A conversation with someone recently highlighted to me the value of hands-on care. My ability as an osteopath to feel and assess tissues through touch is perhaps something I have more recently taken for granted. It made me think and reflect on how important it is for me. In both assessing and treating a pain issue or injury. It gives me information that informs my treatment and advice. It also gives me a sense of an individual’s wellbeing.
It is of course a collaborative process! I am also listening to what my patient is telling me about their problem. This, plus information about general health, a more global examination of position and movement all inform me alongside my hands-on examination.
For me an osteopathic approach to treating pain and managing wellbeing has the following advantages:
- The hands-on care not only assesses and treats the area addressed. It also provides ongoing monitoring of the tissues throughout this process. People can give feedback throughout, we work alongside each other.
- The hands-on care initiates tissue changes – improving movement and tissue quality. But this will very often need to be combined and optimised with advice about exercise and movement and lifestyle factors, for instance nutrition. Emotional issues very often link to body pain, this may need to be explored. Sometimes other medical assessments or treatments need to run alongside osteopathic care. I am identifying health factors that may need to be considered.
- Research provides evidence that exercise is beneficial, but better results can be gained from the combination of hands-on therapy with exercise.
- Osteopathic care influences body tissues in relation to movement and reducing pain. Other advantages of osteopathy can be improvements in breathing and circulation. This may be a by-product of local tissue changes and also working on posture. Or it can be an intentional focus of treatment. In a similar way, digestion can often be improved.
- Osteopathy can be used to treat a specific pain or injury. Often requiring a course of treatment. Or it can be an approach to manage ongoing situations. Some find it useful to have regular treatments for this, or to improve comfort and vitality more generally. You don’t need to be ill or injured to see an osteopath – an osteopathic session can be part of how you chose to care for your general health.
Osteopathic treatment aims to achieve optimal body function. Taking a global body approach when assessing, diagnosing and treating an issue and taking into account an individual’s needs and wants. It is not a prescribed treatment and will be different for everyone.
The aim is always to support an individual to continue with the activities they want and need to do.
