About Osteopathy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Osteopathy?
What conditions do Osteopaths deal with?
What's the difference between osteopaths, chiropractors and physiotherapists?
How do osteopaths treat?
What about long term preventative care?
Is osteopathic treatment safe?
Do I need a referral to see an osteopath?
Who pays? Am I covered?
How do I find an osteopath?
Further information?
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What is Osteopathy?Osteopathy is a form of manual medicine which recognises the important link between the structure of the body and the way it functions. Osteopaths focus on how the skeleton, joints, muscles, nerves, circulation, connective tissue and internal organs function as a holistic unit. Using skilled evaluation, diagnosis and a wide range of hands-on techniques, osteopaths can identify important types of dysfunction in your body. Osteopathic treatment uses techniques such as stretching and massage for general treatment of the soft tissues (muscles, tendons and ligaments) along with mobilisation of specific joints and soft tissues.
In Australia, osteopaths are government registered practitioners who complete a minimum of five years’ university training in anatomy, physiology, pathology, general medical diagnosis and osteopathic techniques. Osteopaths are primary healthcare practitioners and are trained to recognise conditions which require medical referral. They are also trained to perform standard medical examinations of the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous systems.
Osteopathy is covered by most private health funds and the Medicare Enhanced Primary Care scheme. Osteopaths are registered providers for workers’ compensation schemes, motor accident insurers and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
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What conditions do Osteopaths deal with?
Osteopathy treat of a wide variety of musculo-skeletal problems, but it also has a role to play in the management of a number of other conditions. The most common complaints for which patients consult Osteopaths include:
. back and neck pain,
. sciatica,
. headaches,
. pains in peripheral joints such as shoulders, knees and ankles, tendinitis and muscle strains,
. work-related and repetitive strain injuries, and
. sports-related injuries.
However, Osteopathy can also play a significant role in pain management or when used in conjunction with medical treatment.
Many mothers-to-be find Osteopathic treatment very beneficial both to reduce back pain during pregnancy and also to help prepare the body for birth. In addition, there is a wide variety of gentle non-manipulative techniques for use on infants and small children.
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What's the difference between osteopaths, chiropractors and physiotherapists?
It’s not the role of any health professional to try to define what another health care professional is, and what they do. If you want a definition, it would be best to ask people in those professions. What we can do is tell you about the defining characteristics of Osteopathy, which are its underlying philosophy and its broad range of techniques.
While "Biomechanics" has become one of the most rapidly developing areas of medicine in recent years, Osteopathy was an early profession to incorporate biomechanical analysis of how injuries occur and what the secondary effects are likely to be. To take a simple example, if you go to an Osteopath with a knee injury, the Osteopath will do much more than just examine and treat your knee. They will want to know exactly how the injury occurred in order to assess not just which tissues in the knee are injured, but also whether there may be any involvement of other areas with a mechanical relationship to the knee, such as the foot, hip, low back and pelvis, and the associated soft tissues.
They will then want to analyse any possible secondary effects. For instance, you may be "avoiding" the bad knee and putting more weight on the other side. Over a period of time, this may lead to problems developing in the low back or the "good" knee. The Osteopath will then use this information to prescribe a treatment plan that addresses not just the knee, but all of the other areas of the body and associated tissues that may be involved. The plan will include attention not just to the joints and their associated soft tissues, but also to the blood supply to the affected areas, the lymphatic drainage, the nerve supply etc., in order to include all those factors which will affect the success of healing. It is this "whole body, multi-system" approach that has been the basis of Osteopathy’s success over the last century.
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How do osteopaths treat?In carrying out treatments, Osteopaths can call upon what is probably the largest range of techniques used in any manual therapy.
These include:
Massage and stretching techniques |
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Articulation techniques, in which joints are mobilised by being passively taken through their range of motion
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Muscle Energy techniques, in which contracted muscles are released by alternately being stretched and made to work against resistance.
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Counterstrain techniques, which achieve release of restriction by placing the affected joint or muscle in a position of comfort, while applying a "Counter" stretch to the antagonists of the tight muscles.
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Functional techniques, which involve gentle mobilisation of joints in a way which "probes" barriers to normal movement until a way is found through the restriction.
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Manipulation, which may be used where it is appropriate and safe to do so, though it is not the mainstay of most Osteopathic treatments. Osteopathic manipulations are carried out using minimum force levels in order to maximise safety and minimise patient discomfort.
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Many Osteopaths also use what is known as "Osteopathy in the Cranial field", which is a gentle release technique particularly suited to young children and the physically frail.
"Visceral" techniques are used in the management of conditions affecting internal organs. These involve gentle and rhythmical stretching of the visceral areas.
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Osteopathic treatments are tailored to the requirements of the individual patient, and techniques are selected which are appropriate to the patient’s needs.
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What about long term preventative care?
Osteopaths believe that getting patients to keep returning for more treatments is not the best form of long term preventive care. The key to preventing health problems recurring, and to developing long-term solutions, lies in increasing patients’ awareness of the causes of problems, and in giving them the help they need to take responsibility for their own health. This is done in a number of ways:
By identifying the causative factors of a patient’s problems, such as problems with workplace ergonomics, and trying to reduce or eliminate them.
By teaching patients more efficient and less strenuous body usage in their actions at home or at work.
By helping patients become aware of postural problems and how to correct them.
By providing individually tailored exercise programmes both for rehabilitation and prevention.
By teaching relaxation techniques to reduce stress.
By working in conjunction with other practitioners such as dieticians, occupational therapists etc. where appropriate.
Osteopaths thus believe that long-term prevention is the result of a cooperative effort between patient and practitioner.
Is osteopathic treatment safe?
There’s no such thing as a form of medical treatment which is guaranteed 100% safe in every case. Even the painkillers you buy in the supermarket for a headache may cause severe side effects in some patients. That said, however, Osteopathy has one of the best safety records of any medically-related profession. Osteopaths are trained to recognise any condition that might make Osteopathic treatment inadvisable, and will refer patients for appropriate medical attention in such cases. Just as a Doctor regards safety as the most important factor in selecting the appropriate medication for a particular patient, so an Osteopath will also select the most appropriate style of treatment with safety as the prime consideration. Your osteopath will discuss with you any risk associated with particular treatment.
Do I need a referral to see an osteopath?
The only times you will need a referral are if you wish to consult an Osteopath under Medicare's Chronic Disease Management (formerley known as Enhansed primary care program), the Veterans’ Affairs scheme or for WorkCare in Queensland only. Remember that not all Osteopaths are Veterans' Affairs providers. Otherwise you can simply contact an Osteopath directly.
Who pays? Am I covered?
With the federal government initiative under Medicare Plus, patients with chronic conditions may be referred by their GP for osteopathic treatment under the Chronic Disease Management (formerley known as Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) plan).. Patients under the Veterans' Affairs scheme and the various State WorkCare/WorkCover and Transport Accident compensation schemes have their treatment costs covered by those schemes. (Not all Osteopaths are Veterans' Affairs providers, so you should check before making an appointment.) Partial rebates are available for those members of Private Health Funds with ancillary or "extras" cover, but the amount of rebate and the conditions vary from insurer to insurer, so check the details of your policy.
How do I find an osteopath?
A geographical listing of Osteopaths may be found by clicking on "Find an Osteopath" in the menu directly above. You can search based on a post code, the state you live in or the last name of an Osteopath.
Alternatively you can contact the AOA (Australian Osteopathic Association), e-mail aoa@osteopathic.com.au, Tel. 1800 467 836 or fax (02) 9440 9962. You can also look in your local Yellow Pages under "Osteopaths".
Further information?
For further information please contact the AOA on ph: 1800 467 836.
