Hello, my name is Cindy. I live in the suburbs of Sydney with my family. Although I would occasionally visit the doctor when I was feeling too good or if one of the children had a cold. However, my whole view on doctors changed when I found a lump on breast last year. I went to my GP in a panic, but he was a real sweetie. He calmed me down and explained he would refer me for a further investigation. Thankfully, they caught my cancer early and after some treatment, I made a full recovery. Since this close call, I have taken a keen interest in everything health related.
Osteopaths diagnose and treat conditions that affect the muscles, bones and joints. Treatment includes the use of stretching, physical manipulation and massage. This is done to relieve tension in the muscles, increase blood supply to the tissues and increase joint mobility. Evidence surrounding osteopathy is mixed. It suggests that osteopathy can help with some conditions, but there is limited or no evidence for its success with others. Osteopaths are regulated, and they have to register each year in order to practice.
What do osteopaths treat?
Osteopaths help with conditions that cause symptoms in the bones, joints and muscles. This includes lower back pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, arthritis, sports injuries and neck pain. Osteopathy can also be used to treat issues with the hips, legs and pelvis and pain that occurs when driving, pregnant or working.
If you are pregnant, you should see your nurse or doctor before visiting an osteopath. You should also see an osteopath who specialises in muscle and joint pain that occurs during pregnancy.
Examination and diagnosis
During the first appointment, the osteopath will listen to your symptoms and medical history. They will examine the areas that are painful. They may also ask you to stretch or make movements to assess your posture. This is so that they can see if there are any other areas that are stiff or painful. This is because pain can be linked to an issue elsewhere in your body.
The osteopath should check for any signs of serious health conditions that they cannot treat. You should then be provided with a diagnosis.
Treatment
Your osteopath will create a treatment plan with you. This may include exercises that you can do outside of your sessions to improve your symptoms or advice to prevent your symptoms from worsening or reoccurring. Your osteopath will use manipulation of your bones and joints and muscle massage to treat your symptoms. They will always ask for your permission before treating you.
Osteopath regulation
Osteopaths have to renew their registration every year. To register, osteopaths have to meet set standards. These standards surround topics such as criminal history, continuing professional development, professional insurance and the recency of the osteopath's practice.
Registered osteopaths are listed in a national register. If an osteopath is not registered, they cannot practice osteopathy.
Evidence surrounding osteopathy
Evidence into osteopathy suggests that some techniques, such as manipulating the spine, can be helpful alongside exercise for sciatica and lower back pain. These techniques can also help with treating osteoarthritis.
Share12 October 2018
