What You Need to Know About Manual Osteopathy?

Are you experiencing musculoskeletal pain or tightness in your back, neck, knee and various parts of your body? Are also currently suffering from TMJ disorders, sciatica, sports injuries, postural problems, frozen shoulders, tennis elbow, golf elbow, whiplash, headaches or stress, anxiety and sleeping problems?

If it’s a yes, we know that you may find an ideal solution. As you find the right treatment plan, you may stumble about Manual Osteopathy. If you want to learn more about Manual Osteopathy, then please continue to read this article.

What is Manual Osteopathy?

Osteopathy was developed by Andrew Taylor Still, MD in 1874. ¹ It is a form of hands-on therapy providing a holistic approach to health provided by a skilled Manual Osteopath. It can help to restore the function of the body and eliminate the pain by addressing the root cause of pain, illnesses, imbalances and injuries.

Moreover, the Manual Osteopath when treating patients is guided by the principle of treating the patient as a “whole” or providing holistic care. This implies that it will not only address the symptoms and it will not only consider the physiological but will look into the psychological aspect of a person.

Furthermore, it will look at the body as a self-regulating, functional unit having an interrelated function and structure. Also, the body has healthy tissues which require proper circulation of all body fluids.

How it Manual Osteopathy Can Help You?

Manual Osteopathy provides a treatment plan that is non-invasive and aimed to improve body function by using skilled palpation and detailed knowledge of the body’s anatomy, physiology and biomechanics. The skills and knowledge of a Manual Osteopath guide him in assessing and restoring the balance within and between all the systems of the body, including musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, neurological, cranial and visceral.

Furthermore a wide range of manual approaches to eliminate pain and improve function in all areas of the body by removing restrictions to vascular, neural and biomechanical mechanisms, which will also support the natural healing mechanism of the body by promoting autoregulation. Moreover, it will not only eliminate the pain but can also help to resolve stress or provide a relaxation effect.

What Conditions Can Manual Osteopathy Help?

As mentioned earlier, Manual Osteopathy cannot only resolve pain but can also provide a relaxing benefit. It provides a wide range of benefits and treats various conditions.

Here is a list of conditions where Manual Osteopathy treatment can help:

• Musculoskeletal pain and Tightness such as back pain, neck pain, Knee pain
• Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) disorders
• Sciatica
• Whiplash
• Sport Injuries
• Postural problems
• Strain injuries
• Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)
• Tennis Elbow and Golf Elbow
• Frozen Shoulder
• Headaches
• Restless Leg Syndrome
• Stress, Anxiety and Sleep problems such as insomnia

Who Can Benefit from Manual Osteopathy?

People of all ages and all kinds can benefit from getting a Manual Osteopathy treatment. From babies to elders can go for this type of treatment. Moreover, people suffering from various types of injuries and illnesses can benefit from Manual Osteopathy.

What Researches Reveal About Osteopathic Manual Treatment?

There are various studies that cover the effects of Osteopathic Manual Treatment.

Here is a quick summary of the benefits of Osteopathic Manual Treatment based on research.

The large effect size for Osteopathic Manual Treatment in providing a substantial pain reduction in patients with chronic low back pain of high severity.

Moreover, this is accompanied by clinically important improvement in back-specific functioning. This is based on an Osteopathic trial which uses a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, 2 × 2 factorial design. ²

Osteopathic Manual Therapy is a valid option for the treatment of Temporomandibular disorders (TMD).

The study shows that patients in both groups improved during six months. In addition, those in the Osteopathic Manual Therapy group provide lesser medication (non-steroidal medication and muscle relaxants). This is based on a randomized, controlled trial that compares the effect of Osteopathic manual therapy over conventional conservative therapy in treating patients with TMD. ³

Osteopathic Manual Therapy (OMT) treatment was effective at the reduction of pain, anxiety and psychiatric disorders in patients suffering from chronic pain.

This is based on a prospective observational cohort study collected through a health and well-being academy. However, this study reveals that it is not effective in reducing depression and fear avoidance, while Acceptance And Commitment Therapy (ACT) is useful in the reduction of depression and fear avoidance. As such, the researchers concluded that ACT can be paired with OMT. ⁴

Looking for Manual Osteopath in Langley or in Coquitlam?

Evergreen Rehab and Wellness is a multidisciplinary clinic serving the areas of Coquitlam, Surrey and Langley, BC. Among the non-invasive and holistic approaches to health that it can provide is Manual Osteopathy.

We are currently providing Manual Osteopathy in Coquitlam and in our newest clinic in Langley.

So, what you can expect in your first session with a Manual Osteopath in Coquitlam and Langley?

As Manual Osteopathy promotes holistic care, expect that your first session will start with an assessment. Our Manual Osteopath in Langley or Coquitlam will review your health history and will ask you to gather detailed information about your health.  The practitioner will do various osteopathic assessments on your body. After a thorough assessment, our practitioner will provide a custom treatment plan.

Our goal is to help you get better, get moving and do the things you want in life without restrictions due to pain, illnesses or injury.  This treatment plan can also help you to get better sleep, mood and energy.

Moreover, as we are a multidisciplinary clinic, this treatment plan can also go along well with other types of treatment such as clinical counselling, acupuncture and many others.

References

1. History of Osteopathic Medicine. (2015). Aacom.org. https://www.aacom.org/become-a-doctor/about-osteopathic-medicine/history-of-osteopathic-medicine[↩]
2. Licciardone, J. C., Kearns, C. M., & Minotti, D. E. (2013). Outcomes of osteopathic manual treatment for chronic low back pain according to baseline pain severity: Results from the OSTEOPATHIC Trial. Manual Therapy, 18(6), 533–540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.math.2013.05.006[↩]
3. Cuccia, A. M., Caradonna, C., Annunziata, V., & Caradonna, D. (2010). Osteopathic manual therapy versus conventional conservative therapy in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of bodywork and movement therapies, 14(2), 179–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2009.08.002[↩]
4. Edwards, D. J., & Toutt, C. (2018). An evaluation of osteopathic treatment on psychological outcomes with patients suffering from chronic pain: A prospective observational cohort study collected through a health and well-being academy. Health psychology open, 5(1), 2055102918774684. https://doi.org/10.1177/2055102918774684[↩]