About Osteopathy

Osteopathy is a manual diagnostic and treatment method, which addresses the important connection between the body´s structure and its various functions.

What kinds of problems can be treated?

Osteopathic intervention can help treat or improve various basic problems such as back pain, neck pain, problems with the pelvis, hips and legs, shoulder and elbow pain or muscle and joint pain.

It can also help with more complex problems, such as digestive issues, headaches, postural problems, cramps and vascular problems, thoracic inlet/outlet syndromes, and stress oriented disorders.

As a holistic approach, it looks at the whole body instead of focusing solely on the injury or problem area.

Prevention and treatment of dysfunction

Prevention is essential in osteopathy. Osteopaths not only focus on one particular structure but see the body as a whole and have a broad vision of what may cause the problem. One of the goals of an osteopath is to treat dysfunction in the body before the condition deteriorates and becomes pathological. Pain and discomfort are signals of an allready long present dysfunction for the patient. Any structure in dysfunction (nerves, vessels, ligaments, muscles, soft tissues, joints, fascia, organs, etc.), will affect and in the long run may even engender dysfunction in other structures, causing more serious problems or even pathologies.

Whereas a doctor may not yet treat the patient because a pathology is not present, an osteopath will treat the dysfunctions with the goal of enhancing overall wellbeing and preventing the condition from becoming potentially pathological.

How?

How can an osteopath treat dysfunction? A structure´s innervation, vascularization as well as all its mechanical components have an influence on its function. By increasing the mobility of structures, their innervation and vascularisation, osteopaths influence the wellbeing of the structure itself and thus try to prevent a system in dysfunction from getting pathological.

Osteopaths tries to balance all body systems and provide overall good health and wellbeing. They will use different kinds of manual techniques, such as soft tissue techniques, stretching, joint manipulation or mobilization, depending on the problem.

In order to solve complex problems, an osteopath may ask for further examinations (X-rays, scanner, MRI,…) and send you to consult other specialists for any additional investigations and treatment.

Craniosacral osteopathy

Craniosacral osteopathy is used for a wide range of problems in babies, children and adults including constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines, stress, or even children with ADHD, who have experienced birth trauma or head trauma.

During the first session your osteopath will ask you about your medical history including questions about your symptoms, former injuries, circumstances of your birth, and lifestyle habits. A physical examination will follow in which the practitioner will look at your whole body, may move your limbs, and feel your spine, ribcage and cranium to search for areas of restricted motion. Craniosacral treatment, as its name infers, includes gentle hands on manipulation of the cranial bones and the sacrum (tailbone). The osteopath also used his or her trained and finely tuned sense of touch to detect where motion patterns in the  central nervous system, muscles and connective tissues, are disturbed. If needed the practitioner may also use other osteopathic techniques to relax muscles around the joints and the spine.