Osteopathy how does it work

This can make it harder for the body to function adequately, and reduce the ability to cope with pain. Osteopathy has been shown to reduce sleeplessness and insomnia resulting from chronic pain.

Studies have shown that osteopathic treatment can reduce sleep apnea in infants under 4 months old, but further research is needed to confirm this. Osteopathic treatments can positively impact the nervous, circulatory, and lymphatic systems, to improve body function and overall health.

Some osteopathic techniques may enhance lymphatic health and bring about internal improvements in the body without needing invasive surgical treatment. As with all treatments, osteopathy can involve some risks.

After treatment, it is common for a patient to feel stiff, rather like after exercising, for 24 to 48 hours. Some patients may have a headache for a short while.

Older patients may experience less common side effects, include severe pain, rib fracture in patients with osteoporosis , numbness, and tingling. These include stroke , prolapsed disk, pain radiating to a limb, nerve damage, muscle weakness, and bladder or bowel problems. Acromioplasty is a surgical option for a torn rotator cuff or shoulder impingement. Learn more about the procedure, recovery time, and potential…. Knee arthroscopy is a surgical procedure.

A surgeon inserts a tool called an arthroscope through a small incision. Using this scope and the camera…. Mouse study furthers idea that manipulating resident stem cells could help patients with TMJ disorders and other fibrocartilage diseases or injuries. Everything you need to know about osteopathy. Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph. What is osteopathy? Uses What to expect Benefits Risks Osteopathy is a drug-free, non-invasive manual therapy that aims to improve health across all body systems by manipulating and strengthening the musculoskeletal framework.

Share on Pinterest Osteopathy includes manipulation or joints to treat whole systems of the body. What to expect. Share on Pinterest Osteopathy can help a person sleep when chronic pain has been causing insomnia. Some of these techniques may overlap with techniques used by a chiropractor such as spinal manipulation or a physiotherapist such as stretching. But as a practice osteopathy is considered distinct from other health care professions. Pockets of research examining osteopathic care have been conducted over the last 20 years, but there are still more questions than answers about its safety and effectiveness.

Read more: Myotherapy: panacea or placebo? I recently led a study into the existing research examining care delivered by an osteopath compared with other treatment options. The research suggested variable benefits to people receiving osteopathic treatment, depending on the condition being examined.

For this study, the regular medical approach included analgesic or anti-inflammatory medication, active physical therapy, hot or cold packs and structural support. In another study a few years later, people experiencing back pain reported an improvement in their symptoms when compared to people receiving no treatment, but not really any benefit compared to individuals receiving sham osteopathy.

A third study on back pain compared osteopathy to physiotherapy either as physiotherapist-led group exercise or one-on-one physiotherapy and found similar outcomes in all three groups.

The sum of these studies suggests osteopathy is just as effective or ineffective as standard medical care or physiotherapy in treating chronic back pain, but may be able to reduce use of pain medication. Read more: Chiropractic therapy: placebo or panacea? If you're pregnant, make sure you seek advice from a GP or midwife about your symptoms before you see an osteopath. You should also make sure you see an osteopath who specialises in muscle or joint pain during pregnancy.

Most research into techniques used in osteopathy tends to focus on general "manual therapy" techniques, such as spinal manipulation. Manual therapy techniques are used by physiotherapists and chiropractors, as well as osteopaths.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence NICE guidelines on managing lower back pain and sciatica recommend manual therapy alongside exercise as a treatment option. NICE also recommends manual therapy as a possible treatment option for osteoarthritis, although osteopathy is not specifically mentioned.

There's some evidence to suggest that osteopathy may be effective for some types of neck, shoulder or lower-limb pain, some types of headache, and recovery after hip or knee operations. There's only limited or no scientific evidence that it's an effective treatment for conditions unrelated to the bones and muscles musculoskeletal system , including:.

Osteopathy is available in some areas on the NHS.