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Institut des Hautes Etudes Ostéopathiques
Orvault, France |
How does an osteopath work?
Osteopaths do not use drugs or any other invasive treatments. Instead, their skill lies in their highly trained sense of touch, which enables their hands to diagnose and treat the underlying causes of pain.
If problems arise in the musculo-skeletal system (bones, joint capsules, muscles, connective tissues etc.), whether through injury, poor posture, stress, strain or disease, then the body's nerve impulses and circulatory mechanisms can be affected and problems will result. The maintenance of proper mechanical function, therefore, is essential to good health but, it must be stressed, osteopaths also consider other possible aspects of disease causation, including emotional, nutritional, bacteriological and developmental factors. Each and every patient is unique and must be viewed as a whole person.As osteopaths do not work in isolation, in certain cases they may refer a patient to another therapist or back to their GP. Differential diagnosis and patient evaluation are an important part of osteopathic training; therefore osteopaths are well equipped to recognise whether their skills are relevant.
