One of the most common questions we get asked here in our North Finchley Osteopathy clinic is “What is an osteopath?”
As far as therapies go, osteopathy is still fairly unknown when compared to Chiropractic or Physiotherapy. Many people think that osteopaths only deal with bones (due to the association of the word “osteo”). But in reality osteopaths deal with much more than just bones.
Osteopaths are fully qualified to diagnose and treat problems of the muscular and skeletal system as they are primary healthcare practitioners. This means that anyone can visit an osteopath without a GP’s referral which often means that osteopaths are the first healthcare practitioner to see a patient and their problem.
An osteopath’s philosophy is to treat the cause of the problem and not just the painful area so osteopaths will often treat the surrounding areas, or even areas elsewhere in order to create changes.
Osteopaths train full time for four years, including two years of hands on clinical work with patients.
Aside from just treating bones and joints, an osteopath can also work on;
- Ligaments
- Tendons
- Muscles
- Nerves
- Visceral System
Some of the conditions we often see in practice (particularly here in North Finchley) include;
- Sciatica
- Back pain
- Shoulder problems
- Growing pains (things such as Osgood Schlatter’s Disease)
- Knee pain
- Headaches
- Sports Injuries
- Postural Problems
Osteopaths treat patients using a variety of different techniques (which is perhaps where a lot of the confusion comes from about what osteopaths actually do!), ranging from the gentle cranial type treatments to the purely structural strong techniques like those in sports massage or manipulations. Here in North Finchley our techniques are predominantly structural, meaning that there is a lot of massage work, stretching mobilisations and manipulations, rather than the subtle approach of cranial osteopathy.
Here is North Finchley, what the osteopath does on you will depend entirely on your situation, but they should never do anything that you’re not comfortable with!
If you would like to discuss anything mentioned above in more detail or book in for a session, call us on 0203 356 7060 or email us on info@precisionwellbeing.co.uk