Osteopathy

WHAT DOES OSTEOPATHY TREAT?

Osteopathy treats all kinds of pain originating from the neuromusculoskeletal system.

Osteopaths works on the body's systems, which allows patients to self-regulate and enhance the function of various systems (neuromusculoskeletal, visceral, or cranial) while considering the patient's individual constitution.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF OSTEOPATHY?

Osteopathy helps to alleviate pain primarily stemming from neuro-musculoskeletal issues and to reduce joint tension or stiffness. Moreover, it proves to be an excellent preventive therapy. It is often valued for pregnancy and birth follow-ups.

The benefits of osteopathy:

• Relief from pains of various origins
• Reduction of muscle tension
• Preparing the body for a sporting event to optimize performance
• Preventing pain or injuries by enhancing tissue resilience and mobility
• Relief from pain that appears suddenly or that has been present for several months or even years
• Improvement of joint mobility
• Promoting an individual's return to an active life
• Improvement of general health

WHO IS OSTEOPATHY FOR?

Osteopathy is recommended at all times, for all ages, including infants and pregnant women, for prevention or as curative treatment.

Osteopathy proves to be very useful following a car accident (SAAQ), a work-related accident (CNESST), a fall, or any other pathology.

• Back pain (dorsalgia, lumbago)
• Neck pain (cervicalgia)
• Sprain (lumbar, thoracic, cervical, and lower/upper limbs)
• Sciatica
• Upper limb pain (shoulders, elbows, hands)
• Pain in the lower limbs (hips, knees, ankles, and feet)
• Tendinitis
• Bursitis
• Capsulitis
• Baby (colic, torticollis, plagiocephaly, insomnia, regurgitation, unexplained crying, etc.)
• Ear/sinus infections
• Pregnancy follow-ups
• Pubalgia, genital pain
• Digestive issue (gas, bloating, diarrhea, acid reflux)
• Jaw problem (temporomandibular joint - TMJ)
• Stiff neck
• Headaches (cephalalgia, migraines)
• Fracture (healed)

WHEN TO CONSULT FOR AN OSTEOPATHY APPOINTMENT? FOR WHICH SYMPTOMS SHOULD ONE CONSULT AN OSTEOPATH?

The main reason to see an osteopath is pain.
If your discomfort has lasted for more than 2 weeks or worsens after an event, it's time to consult.

A quick intervention often makes it possible to resolve the issue more easily and prevent the pain from spreading to other areas of the body due to compensatory movements.

How often should it be consulted?

For a sedentary job

If you primarily work seated (e.g., at a desk), an annual check-up is recommended. This helps to prevent the onset of pain associated with posture or immobility.

For physical work

If your job requires repetitive movements or intense activities (e.g., construction, first responders, athletes), monthly consultations can help maintain good body balance and prevent injuries.

A simple analogy: the body and the car

We like to compare preventive osteopathy to the maintenance of a car.
We regularly take our car to the garage to avoid breakdowns. Why not do the same with our body?

Too often, patients wait too long to consult and their pain becomes acute and they experience:

• Back pain
• Inability to get out of bed
• Difficulty working or performing daily tasks

Prevention is better than cure

The more your body is put to work, the more it needs regular care.
Just like a car that drives 20,000 km a year requires more maintenance than one that drives 5,000 km.

But unlike a car, we only have one body, and its parts are not replaceable.

In summary

You can consult an osteopath:

• After a injury or a trauma
• To prevent the onset of pain
• If pain or discomfort persists beyond 2 weeks

HOW DOES AN OSTEOPATHY SESSION PROCEED?

Osteopathy is defined as a primary professional intervention and involves several stages.

First step: determine the direction of one's approach

First of all, the osteopath must understand the reason for your consultation and what your goals are, in order to define the direction of the treatment.

Second step: the evaluation

Afterwards, the osteopath will fill out a comprehensive questionnaire about your current health status, which will allow them to get an overall picture and rule out any medical emergency or refer you to another professional if necessary. The osteopath will want to check your history (surgical, traumatic, or previous pathologies) that may be related to the reason for your consultation.

Third step: identify the problem

Next, they will perform an osteopathic assessment of tissue mobility and physiological rhythms. This will help to target a problematic area for treatment to alleviate your symptoms and then address the issue at its source.

Before leaving…

In this same session, we will proceed with a treatment established according to osteopathic methodology. The therapist will provide you with lifestyle advice and appropriate exercises, in order to consolidate the results of the treatment and prevent long-term recurrence.

WHY CHOOSE OSTEOPATHY OVER PHYSIOTHERAPY?

Both disciplines fall within the field of manual therapies.

Physical therapy aims to assess muscular imbalances (joint and neurological) and thus ensures the strengthening and stability of the body through specific exercises and manual therapies.

As for osteopathy, it adopts a more holistic philosophy of the body. In this way, the therapist seeks the underlying cause of the issue, which is not always local. The goal is to restore as much mobility as possible in the body's structures and to reduce muscle tension.

All things considered, both therapies prove to be effective. Moreover, it is not uncommon for professionals to work in a multidisciplinary collaboration to help the patient recover as quickly and as effectively as possible.