Difference between an Osteopath and a Physiotherapist?
Osteopaths are trained to diagnose and provide hands-on treatment, which they do all day long. For Physiotherapists it is an, “add-on”. Osteopaths see one patient at a time and plan their treatment for the individual. Our Osteopaths do not give the same exercises, for example, to all their patients with back problems. Most Physiotherapists tend to have exercise sheets which they give to all their patients, regardless of their size, shape, posture and lifestyle. Our Osteopaths look at all these factors and give you exercises custom made for your body.
Osteopaths look at the whole patient and treat the cause of the problem, not just the symptoms. Physiotherapist training tends to focus on hospital-based work, giving them an expertise in the areas of rehabilitation following severe trauma, stroke and post surgery. Osteopaths excel in treating functional disorders of the musculoskeletal system using a variety of treatments.
Generally, Physiotherapy treatment tends to focus on the locality of the pain, rather than the underlying cause. The Sports Injuries Specialist – Registered Osteopath treats both the locality and the underlying cause of the problem.
Some Physiotherapists go on to learn manual techniques at postgraduate level, whereas Osteopaths begin to learn these techniques from day one of their undergraduate training, enabling them to carry out these techniques with minimal force. Osteopaths are experts of the musculoskeletal system. In addition, Osteopaths are trained to diagnose problems. They are especially helpful where problems have arisen from posture, trauma, sport or daily life-style.
Physiotherapists will also use manipulation, but this is undertaken as a short post-graduate course. Osteopaths have the benefit of 4-5 years of manipulation tuition.
Dr. Steven Sandler, (Osteopath) believes that there are 3 major differences between the two professions. To start with, “there are massive differences in the way the two professions are taught. Physiotherapists undertake a 3 to 4 year course in order to be able to treat a number of musculoskeletal conditions, they are a profession supplementary to medicine (P.S.M). What this means is that they are not expected to fully understand the pathology of disease, but are expected to know how to treat it”.
By contrast, “an Osteopath undertakes a 4 to 5 year course in order to become a primary healthcare practitioner. This means that they are not only expected to understand the pathology of disease they are also expected to recognise undiagnosed pathology and refer on if necessary. Physiotherapists are trained to evaluate, osteopaths to are trained to diagnose”.
The second difference is technique and variety of technique. Dr. Sandler states that, “Physiotherapists have an overall training in a vast number of techniques”, which runs the risk of them becoming, “jack of all trades and master of none.” They become experts in the application of therapeutic machinery, such as ultrasound, aquatherapy and pain management. They receive very good tuition in exercise therapy but very little tuition in actual, “hands-on” therapy”. By contrast, Osteopaths undertake 4 -5 years and 2,000 hours of touch therapy, they become “experts in palpation and manipulation”, whilst expertly knowing when and how to use therapeutic machinery.
One final and fundamental difference between Osteopathy and Physiotherapy is the consideration of:
Why this person?
Why this tissue?
Why now?
A Physiotherapist may not even consider these questions yet they are fundamental to Osteopathic philosophy.
Treatment: Harrow Osteopath, Wembley Osteopath, Chelsea Osteopath – The Sports Injuries Specialist – Registered Osteopath. Regulated: Harrow Osteopath, Wembley Osteopath, Chelsea Osteopath – The Sports Injuries Specialist – Registered Osteopath. How neck pain_back pain_ lower back pain_sciatica is treated at Harrow Osteopaths, Wembley Osteopaths, Chelsea Osteopaths by The Sports Injuries Specialist – Registered Osteopath.
If you are in Extreme Pain or are suffering, then call the Sports Injuries Specialist – Registered Osteopath for proven results immediately:
ZAHIR CHAUDHARY, BA (Hons), BSc (Hons), ND, M Ost.Med
EMAIL: emergencyosteopath@gmail.com
CONTACT: 0208 423 6209; 079 2100 4705
WEB: https://www.sportsinjuriesspecialist.co.uk
CHELSEA OSTEOPATHS, 208 FULHAM ROAD, CHELSEA, LONDON. SW10 9PJ.
HARROW OSTEOPATHS, 9 LITTLETON ROAD, HARROW, MIDDLESEX. HA0 3SY.
DAVID LLOYD SUDBURY HILL, GREENFORD ROAD, EALING. UB6 0HX.
WEMBLEY OSTEOPATHS, 31 NORVAL ROAD, NORTH WEMBLEY, MIDDLESEX. HA0 3TD.
FITNESS FIRST OSTEOPATHS, 197 EALING ROAD, THE ATLIP CENTRE, ALPERTON, WEMBLEY, MIDDLESEX. HA0 4LW.
