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Osteopathy at WitsendHealth

Osteopathy is a form of holistic, non-invasive manual therapy that treats the body as a whole entity. As Osteopaths we focus on relieving any pains and discomforts within the body, as well as treating and strengthening the musculo-skeletal system, including the bones, joints and muscles.

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We use a wide range of techniques including palpation, physical manipulation, soft tissue release and stretching to influence the body to facilitate the body's own healing systems. Our aim is to releive any pain and discomfort you are experiencing, increase the mobility of the joints and relieve tensions within the muscles. We can also provide acupuncture as an effective therapy that compliments the osteopathic techniques used.

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"Osteopathy is a system of diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of medical conditions. It works with the structure and function of the body, and is based on the principle that the well-being of an individual depends on the skeleton, muscles, ligaments and connective tissues functioning smoothly together.

To an osteopath, for your body to work well, its structure must also work well. So osteopaths work to restore your body to a state of balance, where possible without the use of drugs or surgery. 

Osteopaths use touch, physical manipulation, stretching and massage to increase the mobility of joints, to relieve muscle tension, to enhance the blood and nerve supply to tissues, and to help your body’s own healing mechanisms. 

They may also provide advice on posture and exercise to aid recovery, promote health and prevent symptoms recurring."

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What we treat

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Osteopathy can help with such a vast array of problems that we have highlighted just a few below which are perhaps some of the most commonly seen conditions/symptoms presented to us daily.

 

  • Headaches/migraines 

  • Pins & needles

  • Stiffness/restricted movement 

  • Disc problems

  • Joint problems

  • Tennis/golfers elbow

  • Repetitive strain injury 

  • Tendonitis

  • Sports injuries

  • Chronic muscular tension

  • Back pain

  • Numbness

  • Sciatica

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If you are unsure if we may be able to help with your symptoms, you which to discuss you symptoms further or you do not know which discipline may be most suitable for you, please do contact us either by phone or email where we can provide you with further information and advice. 

FAQs

What training and qualifications do Osteopaths have?

All Osteopaths must have completed a degree in Osteopathy from a registered school approved by the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC). These 4-5 year courses cover a wide range of subjects including osteopathic techniques, anatomy, physiology, cardio-vascular system, pulmonary system, gastro-intestinal system and many more. These must be studied to allow Osteopaths to act as Primary Health Care Physicians.

 

Osteopaths are trained not only to treat symptoms but also to diagnose the root cause, meaning we need a good understanding in general medicine, to enable us to decide whether or not Osteopathic treatment is the best option for you.

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Osteopaths in training are required to spend more than a thousand hours treating pateints with supervision from qualified Osteopaths and can only qualify after completing numerous rigorous final exams. The title 'Osteopath' is now protected by the law and all Osteopaths must be registered with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC)

What is the difference between Osteopathy and Chiropractic treatment?

Both Osteopaths and Chiropractors treat bio-mechanical problems, and have to have completed a thorough set of exminations to graduate and become practising professionals. However, Osteopths tend to take a more holistic approach to their treatments, 

How will you know what is wrong with me?

Osteopaths are trained to assess both medical history as well as physical posture and pains to present a working diagnosis and create a suitable treatment and management plan to treat the symptoms in both the short and long term.

What do I need to wear?

You may be asked to undress down to your underwear, depending on the area that requires examination. Patients are welcome to wear shorts with elasticated waistbands if they feel more comfortable and if you would like a friend or relative to be in with you during examination and treatment we are very happy to do so. Should you request not to remove items of clothing your osteopath will still be more than happy to assess you however, it is important to note it may mean the assessment is more limited.

Will treatment hurt?

Osteopathy is a very holistic approach to treating pain, however, there may be times that it is uncomfortable for short periods of time. We will try and keep the discomfort to a minimum and we will always ensure you are happy with the level of discomfort. The majority of people describe treatment as a pleasant experience. You should be aware that you may feel slightly achy or sore following the treatment, this can last up to 48hours but will subside following this. If it does not, get in contact with us to discuss the next step

Osteopathy vs Chiropractor

While primarily, both osteopaths and chiropractors treat pain areas within the body, the nature of their practices differ in a few ways. Both practitioners use osteopathy discovery sessions that cater to more than just bone and joint pains. In fact, professional osteopaths also treat a variety of functional health issues such as respiratory or digestive disorders. Both use their understanding of the nervous and blood circulation systems within the body to influence other systems within the body, enabling them to treat several diagnosed medical conditions, such as asthma, stress, digestive disorders, period pain, migraine among many others.

The above description may suggest osteopaths and chiropractors work in similar ways. After all, both the specialists use observation and touch to determine the course of the treatment. However, the major difference between the two is that while osteopaths depend on physical examination of the patients, chiropractors rely on more advanced diagnostic procedures such as X-rays, MRI scans, blood tests, and urine tests. If an osteopath feels that a patient is in need of further examination after a physical diagnosis, they may refer the patient to a specialist.

Osteopathy vs Physiotherapy

There are many similarities between Physiotherapy (Physio) and Osteopathy, the two professions originated from quite different roots, therefore the greatest difference today is found in the training and ideology, they treat pretty much the same problems but we feel Osteopathy can be a better way of helping.

Osteopaths view the body as a unique, interconnected, self-healing system. Osteopathic treatment focuses on correcting disturbances with this system, whether caused (by among many things) muscle weakness, imbalance, tension, restricted joint movements, poor posture etc. Each person is unique so the treatment is tailored to the individual not the necessarily just the symptom(s).

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