What conditions do osteopaths treat? The most common conditions - TopicsExpress

What conditions do osteopaths treat? The most common conditions that osteopaths treat are: Back and neck pain Shoulder and arm problems Pelvis, hip and leg problems However, patients have found osteopathy helpful for many other conditions. If you want to find out more, please feel free to call me and I will be happy to talk to you. What does an osteopath do? Osteopaths have a holistic approach and believe that your whole body will work well if your body is in good structural balance. This is achieved by not only targeting the symptoms, but by also treating other parts of the body that have caused the symptoms. Before we start to treat you, we will make a full medical assessment. We take time to listen to you and ask questions to make sure we understand your medical history and day to day routine. Well ask you about things like diet, exercise and whats happening in your life, as these may give clues to help our diagnosis. We may take your pulse and blood pressure. We may check your reflexes. We may refer you for clinical tests such as x-rays, if we think you need them. We usually look at your posture and how you move your body. We may also assess what happens when we move it for you to see what hurts, where and when. Using touch we may also find the areas which are sensitive or tight as this helps us to identify what;s going on. When we have done this, we can diagnose your condition. We may sometimes feel that osteopathy is not appropriate for you and refer you to your GP or another specialist such as an orthopaedic surgeon. Your treatment Osteopaths use a wide range of gentle manipulations, depending on your age, fitness and diagnosis. Treatment is different for every patient but may include techniques such as different types of soft tissue massage and joint articulation to release tension, stretch muscles, help relieve pain and mobilise your joints. We may discuss exercises that you can do to improve your posture and movement in your workplace and everyday life. Professionalism and safety To qualify, an osteopath must study for 4 to 5 years for an undergraduate degree. This is similar to a medical degree, with more emphasis on anatomy and musculoskeletal medicine and includes more than 1000 hours of training in osteopathic techniques. By law, osteopaths must register with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC). It is an offence for anyone to call themselves an osteopath if they are not registered. Laura Moralee BSc(hons), Most, DO