Whilst flicking through his weekly copy of Woman’s Day today, Paul stumbled across this article (page 50) on “Busting the Osteopathic Myths”. The article is part of National Osteopathy Awareness Week and makes for quite interesting reading and addresses a few of the many misconceptions about osteopathy.
If you can’t get hold of a copy (or don’t want to be seen reading one!), then in short they are:
- Osteopathy is all about backs. We can treat any joint in the body (be that for “wear and tear”, sports injuries or overuse injuries) and can also help with breathing or digestive disorders, as well as treating babies for conditions such as colic or “glue ear”.
- Osteopathy is all about bones. We can treat viscerally as well as musculoskeletally. The latter is more common and encompasses muscles, tendons and ligaments, which can affect blood vessels and nerves, which in turn affect your general health and feeling of well-being.
- Appointments with an osteopath need referrals from a GP. Patients can come to see an osteopath direct. As registered ACC providers, we can also initiate an ACC claim as well as treat an ACC injury.
- Osteopaths manipulate bones so they “crack”. Sounds painful! The “crack” or “pop” heard during treatment occurs when tiny bubbles of gas are released when adjusting a joint (not the bone itself!) to release a restriction.
- Cranial osteopathy is really Reiki. Reiki is an ancient Japanese art of natural healing; cranial osteopathy is used to release tension between the cranial bones and is particularly useful when treating babies, whose cranial bones are still very mobile compared to an adults.
If you have any questions about any of the above or osteopathy in general, then do not hesitate to contact us via email, on the phone 035784434 or by popping into the clinic at 162 Scott Street.