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What is an osteopath

What is an osteopath

Osteopathy – more than just bones

By Dr Holger Hornum

Have you ever wondered what exactly osteopathy is and how it differs from things like chiropractic and physio. As an osteopath, I get asked this question a lot.

In essence, each professional has the same goal and that is to identify the source of pain and aim to alleviate the symptoms. All three are trained in orthopaedic and neurological testing to help diagnose their patient’s complaint. We differ in the techniques we employ to treat and manage the patient.

What exactly is osteopathy?

Osteopaths focus on the neuro-musculoskeletal system, which comprises bones, muscles, nerves and other tissues that support the human body and control its movements. They take the time to listen and treat patients as a whole, not just focusing on one pain point. Osteopaths provide musculoskeletal and nervous system assessments, manual therapy, clinical exercise programs, and movement, postural, positioning advice and ergonomic assessments. They may also offer therapeutic needling techniques, such as dry needling, trigger point therapy or acupuncture. Osteopaths may also offer ongoing support and educational advice about lifestyle, stress management, diet or other factors that may influence a person’s pain, injury or movement.

Osteopaths mainly work in private practices but also work in a range of health settings, including multidisciplinary medical/health clinics, rehabilitation clinics, aged care facilities, professional sports clubs, government, chronic pain management settings and research institutes.

Osteopaths are also government-registered allied health practitioners who complete between four to five years of university training in anatomy, physiology, pathology, general healthcare diagnosis and osteopathic techniques.

Can osteopathy help me?

Whilst back pain and neck pain are the most common problems seen, osteopathy may help with a wide variety of conditions including:

• Sporting injuries
• Shoulder, elbow wrist and hand pain
• Hip, knee, ankle and foot pain
• Arthritis and joint pain
• Sciatica Muscular pain
• Repetitive strain injuries
• Jaw pain
• Whiplash and road accident injuries
• Children and infants
• Pregnancy

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