What is Osteopathy?
A branch of complementary medicine which provides specialist diagnosis, treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of problems that arise in the “biomechanics” (Framework of the body) which can be as a result of direct injury e.g. sports injuries, or develop from poor posture or wear and tear over time. This can disturb the circulatory system or nerves to any part of the body, and affect any aspect of health.
While “Biomechanics” has become one of the most rapidly developing areas of medicine in recent years, Osteopathy was one of the first professions to incorporate biomechanical analysis to determine 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 shoulder injury, the Osteopath will do much more than just examine and treat your shoulder. They will want to know exactly how the injury occurred in order to assess, not just which tissues in the shoulder are injured, but also whether there may be any involvement of other areas with a mechanical relationship to the shoulder, such as the neck, elbow, mid back and maybe even pelvis, and the associated soft tissues.

They will then want to analyse any possible secondary effects. For instance, you may be “avoiding” the bad shoulder and putting more strain on the other side. Over a period of time, this may lead to problems developing in the lower neck or the “good” arm. The Osteopath will then use this information to prescribe a treatment plan that addresses not just the shoulder, 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 nerve supply, the lymphatic drainage etc., in order to include all those factors which will affect the success of healing. It is this “whole body, multi-system” holistic approach that has been the basis of Osteopathy’s success over the last century.

Is Treatment Painful?
Techniques used by osteopaths should not hurt you at all. If techniques do hurt, tell your osteopath, so they may adjust their technique.
Applied correctly, osteopathic techniques cannot harm you. Ensure that your osteopath is registered with the General Osteopathic Council, and you will know you are in safe hands.