factors. In fact, some of the benefits of osteopathy, when it is used to treat injuries, include encouraging the body to heal itself, treating trauma that came because of accidents such as: motor vehicle injuries, sport injuries as well as reducing scars and adhesions.
Benefits of Osteopathy in Terms of Pain Relieving
Concerning pain relieving, osteopathy remains one of the most effective treatment systems. As it is mentioned above, osteopathy does not just relieve pains like other systems, rather it eliminates pains in such way that considers your integral body system. Back pains, ankle sprains, headaches and neck pains are some of the types of pain that can be tackled using osteopathy which is very effective.
It is also important to mention that for people, whose life is stressful or they have a type of job, where they are always fatigued, osteopathic therapy is one of that could be very useful. The reason is that osteopathy intentionally helps in relaxing your bones as well as rejuvenating your senses and, finally, your body becomes refreshed and relaxed. In fact, this technique can be adopted as a prevention type technique since it keeps your bones and muscles safe against other injuries. For those who do not carry the right posture, osteopathy can help in correcting the posture, and this is very important.
Other areas where osteopathy can actually be effective include the area of biomechanics where it helps in correction of walking and running. For those, who are suffering due to slipped discs, osteopathy will help in decomposition and also drain them off. Therefore, osteopathy treatment covers a wide range of issues, and it is a good thing that the therapies are not difficult to follow actually. You can always go in for osteopathic treatment if you suffer from some of these issues described above.
It is important to note, that osteopathy is usually not a painful type even though it is not actually unusual to feel some stiffness or even sore during the first few days after treatment. This is particularly true for those who treat inflamed or painful injury. However, such body responses are not permanent as it wears off after some time and the body gets back to its normal functional state. Note that your osteopathic doctor will have to check your whole system and tell you of a kind of your response which you can likely have during the therapy.
How Osteopathic Treatment is Done
It is important to note that osteopathic doctors are trained in their area very well, therefore, anyone wishing to get an osteopathy treatment must certainly, in the first instance, go to a professional. In a lot of countries, it is not difficult actually to find a qualified osteopathic professional, since such specialists are available in most clinics. One of the best ways to find a reputable and qualified osteopathic doctor not far from you is to search for local osteopathic professionals in Google and there must be lot of them online.
A lot of people may not have had an osteopathic treatment but this must not be a problem for beginners. In the first osteopathy session, it is usual for the osteopathic doctor to ask about your general health, symptoms which you had or have actually, as well as other medical treatment you are receiving. Note that this question would normally come up before a checkup in the most cases.
Note that osteopathic doctor will likely use their hands to find those areas you experience strain, restrictions, tenderness and weakness within the body (most especially your spine). He would search for abnormalities in functions and structure of your body. After having examined all the body, the doctor can now discuss your problems and the best form of treatment suitable for you.
Do not forget that there are a lot of treatment options available to an osteopathic doctor, but a choice of the treatment option will vary from individual to individuals. This is because the osteopathic doctor will have to adapt his or her treatment taking into account your unique issues and body system, lifestyle and every other thing to consider. The good thing is that osteopathic doctors are trained in handling these kinds of issues very well and this means that you should trust your osteopathic doctor to prescribe the best treatment option for you.
Osteopathy works in such a way that uses the body’s ability to heal itself in order to help relief you from the pains which you can get. For this reason, the treatment techniques are normally different from the conventional treatment methods you may be used to. Note that the first treatment osteopathic session can last from about 40 minutes to an hour depending on the severity of the issue at hand. However, it is also possible that this is one of the most beneficial treatment options you will have.
Osteopathy can be useful for anyone. Whether young or old, single, married, pregnant, tall or short, osteopathy can be used without any discrimination.
There are actually not limits for osteopathy especially where surgery or drugs are not applicable. Osteopathy can be used for people who are very busy since a directive of another doctor is not necessary. However, note that osteopathy is practiced and understood when a problem needs to be referred to a general practitioner to handle or when a patient needs to undergo further tests such as blood test or even MRI scans in order to get to the root of the problem. This means that it is not out of place to find an osteopathic doctor referring a patient to a GP after proper checkup of the patient. In that case, believe that it is not an osteopathy issue, and follow instructions accordingly.
Are there Myths about Osteopathy?
Yes, there are a lot of popular myths about osteopathy. However, it is always important to remember that osteopathy is a manual therapy and also regulated by medical institutions all over the world. This should go a long way in dispelling some of these popular myths. The following are some of these myths.
Osteopathic Doctors Focus on Your Bones Only
This is not true, but it is understandable why this myth exists. For instance, the word ‘osteo’ refers to bones in Greek language and, first, the focus initially was on bones. However, this approach has changed as osteopathy now focuses on bones, muscles, joints as well as body systems even though the name remains the same.
Osteopathy is Unproven
This is also false because it has roots based on sound evidence. Besides, it is recognised by medical communities all over the world well. Activity of osteopathic doctors is regulated by national norms in many countries, and such specialists are often classified as primary health care providers.
Osteopathy is a New Form of Treatment
This is also not true as it is known among the first manual therapies that existed before, and is founded in 1874. If you compare osteopathy to modern physiotherapy (founded in 1896) and chiropractic (founded in 1895), you will see that the former is older. Therefore, it cannot be classified as a new form of treatment.
Osteopathy, Physiotherapy and Chiropractic are the Same
This is not true, and this is because all of them were based on different treatment methods and philosophies.
