A chiropractor or physiotherapists are often the first specialists that come to mind when someone needs help for their joint pain, sports injuries, or other painful chronic conditions. However, in many of these situations, an Adelaide osteopath is often an ideal option.
To assist you in determining which treatment type would be best for your particular injury or painful condition, here are some of the differences that define these three treatment approaches.
How Adelaide Osteopaths Differ From Chiropractic
Adelaide’s osteopaths and chiropractors operate on much the same philosophies and principals (not surprising since the first person to provide chiropractic care was a student under the founder of osteopathy).
Both aim to help free the body from any restrictions existing in the joints and they both share the belief that regardless of the pains we’re suffering from, they all have some connection to body mechanics. The difference between chiropractors and osteopaths, however, is that while chiropractors generally believe restrictions in the spine are responsible the primary culprit, osteopaths have a broader focus and are concerned with all of the tissues in the area and all relevant structural influences.
How Osteopathy Differs From Physiotherapy
The practice scope of osteopathic and physiotherapy care can be similar in many respects as both treat musculoskeletal pain issues. The primary difference is that physiotherapists, although they do provide treatment to a comprehensive range of joint-related injuries, tend to follow are more regional treatment focus centered on exercise rehabilitation. Machines such as ultrasounds and TENS machines are also used more in physiotherapy treatments to aid the healing and recovery from injuries on the body.
Unlike physiotherapy care, osteopathy puts a greater focus on treating the entire body instead of only treating the area of the body at which the pain is located. In osteopathy, the key method is to treat the body in an integrated approach and it is primary manual therapy ie hands-on diagnosis and treatment.
Take a knee pain sufferer for example. An osteopath will assess the biomechanics of the body’s other parts to determine the pain’s original source: to tell if there’s an alignment issue with the back, pelvis or ankle that could be triggering the knee pain.
Your community’s Adelaide osteopath can help both you with a variety of conditions whether you’re suffering from most pain issues or injuries. Osteopathy provides a treatment alternative, as osteopaths are trained to assess exactly what is the cause of your pain and determine how best to treat it – most of the time without the use of medication. Osteopath’s principal belief is that the body is naturally designed to heal itself and will do so when facilitated with the correct treatment.
If you require the services of an osteopath, Adelaide and local areas offer a number of options to you. This means you must do some research before you select an osteopath. While you may be tempted to call your nearest osteopathic clinic, you need to consider that treatment duration may be over the long term and treatment techniques can be quite physical, so you need to look for an osteopath with whom you’ll feel comfortable and you can trust.
What will your osteopathy initial consultation be like?
Your first osteopath appointment can take rather long, up to an hour or more at times, this is so your osteopath can take the required time to fully inquire about your condition. Everyone’s pain is unique in one way or another with similar pains being caused by different factors, so proper identification of any condition’s cause is the most effective way to begin its treatment.
An osteopath sees the body in a holistic way, so he or she won’t simply consider the one part of the body that’s being affected but the surrounding tissues, organs and structures of the body as well when making their diagnosis. So your osteopath will start by discussing your pain, then may try to figure out when it began, may then give you a physical exam and then ask you to make certain movements to further facilitate an accurate diagnosis.
When the osteopath has determined the diagnosis, she or he will then develop a treatment plan, which can include specific movements or exercises, massage and other types of physical manipulation. If they feel that your condition would be best dealt with by a different medical practitioner they also have the ability to advise you in regards to who you should see.
Osteopathic treatment can include a few simple sessions or can be a longer-term procedure depending on your particular ailment or condition. This involves the cause of your pain and the extent of the problem. For example, severe, injury-induced pain, can sometimes be treated in a shorter span of time than a chronic pain condition which has resulted in several years of body pain and decreased mobility.
If you’re looking for an osteopath in Adelaide, contact the longest service Adelaide osteopathy clinic here at Kensington Osteopathy.