Myth 1: Osteopaths Only Focus on Your Bones

This is false, but it is an assumption that is understandable. After all the word ‘osteo’ does come from the Greek word ‘osteon’ which means bone. Adding weight to this myth is the mere name of the conditions osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, which are degenerative bone diseases. When first founded, osteopaths did solely focus on bones, however this approach quickly shifted to encompass all joints, muscles and body systems. However the name was never changed.

Osteopathy is one of the most complete manual medical disciplines. It treats all your bones, muscles, joints and body systems.

Myth 2: Osteopaths, Physiotherapists and Chiropractors are all the Same

False. Osteopaths, physiotherapists and chiropractors were all founded on different philosophies and treatment methods. Although very simplistic, osteopaths focus on treating the entire body, physiotherapists focus on local area rehabilitation and chiropractors focus on the spine and the surrounding nerve pathways.

Myth 3: Osteopathy is an Unproven ‘Witch Doctor’ Remedy

False. As indicated above, osteopathy is firmly recognised by the medical community and has its roots based on sound evidence. This is supported by the following facts:

* Australian osteopaths must complete an intensive five year degree, including two years of performing supervised treatments on paying patients
* The practice of osteopathy is strictly regulated by government bodies. In order to practice, osteopaths must be officially registered
* All osteopaths are classified as primary health care providers. This means that you do not need to organise a referral from your GP prior to a treatment

Myth 4: Osteopathy is a Simple 5 Week Course

False. As previously indicated, becoming an osteopath is hard work. All osteopaths must complete an intensive five years of university study. In addition to the physical elements of treatments, osteopaths also learn the intricacies of anatomy, physiology, pathology, radiology and clinical medicine.

Osteopathy is based on the hypothesis that many of the system’s health problems are payable to misplaced vertebrae which hamper the system’s own self-healing procedure. Osteopaths put good importance on ‘lesions’ which happen when a joint becomes jammed and thus restricted within its normal range of campaign. Lesions in the lower backwards can reduce away circulation which may head to disease, they can too induce disk harm and inflamed nerves. As an addition to osteopathy, a pupil discovered that there is a mild campaign in the joints of the cranial bones and that when these bones get misaligned and limit this campaign.

For reasons such as a birth defect or a blow to the head, then this can lead to disease. It is through this discovery that cranial osteopathy was developed, and just like osteopathy it involves the manipulation of the cranial bones. Osteopathy is a naturalistic, vitalistic, holistic and drugless approach to health and disease. It is based on the idea that man is not a collection of parts but a synthetic whole imbued with spirit. The body functions as a total unit and possesses self-healing and self-regulating mechanisms. Osteopathy maintains that there is a reciprocal relationship between structure and function.

The osteopath may use blood and urine tests to aid diagnosis and will pay close attention to certain areas with palpation. There are several techniques that the osteopath may use to treat the patient’s condition, such as needle cracking, soft tissue technique which is similar to massage, osteopathic manipulative therapy which is used to restore movement in the musculo-skeletal system, or movement of the joints to restore muscle alignment. The technique will depend on the diagnosis of the health problem. The osteopath will most likely give advice on posture, nutrition, exercise and relaxation in addition to the manipulation treatment.

It was developed in the 1930s by American osteopath William Garner Sutherland, a disciple of Andrew Still. His osteopathic training taught him that the bones of the skull, which are separate at birth, grow together into a fixed structure and are immovable, but he noticed that these bones retained some potential for movement even in adulthood. If they could move, they could also be susceptible to dysfunction. With experimentation on himself and others, he discovered that compressing his skull could have severe mental and physical effects. He discovered that the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord fluid had rhythms, which he called “the breath of life,” because the rhythms appeared to be influenced by the rate and depth of breathing. By gently wanipulating the skull he found he could alter the rhythm of this fluid flow.

It was developed in the 1930s by American osteopath William Garner Sutherland, a disciple of Andrew Still. His osteopathic training taught him that the bones of the skull, which are separate at birth, grow together into a fixed structure and are immovable, but he noticed that these bones retained some potential for movement even in adulthood. If they could move, they could also be susceptible to dysfunction. With experimentation on himself and others, he discovered that compressing his skull could have severe mental and physical effects. He discovered that the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord fluid had rhythms, which he called “the breath of life,” because the rhythms appeared to be influenced by the rate and depth of breathing. By gently wanipulating the skull he found he could alter the rhythm of this fluid flow.