It is most likely you already know what a physiotherapist does… not a lot! (shout out to my physiotherapist cousin Adam 😜) How’s that sheet of exercises working out for you? Reports from patients, particularly following Covid-19, is often a complete frustration at the lack of hands on treatment that they were given following an injury.
But you already knew that, and that’s why you’re most likely here to try and figure out if osteopathy or chiropractic is the right discipline for you. Luckily, I spent the last two years working out of a chiropractic clinic so I should be the right man to educate you.
The Similarities
Most osteopaths and chiropractors have a similar approach to treatment. Like politics both parties have their extremes who are a little more out there with their ideologies and treatments and would struggle to look one another in the eye and agree on which discipline is best, but the majority within both professions share a lot of common ground.
Both disciplines treat musculoskeletal conditions (joint, muscular, ligamentous) and degenerative conditions (arthritis, disc herniation) using hands-on manual therapy. Both have an influence on the nervous system and bloody supply and therefore may impact conditions such as asthma, stress, digestive disorders, period pain, migraines and much more.
The Differences
There are subtle differences between the two though. Chiropractors tend to focus more on movement in their treatments with adjustments of their spine being their primary means of relieving pain and preventing any compromise to the nervous system. These sessions are relatively short, and usually a greater number of sessions are required.
Osteopaths assess the musculoskeletal system as a whole and help improve its function by correcting overall posture and alignment. Osteopaths tend to use a greater variety of techniques to influence the body’s own innate healing system. This method leads the practitioner to spend more time with their patients per visit, as their approach is broader, and the time between treatments tends to space out to be over a longer period of time.
