osteopath

Osteopathy is a field of alternative medicine. Of the osteopath In contrast to conventional medicine, does not only focus on the individual symptoms of the disease. For him, the whole person with his or her personality and history plays an important role. A good osteopath is able to mobilize the patient's self-healing powers.

What is an osteopath?

A study from 2014 tries to prove that osteopathy can be helpful for back pain.She concluded that osteopathic treatments not only effectively reduce back pain, but also improve physical skills.

Many who have lost faith in conventional medicine turn to alternative medicine like one Osteopaths to, for whom the whole person and not just individual disease symptoms are the focus.

The osteopath only uses his trained hands to reveal disorders and blockages within the organism, which can be resolved using certain gentle osteopathic techniques. Interested parties can now learn the profession of osteopath through a demanding five-year full course followed by an internship. The focus of this training is primarily on comprehensive anatomical knowledge, osteopathic diagnostics and learning osteopathic therapy methods.

The future osteopath becomes familiar with various areas. The relationship between the nervous and fluid systems, the importance of the internal organs in connection with the entire organism and the structures of the musculoskeletal system are made clear to him. Everything is interrelated, everything has to flow smoothly so that people can be healthy. A good osteopath awakens the self-healing powers of the patient, he releases the disturbing blockages.

Treatments & therapies

Since the osteopath Seeing the whole person in front of you, the focus is not only on the skeleton, muscles and ligaments. No, in osteopathy the interaction with the blood and lymph fluids as well as the function of the entire nervous system are decisive.

That means that the whole tissue, all body cells are connected to each other. Disturbances and blockages within one part of the organism have the same effect on other organs. Therefore the osteopath feels responsible for all dysfunction of the body. Osteopaths achieve treatment successes particularly with chronic pain in the musculoskeletal system, for example with shoulder-arm syndrome, with so-called tennis elbow, with knee problems and with poor posture.

The osteopath also helps with chronic headaches and tinnitus, migraines and chronic dizziness. Even an irritable bladder and an irritable bowel can be treated using the techniques of osteopathy. Visceral osteopathy is also helpful for chronic digestive problems, menstrual cramps, asthma and functional heart diseases and also for poorly healing wounds.

The prerequisite is the mobilization of the self-healing powers. A responsible osteopath, however, refers people who suffer from inflammatory diseases, serious acute diseases such as a stroke and patients with cancer to specialists in conventional medicine.

Diagnosis & examination methods

Osteopathy in the context of osteoarthritis of the knee. Click to enlarge.

When a patient visits an osteopathic practice, he does not have to put himself into the hands of technical devices. Of the osteopath first takes a very detailed anamnesis. This means that the patient is not only asked about their previous illnesses, but should also inform the therapist about important stages in their life.

Mental disorders may have manifested themselves here, which are expressed through physical illnesses. The osteopath is not only considered to be a doctor, but also a psychotherapist. After taking the anamnesis, a thorough examination is carried out. The osteopath carefully palpates the entire body. He examines the tissue, the bone structure as well as the muscles and tendons.

Since no electrocardiogram, X-ray or ultrasound equipment is used in osteopathy, the osteopath is solely dependent on his hands. Through this sensitive examination method, he senses mobility and functional disorders that require treatment, which are also eliminated manually. The osteopath releases blockages, removes physical and psychological tension and activates the patient's self-healing powers.

What should the patient pay attention to?

That the diagnostic and therapeutic methods of one Osteopaths are quite successful, proves the assumption of the cost of the treatment not only by private health insurance, but now also to a certain extent by statutory health insurance companies.

In order for the patient to choose a capable osteopath, he should convince himself that the osteopath has completed a qualified, long-term training. Unfortunately, since the profession of osteopath is not yet protected, the interested patient often falls for black sheep.

The osteopath, however, who has joined the Federal Osteopathy Working Group (BAO), has extensive training and a corresponding examination.