What is Osteopathy ?

Osteopathy is a therapy that works to identify and treat mobility restrictions that can affect all of the structures making up the human body.

One of these basic principles is: 'Life is movement'.

An osteopath will work to restore movement to your entire body.

What is an osteopath?

 

It is a global manual practice based on the body's ability to self-balance. It sometimes happens that we lose the mobility of our joints, muscles, ligaments or viscera which can cause an imbalance and therefore the appearance of pain or other symptoms.

It is often the consequence of stress, most often mechanical (repeated inappropriate movements, trauma, surgical after-effects) or emotional.

As Andrew Taylor Still, the founder of osteopathy, said: “the human body is particularly intelligent, it is constantly looking for a way to avoid constraints and pain” for this it will put in place compensation systems, in order to that everyday comfort is ensured.

When the constraints are too strong or too numerous, this creates a favorable environment for the appearance of pain or even pathologies.

When should you consult an osteopath?

This is why it is important to consult an osteopath at least once a year, even if there is no pain, in order to prevent their appearance.

What happens during a session of osteopathy ?

During this consultation, several steps will lead the osteopath to determine the best possible treatment:

- History: The osteopath will ask you a series of questions in order to identify the reason for consultation, understand the characteristics of the pain as well as all the signs associated with it.

He is particularly interested in how pain appears and puts it into perspective in the chronology of the patient's history. He takes stock of the functioning of the body's different systems (nervous system, ENT, cardiopulmonary, digestive, urinary, etc.) and inquires about the patient's personal and family history.

He will also question the patient about his lifestyle habits (food and sports hygiene, work positions, stress factors, etc.)

- Clinical examination: it includes a visual observation of the patient and the painful area.

Depending on the reason for consultations, the osteopath may be required to perform so-called exclusion palpation tests in order to rule out all causes outside his scope of practice. This is called a diagnosis of exclusion.

- Osteopathic diagnosis: Using specific palpatory tests, the osteopath explores the body in search of areas that present movement restrictions likely to alter the state of health.

The location of the areas of restriction may appear at a distance from the painful area.

- Osteopathic treatment: The treatment is implemented according to the diagnosis carried out beforehand.

The osteopath may be required to treat different structures: joint, muscle, ligament, viscera, fascia. He chooses the most suitable and comfortable technique for each patient, depending on their age and morphology, the area of ​​the body to be corrected and the need for the dysfunction.

- Advice: They will be given by the osteopath in order to have comprehensive care and thus avoid the appearance or recurrence of pain.

This part of the consultation constitutes an essential aspect of the long-term success of osteopathic and curative treatment.

Why consult an osteopath?

Osteopathy can take care of a patient from birth until the end of their life; in practice, everyone can benefit from osteopathic treatment, whether they are athletic, sedentary, young or old. The indications for osteopathic treatment are very broad:

- On the musculoskeletal system: sprains, tendinitis, lower back pain, back pain, neck pain, joint pain, functional or of rheumatic origin.

- On the neurological system: cervical-brachial, intercostal, facial, Arnold's neuralgia, cruralgia, sciatica.

- On the cardiovascular system: circulatory disorders of the lower limbs, venous congestion, hemorrhoids.

- On the digestive system: bloating, hiatus hernia, hepatobiliary disorders, colitis, constipation, difficult digestion, gastric acidity, etc.

- On the ENT and pulmonary system: rhinitis, sinusitis, dizziness, buzzing, headaches, migraines, bronchitis, asthma, bronchiolitis, etc.

- On the neurovegetative system: depressive states, nervousness, anxiety, stress, sleep disorders, spasmophilia, etc.

- On the after-effects of trauma: fractures, sprains, falls, accidents, etc.

To conclude,

The osteopath has all the expertise to welcome you to the office in order to provide a solution to a very wide range of consultations.

Whether this is through practice alone, or by redirecting you to another health professional. He will also know how to include himself in a multi-professional team if necessary.

The best advice is to consult as soon as possible when symptoms appear :) The osteopath is a health professional, you do not need a medical prescription to consult one.