Osteopathy & What an Osteopath does!

Please Note

I have now moved my Liverpool osteopathic practice from 88 Rodney Street Liverpool to:

The Liverpool Wellbeing & Yoga Centre

37 Hope Street

Liverpool

Merseyside L1 9EA UK

0151 709 9169

LiverpoolWellbeing.com

I apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Why Vital Osteopathy?

Well, take a look around - it may not be what you may think!

This site is all about osteopathy and what an osteopath does. 

These pages are to raise awareness about osteopathy and what osteopaths do. I hope that they help inform & clarify what osteopathy is about and dispel some of the myths associated with osteopathy and osteopathic treatment.

In a nutshell - It is a 'hands on' holistic approach to health to detect and reduce dysfunction in the body to improve overall physical function. An osteopath spends most of their working day with their hands on people literally feeling (palpating) what the cause of the problem is and working to improve the movement & health in the joints and soft tissues.  

If you are just curious or considering that it may be of help to yourself, or someone you know - please read on.

There seems to be very few websites that actually explain the ideas behind osteopathy, what it is & what osteopaths actually do, so my aim is to do just that. Historically we have mostly relied on word of mouth, but I suspect George Orwell's Brave New World has arrived!

Osteopathy is a way of detecting and treating injury to the body in it's various forms, whether it be through physical trauma (i.e. whiplash, traumatic birth for mother & baby), repetitive strain, 'overuse' i.e. sports injury) or just the knocks & bumps that we collect through life. When the bones, joints and soft tissues of the body are fully mobile, balanced and efficient, like a well tuned complex machine, it will function optimally and with the minimum of energy, effort and wear & tear.

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Andrew's New Dedicated NAET  & Allergy web site is Live!

You may not have heard of NAET, but if you suffer from allergies, sensitivities, intolerances or other immune system disorders, then it's likely that you will and be grateful that you have. NAET is a radical new treatment approach, based on traditional oriental medicine and we're finding it to be very successful, not just for allergies, but for a whole range of problems. So many common & uncommon conditions are related to the immune system in one way or another, i.e. Fibromyalgia, CFS/ME, Rheumatoid Arthritis, bowel disorders, as well as the more obvious;- Asthma, Eczema, Lactose Intolerance, etc. NAET stands for Nambudripad's Allergy Eliminations Techniques and Andrew's new NAET web site is here - www.naet-uk.com

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Back Care Week 4th - 10th October 2008

Back Care Awareness Week is an annual national health awareness campaign, which aims to highlight the importance of back care.  This year, the campaign will be focussed on the theme of back pain in the work place. You need to think about how you sit at your desk, use your computer, lift and carry things, push or pull heavy loads. And don't forget to apply these same ideas at home as well as at work. Watch your back when gardening, doing housework, looking after children or shopping. Remember, prevention is always better the cure, more so with respect to your backs. Choosing an ergonomic office chair is as important as your filing. Always adjust your workstation to suit you, whether you're working at home, in the office, or sharing a desk. Even if it is not possible to prevent back pain altogether, there is a lot you can do to prevent the negative consequences of back pain.

BackCare - UK charity promoting BackCare Week

Health in the Office Article

And various other articles on back pain and back care on Articles Page.

Two out of every five adults will experience back pain sometime in the next 12 months, and it costs the UK £6 billion each year in benefits, treatments and lost production?

The current guidelines on back pain is no longer bed rest. One should get up & get moving as best you can. The movement will help the inflammation to drain away from the area. In truth - osteopaths have always advised this, however there are certain symptoms & clinical signs, that may constitute an emergency.

See articles page for articles on back problems & back pain advice, including low back pain, when to see an osteopath, GP or go straight to Accident & Emergency. Whatever else you do - do not panic! This will only make the pain worse! If need be - take slow deep breaths in through the nose and gently breathe all the way out.

A note on Osteoporosis & Osteopenia regarding osteopathic treatment

Often in the in articles in the media it is said that osteopathy is not appropriate for someone with osteoporosis. This also seems to be the belief of many health care professionals. This is simply not true. Osteopaths are sufficiently trained to adapt their techniques appropriately and to recognise if someone may have osteoporosis or osteopenia ('early stage osteoporosis') and to refer them to their GP for further investigation. In the meantime there is no reason why someone should not continue treatment until the outcome of further tests is known. If someone has already been diagnosed with osteoporosis/ osteopenia, then they should inform they're osteopath before any treatment is given.

Arthritis invariably accompanies osteoporosis, so there is much that an osteopath can do to ease the pain and give advice on exercise, posture, etc.

So who would benefit from osteopathic treatment?

As Dr Andrew Taylor Still (founder of osteopathy) wrote - 

The only type of person that would not benefit from osteopathy is a dead one!

A bold statement, but he was not suggesting it was a 'cure all' for absolutely everything. It is more a case of - it is very unlikely that you will find someone who's health would not benefit from osteopathy.

We are, of course, best known for treating neck & back problems and yes spinal problems are the mainstay of most osteopathic practices, but most will be surprised by the range of problems that we may well be able to help with.

The more obvious musculo-skeletal (muscle & joint) problems that respond particularly well to osteopathic treatment include; back and neck pain, arthritic pain, frozen shoulder, whiplash (type injuries ), sports and work related injuries. Some of the less obvious conditions include; headache, migraine, asthma, pregnancy care, asthma, digestive disorders and infantile colic.

See A-Z of Osteopathy for more!

Barely a day goes by that I don't see someone hobbling down the street with pain & difficulty. It's true that some would be helped more than others. But often, one can't help but think - How much better they may be, if only they would have osteopathic treatment?

Legal Status of UK Registered Osteopaths

I should point out that since the Osteopath's Act '93 we are Primary Health Care Practitioners. That means that Osteopaths are educated to and on a par with doctors & dentists.

This means that;

• Osteopathy is recognised as a discrete discipline by the British Medical Association.

• Osteopaths asses & diagnose according to osteopathic principles, although any medical tests (i.e. X-ray, MRI reports, bone density, blood test results, etc.) you may have had or medication you are taking will be important information for your best care. Please bring these with you!

• You do not need to be referred by your doctor you can simply call to make an appointment. If you have private health insurance, then check with them first as a few still insist on a GP referral/consent.

• In some areas you can be referred for osteopathic treatment on the NHS, so check with your GP.

• Osteopaths can provide a 'sick note' if considered to be appropriate.

• An osteopath can provide a detailed osteopathic report i.e. in cases of litigation due to a whiplash incident in a road traffic accident, work related injury, i.e. RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury), etc.

• Your doctor should not 'officially' disapprove of osteopathic treatment, but we're all entitled to our own opinion.

• If your osteopath considers that you would be better helped by orthodox medicine then they will refer you to your GP or elsewhere for further medical tests/investigations.

• All legal osteopaths are now registered with the General Osteopathic Council, as it is now a mandatory requirement in the UK to practice under the name of an osteopath, to practice osteopathy or claim to use osteopathic techniques.

• It is currently being debated whether osteopaths should be called doctor & whether they should be given prescribing rights. It is likely that the latter (supported by research) would significantly reduce NHS costs in anti-inflammatories & pain killing medicines, as well as 'over the counter' medicines.

So, happy hunting! I hope you find something of interest.

This site, like life is a work in progress, so there's more to come.

Call back soon & find out more!

Or if you have a specific query, please feel free to email me via the

Contact Page on Holistic-Centre.org web site.

Thanks for looking - Andrew. 

I'm a full time working osteopath and will add to this site when I can.

Andrew is a UK registered osteopath & cranial osteopath practicing in Wirral Cheshire & Liverpool Merseyside

Updated 22 April 2009