Osteopathic Treatment Methods
Osteopaths identify, assess, and treat the body's structures and rhythms using a gentle, hands-on approach. This fundamental technique is called osteopathic palpation. Osteopaths spend many years developing the very sensitive sense of touch they need to master osteopathic palpation.
Osteopathic palpation is what makes osteopathy different from other forms of manual therapy. Osteopaths use it in the 4 major treatment techniques.
1. Soft Tissue Manipulation
Osteopaths use soft tissue manipulation in many different ways. In general, they use it to evaluate the condition of tissues and to help the body's fluids (such as blood and lymphatic fluid) flow smoothly. Keeping fluids flowing smoothly reduces harmful fluid retention and makes the body's immune system more effective.
Fascia is tissue found in all parts of the body. It connects all of the body's structures at both superficial and deep levels. Osteopaths evaluate the fascia to find areas of restriction, and then use soft tissue manipulation to make sure the length and tension of the fascia are properly balanced.
Throughout the treatment, osteopaths keep checking on the state of the body's tissues. If one technique isn't working to correct a restriction, they use another approach instead. Above all, osteopaths try to restore health without over-treating.
Functional technique
Osteopaths use this technique regularly because it can be used on any structure of the body. They use it to gently move tissues or joints to ease restrictions and allow full movement to return. For this technique to be effective, osteopaths need skilled hands that can palpate very subtle changes in the body.
Strain and counterstrain technique
The goal of this technique is to restore neurological balance in muscle tissues. Osteopaths identify specific pain points on the body that indicate exactly where they should apply the treatment. Then they move the structure to a different position and hold it there until neurological changes happen.
Strain and counterstrain seems very gentle to the patient, but the technique is powerful enough to significantly reduce pain, muscle tension, and stiffness in almost any part of the body.
Muscle energy technique
The muscle energy technique can have a dramatic effect on muscles and joints. The patient's muscles are gently contracted and relaxed against the osteopath's resistance. Osteopaths use this technique to relax muscles, restore neurological balance, ease joint restrictions, and increase fluid circulation in an area of the body.
2. Osteopathic articular technique
Osteopaths use this technique to
- reduce muscle spasms near a joint
- ease neurological irritations around a joint
- make joints more mobile
- reduce pain and discomfort
The articular technique involves gently moving 2 joint surfaces. Before doing this, osteopaths carefully prepare the soft tissues around the treatment area. They also move the patient into a position that will minimize the energy and force needed to perform the manoeuvre. Many patients find this technique less forceful than joint manipulations.
A click is sometimes heard when the correction is made. This is just the synovial fluid moving through the joint.
The osteopathic articular technique is a very small component of osteopathy. Patients who do not want to have this (or any other) technique performed on them are encouraged to discuss their concerns with their practitioner. Osteopaths can use other methods to achieve similar results.
3. Cranial osteopathy
This is the most gentle osteopathic technique, and it requires the most experience to use effectively. To learn this technique, osteopaths go through years of intensive training. Through this training, their hands become sensitive to the cranial rhythms and they gradually become more precise in using the cranial technique.
Osteopaths use this gentle technique to assess and treat the mobility of the skull and its contents. They may also use it to assess and treat the spine, the sacrum, and other parts of the body.
The goal of this technique is to adjust the body's physiology by restoring balance to the circulation of the blood and other body fluids. Osteopaths do this by treating the body's inherent biorhythm. Osteopaths trained in this technique can feel this rhythm in the patient's head, down the spinal cord, and in the sacrum and the rest of the body. Osteopaths use the biorhythm to assess the patient's condition, and they may modify it during treatment.
4. Visceral manipulation
Osteopaths use visceral manipulation to treat organs and viscera of the body, including:
- lungs
- heart
- liver
- spleen
- kidneys
- stomach
- pancreas
- intestines
- bladder
- uterus
Patients may feel pain in one or more of these organs, or the viscera may be less pliable than it should be. Osteopaths gently move the structures themselves and the fascia (connective tissue) that surrounds them to restore full movement.
Most patients treated with visceral manipulation feel only gentle pressure of the osteopath's hand. But the corrections are powerful enough to improve the mobility of an organ, improve blood flow, and help the organ function more effectively.
Note: It is important that you speak with your medical doctor for the complete diagnosis of any medical condition.
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