Healthy people have no need to be interested in medical terminology. But when, for example, your back hurts unbearably, few people know how an osteopath differs from a chiropractor, although they understand that both specialists can help.
Moreover, many believe that this is the same doctor. This is partly true, because over 4 years of training, among other areas, each osteopath masters a full course of manual therapy while studying structural techniques. That is, he has all the skills of a chiropractor and often has an official diploma as a doctor of manual therapy in addition to a diploma as an osteopathic doctor. But a chiropractor is not always an osteopath.
Having learned about the specifics of the work of an osteopath and a chiropractor, you will immediately understand the differences between them.
WHAT PROBLEMS DOES A MANUAL THERAPIST DEAL WITH?
A manual therapist is a specialist who has received a higher medical education in traumatology or neurology, and additional qualifications in manual therapy. The doctor influences the source of pain through significant mechanical techniques.
Manual therapy comes to the rescue in the following cases:
- joint dislocations, subluxations;
- muscle strains;
- pain in the back, neck;
- joint diseases - arthritis, arthrosis;
- contractures of the limbs due to neurological disorders, after sports injuries;
- recovery period after fractures;
- displacement of intervertebral discs;
- headache;
- pain in the back, neck;
- restriction of movements in the back, neck, limbs, and shoulder girdle.
The specialist directs efforts to eliminate specific violations in a specific area.
How does an osteopath and chiropractor work?
Manual therapists influence the problem with targeted, strong and short-term actions. Sometimes too strong and sensitive for the patient. However, precise manipulations instantly release the clamped and immobile part of the body, which should move normally. Therefore, a session with a chiropractor usually lasts no more than 15 minutes, but may be accompanied by discomfort. Such sessions are usually scheduled up to 10, they take place daily or every other day.
An osteopath “sees” with his hands. And very deep, through the fascia that covers all systems and organs. With his trained and extremely sensitive hands, the doctor finds areas of fascial tension and smoothes them out with the gentle pressure of his hands. Alas, not every osteopath is able to feel all the rhythms of movement inside the body. If necessary, the osteopath additionally uses manual techniques.
Of course, a session with an osteopath lasts longer, usually about an hour. And the treatment itself takes time until complete recovery. As a rule, an osteopath needs 3-5 sessions to achieve a sustainable result. The intervals between sessions are 1-2-3 weeks or more. This is due to the fact that the osteopath gives the body time to respond to the osteopathic treatment. After which the doctor evaluates the changes in the body and decides what other techniques are necessary for this particular patient in order to achieve his full recovery.
A story about how an osteopath differs from a chiropractor would be incomplete without mentioning what exactly these doctors treat.
DIFFERENCE IN TREATMENT METHODS
The differences between the methods of osteopathy and manual therapy are due to the difference in the perception of the human body. Osteopaths consider the patient as a whole and correct his general condition. They can restore the functions of internal organs. The manuals concentrate on the spine.
There are several more fundamental differences:
1. After examining the patient, osteopaths may prescribe tests and some additional diagnostic procedures. Chiropractors begin work after reviewing MRI, X-ray, urine and blood tests.
2. Manual therapy involves correction of the spine in order to normalize the transmission of nerve impulses and release compressed nerve fibers. Osteopathy has a lot of therapeutic techniques to activate the internal forces of the body.
3. Osteopathy eliminates the causes of the disease. Manual therapy relieves symptoms - the consequences of the disease.
4. Osteopathy uses soft, delicate influences for relaxation, restoration of blood circulation, movement of lymph, and cerebrospinal fluid. Manual therapy uses stretching, reduction, and pressing. All manipulations are aimed at joints, spine, bones.
5. Manual therapy sessions do not last long because the effect on the spine occurs. Osteopaths work with patients for quite a long time. Throughout the entire procedure, there is a more voluminous, broader effect on the body.
6. Relapse after a course of osteopathic treatment is unlikely, since the cause of the disease is eliminated. Manual sessions only eliminate symptoms. The disease has a high probability of appearing again.
What is osteopathy and how to find a good doctor: a pro tells
How is osteopathy different from manual therapy? Why is there so much negativity around? How to choose the right doctor? Doctor Vladimir Demchenko answers the questions.
Vladimir Demchenko
Neurologist, chiropractor, doctor of osteopathy, sports rehabilitation doctor
Yulia, Karina and Kristina Spivak take turns visiting neurologist Vladimir Demchenko when they have sports injuries, headaches or a jammed neck. Vladimir works in several techniques - he studied osteopathy and manual therapy. In the summer, we conducted a live broadcast with him to find out what osteopathy is, where the negativity comes from and how to find your doctor. This post was written based on this conversation.
What is osteopathy?
This is alternative medicine, a method of treatment using the hands of a chiropractor. The founder of osteopathy is Andrew Taylor Steele, an American who became disillusioned with traditional medicine. He decided to try to treat the human body from a mechanical point of view: to perceive it as a mechanism in which something that does not work well can be repaired.
What is the difference between an osteopath and a chiropractor?
The main thing you need to understand is that manual therapy is medicine. Doctors work according to proven schemes. Each manipulation undergoes clinical trials, they take 10-20 thousand people with some problem, they are given the same technique, they are researched, and scientific papers are written.
Osteopathy throughout the world (except Russia) is not considered medicine. This is a mix of manual therapy and various philosophical, mystical, esoteric, and religious movements. It is relatively easy to train to become an osteopath. For example, in the USA you can go to college after school and after 4 years become a Doctor of Osteopathy. But this status has nothing in common with Medical Doctor. These people are not even considered medical personnel.
However, in Russia osteopathy is considered medicine. Therefore, only a person with a medical education can learn it.
Secondly, there are differences in the methods of influence: manual therapy (especially Russian) involves rigid reductions. Osteopathy - soft. That's why some people are afraid of chiropractors who work harshly and go to osteopaths.
What does a chiropractor treat and what does an osteopath treat?
A chiropractor is a doctor who treats the musculoskeletal system: osteochondrosis, back pain, muscle and bone pain, discomfort in any part of the spine, pain after injury, flat feet, headaches if they are caused by disorders in the cervical spine. An osteopath treats both the musculoskeletal system and internal organs. For example, spasms in the intestines, liver and gall bladder.
Both osteopathy and manual therapy differ from massage in that the doctor acts not only on the muscles, but also on the bones, ligaments and spine.
Why is osteopathy not considered medicine?
There are no serious clinical studies on it. It’s very funny to read conventionally scientific osteopathic magazines: articles from a series of ten people threw their hands behind their heads, and their energy began to flow.
In addition, there are many schools in osteopathy (128 in France alone). Each school invents its own techniques, and each osteopath ultimately works in his own way. Guruism is very developed in this area - what the founder of the school said is true. There are osteopaths who go into esotericism, all sorts of energy flows, filtration of consciousness, conversation with tissues...
This is not the case in manual therapy - treatment follows a clear, long-studied scheme. When I went to study osteopathy, I heard a lot of stuff: “clear your mind, let your hands do what they want...”. And immediately after that, very specific things - how to straighten the vertebrae, relax the muscle. Why is that? Yes, because osteopaths are not doctors, they explain their actions through esotericism.
Are the methods of finding a problem between a chiropractor and an osteopath also different?
A chiropractor works like a doctor: he asks what hurts, collects anamnesis, does tests, finds a biomechanical disorder and works with it. This is a medical model of working with diseases.
An osteopath does not work on the problem. You say you have a headache, but he says he doesn’t care. He is looking for a tightness in the body. When it finds and removes it, the body will self-adjust and it will recover. Because this clamp pulls everything onto itself, and problems arise in weak spots.
It’s interesting that often both methods reach the same point of tension in the body.
So osteopathy still works? (Is osteopathy quackery or not?)
When an osteopath is good, he works. If you remove all the esotericism from osteopathy, manual therapy will remain. When I took the exam in osteopathy, I had to show all the reductions that chiropractors use. And upon graduation, I was given two diplomas - a chiropractor and a doctor of osteopathy. But I consider myself a manualist, because I believe in logic and scientific research, and I consider all kinds of energy flows to be nonsense.
What do “soft” and “hard” techniques mean?
The impacts differ in the physical strength of the impact. The chiropractor must be strong, otherwise he simply cannot do anything. In Russian manual therapy there are a lot of harsh manipulations - when you have to forcefully pull, press, straighten, twist the patient. Naturally, many begin to fear such doctors.
“Soft” techniques are almost the same, but more smoothly and without sudden movements.
Why is osteopathy popular?
Because there are a lot of people who believe in esotericism and other mysticism. You can generally work with such people at the level of suggestion.
Another point is that osteopaths often contrast themselves and their work with doctors and traditional medicine. Doctors are soulless people who don’t care about your problems. And an osteopath is a family friend who feels what’s wrong with you on an energetic level, can look into past lives and all that stuff.
On the other hand, for the same reason many do not trust them. Because there are many illiterate specialists who cover up their lack of knowledge and skills with mystical practices.
Is it impossible to understand what is wrong in the body using traditional diagnostic methods?
Modern techniques (ultrasound, MRI, etc.) have little correlation with diagnoses. Orthopedists look at MRI, but they need to look at biomechanics. Do biomechanical tests - squatting on one leg, flexion-extension of joints, pressing pressure points. This helps you understand what really hurts. This looks strange, but is quite logical from a medical point of view. Because a lot of abnormalities that are visible on an MRI may have nothing to do with it at all. It turns out that you need to stretch a muscle or fix a bone.
That is, the results of tests and examinations do not need to be brought to the appointment?
No, a classic osteopath shouldn’t even ask what’s bothering you. Usually he applies his hands and looks at the density and mobility of tissues, finds the main tension in the body and relieves it. All. The rest will improve along the chain. People are sent for examinations only if the pain is the result of an injury.
What is a good osteopath?
First of all, he has heightened sensitivity in his hands. When I was in osteopathic school, I felt like wood. The teacher would place his hands on the patient and say “the liver is blocked.” And I laid it down and felt the skin. This is a matter of long practice. And some will learn, some won’t, but everyone will go to work.
Personally, I don’t feel any energy flows, I feel compactions and clamps.
A chiropractor can also be bad, but this is more difficult, because in manual therapy everything is clearly stated, what to do, and there is logic. And osteopathy is more of an art.
How do you understand that you can go to an osteopath?
If you choose among osteopaths, I recommend:
- Read social networks - what a person writes. If you see stories about energy flows and the like, you shouldn't go.
- It is desirable that the experience be at least 5 years, and it is desirable that the specialist work as a teacher.
- It would be good if he were a doctor to distinguish medical dysfunction from that which can be corrected on his own.
- Prices: it is dangerous to go to cheap osteopaths and those who charge more than 6 thousand per hour. The first ones are most likely inexperienced. The second ones are good, but they unreasonably inflate the price.
- There must be an appointment - there is usually a queue for good specialists, and you cannot get to them at any time.
How many sessions does a good osteopath need?
I think that if I didn’t help you two times, then I won’t help you anymore. You can miss once (but this is rare). But there are problems that cannot be cured by osteopathy, and I do not take on them. If possible, two or three sessions are enough.
If a specialist (massage therapist, osteopath, chiropractor) says that 10 sessions are needed, this is suspicious. It is impossible to predict how the symptoms will behave. If she behaves “as she should,” then three times is usually enough.
Many people expect that they will be cured and will not have to return to this doctor. However, you always have a complete record. It turns out that everyone is coming back?
There are chronic dysfunctions and there are situational ones. Second: picked up something sharp, fell, etc. - it is usually easily cured and there are no relapses. And chronic ones are when after correction you need to do physical exercise. Ideal work with the musculoskeletal system: get it corrected by a doctor and begin to strengthen what has been corrected. Therefore, the sequence is as follows: relieve pain and improve mobility (usually from 1 to 3 sessions), and then a set of exercises is developed that need to be done. They come back because they don’t do anything at home.
Should I have an MRI or X-ray of my spine before my appointment?
Usually not. MRI is needed for particularly complex cases, when the question is whether to have surgery or not.
Is it possible to damage a hernia during manual therapy?
Stupidly, anything is possible. But a hernia has clinical signs and there is a whole set of rules on how to work with them.
At what age can children see an osteopath?
Since the technique is very gentle, and there is a separate direction of pediatric osteopathy, it is possible from any age. But to the specialist who deals with children. You can immediately after birth to see if all the bones are in place, if the bones of the skull move well.
Pediatric osteopaths are criticized because they like to do this. A mother comes with a child who has a problem. He put his hands down and said: I launched the processes, and they will develop within three months. Come back in 3 months and we’ll see. So much can happen to a small child in three months! It turns out this trick: after three months everything went away - the osteopath is great, but if it doesn’t go away - well, that’s it.
Therefore, I work with patients in such a way that after 1 session, at least 30% of their symptoms go away. If 30% doesn’t go away, I’m not doing well or it can’t be cured by hand. For example, the problem is that the head cannot turn. If after therapy she does not begin to turn to a certain level, you have not affected the problem.
Vladimir Demchenko works at the Dynamika clinic
Tel.
WHICH SPECIALIST TO CONTACT
The choice of specialist depends on the reason for the request. First, you should evaluate the disturbing symptoms and consult with a neurologist, traumatologist or therapist. The most important thing is to entrust your body to a specialist who has a medical education and specialized specialization. Only a competent doctor can provide assistance and eliminate the symptoms or causes of the disease. A person who does not have the necessary knowledge and skills can cause irreparable harm.
If you are looking for an osteopath in Naberezhnye Chelny, contact the Center for Restorative Medicine. Here you will receive qualified assistance from a doctor specializing in the treatment of patients of different groups, including children, pregnant women, athletes, and the elderly. Manual therapy in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny has gained wide popularity thanks to the professionals of the Center. Our patients note a lasting therapeutic effect after a course of treatment consisting of several sessions. All necessary information can be obtained on the website or clarified by phone.
Manual medicine
Manual medicine helps with diseases of the musculoskeletal system and involves working with the patient’s body exclusively with the help of hands, without any additional interventions in the body. The word "manual" comes from the Latin word manus
- hand. That is, literally translated, “manual therapy” is treatment with hands.
Manual medicine combines various methods of manual, mechanical influence on bone structures and tissues of the body. This includes manual therapy, osteopathy, so-called chiropractic care, and even massages. Each of the directions has its own characteristics, areas of influence and degree of depth of elaboration.
What does manual medicine treat:
- pain in the neck, back, lower back and between the shoulder blades;
- headache;
- protrusion;
- intervertebral hernia;
- arthrosis;
- arthritis;
- scoliosis and poor posture;
- osteochondrosis;
- flat feet and crooked feet;
- dizziness, tinnitus, etc.
Manual medicine also helps to recover from injuries and operations, remove tension in the body and stiffness of movement, and also get rid of fears and anxiety on an emotional level.
Osteopath
The main difference and advantage of osteopaths from other representatives of manual medicine is a comprehensive assessment of the body’s condition. An osteopath looks for the cause of the pathology that led to the development of the disease and treats it first. This approach allows for high-quality diagnosis and treatment even in complex and confusing cases of disease.
A specialist in this field works with bone, muscle and nerve structures, as well as internal organs. Osteopaths are convinced that disruption of one of the body systems has a negative impact on other systems. For example, diseases of internal organs are often associated with disorders of the structure of the spine to which they are attached. In this case, the specialist first works with the segments of the spine and then restores the functions of the organs.
Recommendations after visiting an osteopath
After the procedure, the patient may experience slight dizziness - this is normal. The massage given to the patient by an osteopath improves blood supply to the brain and spinal cord and stabilizes lymph flow. Therefore, you should not make sudden movements or immediately get behind the wheel. In some cases, after the first session, an exacerbation of the disease may occur - no need to worry, this is also normal. Just let your specialist know at your next appointment.
In addition, doctors do not recommend playing sports in the first 2-3 days after the session, or experiencing excessive emotional stress. You should also not do a massage, so as not to disrupt the effect achieved during treatment by an osteopath.
What does an osteopath treat in adults?
Diagnostic methods allow you to find, literally and figuratively, problem areas and disturbances in the functioning of internal systems that affect the condition of the entire body. During the appointment, the osteopath recognizes and eliminates:
- malfunction of the lymphatic system and blood circulation;
- muscle tension and spasms;
- metabolic problems;
- hormonal disorders;
- displacement of internal organs;
- problems with the spine and nervous system.
All of these disorders ultimately lead to the appearance of diseases, many of which become chronic. During the session, working through such disorders allows the osteopath to successfully treat the following diseases:
- gynecological (infertility, fibroids, endometriosis, inflammation of the appendages, adnexitis, menstrual irregularities, etc.);
- pain in the heart area, headaches, dizziness as a result of pathological changes in various parts of the spine;
- pathologies of the heart and blood vessels (arrhythmia, heart failure, varicose veins, tachycardia);
- diseases of the musculoskeletal system (osteochondrosis, curvature of the spine, arthrosis and arthritis);
- genitourinary diseases (prostatitis, pyelonephritis, cystitis, etc.);
- pathologies of the ENT organs (sinusitis, laryngitis, enlarged adenoids, etc.);
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (irritable bowel syndrome, pancreatitis, diarrhea, etc.);
- nervous disorders and diseases of the nervous system.
Chiropractor
But chiropractor is just a popular term. This is the common name for chiropractors who work with human bone structures - using special techniques they “set” them, that is, return them to their usual anatomical position. Hence the name. In the past, chiropractic care was also called chiropractic.
Such therapists are convinced that many problems in the body arise due to blocked mobility of the vertebrae and joints. Specialists in this area are consulted mainly in the acute phase - when severe pain and/or loss of mobility occurs.
The term “chiropractor” is not official and is used only colloquially.
Manual therapy
This technique includes very specific techniques - mobilization, traction, rotation (twisting), post-isometric relaxation. The doctor’s efforts are aimed at the vertebrae, joints, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and muscles.
When treating the spine, traction is most often used - gentle traction. The therapist stretches the spine, pushing the vertebrae apart. By increasing the gaps between them, it releases the nerve roots that were pinched by their processes.
Before performing traction, the therapist must be sure that he is dealing with osteochondrosis or disc protrusion. Therefore, first of all, he will send the patient for an MRI. If the tomogram shows the presence of a sequestered hernia or spinal cord stenosis, manual therapy cannot be used.
Manual therapy is indicated for anatomical disorders, spinal deformities, muscle spasms, pinched nerves and blood vessels. By applying force, the doctor not only releases pinched nerve and vascular structures, but also increases the range of motion in the joints, spine (lower back, neck), and restores free muscle contractions.
Before the session, it is necessary to relieve muscle spasms to ensure mobility of bone structures. Otherwise, manual therapy can end very badly, leading to complications, including vertebral fractures, ligament ruptures or other spinal injuries.
Before using power techniques, the doctor at the Tibet clinic must warm up the muscles, eliminate spasms and unblock the spine. This guarantees not only the effectiveness, but also the safety of treatment in our clinic.
Unfortunately, not all clinics and not always chiropractors comply with this mandatory condition, which explains the negative reviews or doubts about the safety of this type of treatment.
What does an osteopath do during an appointment?
After examination and finding out the causes of the ailment, the specialist begins treatment. In his work, a doctor can use more than 1000 techniques, as well as combine various methods - all this is aimed not only at treating a specific pathology, but also at restoring the entire body as a whole.
Before visiting a specialist, many patients do not know how to dress for an appointment with an osteopath. Most clinics advise taking comfortable knitted clothing with you that will not impede movement. For example, a sports T-shirt and pants, clean socks. For babies, I recommend taking changeable diapers and a bottle of water. Doctors strongly recommend not using perfume before visiting the clinic, but it is best to take a shower.