Osteopathy

Although Osteopaths treat many conditions, most people think of them as 'Back specialists'. Back pain is what many osteopaths treat a lot of the time though they may also treat any part of the musculo- skeletal system. Osteopathic treatment does not target symptoms only but treats the parts of the body that have caused the symptoms. Osteopaths have a holistic approach and believe that a person's whole body will work well if it is in good structural balance. They use a wide range of techniques including massage, cranial techniques (sometimes referred to as 'cranial osteopathy') and joint mobilization and this breadth of approach allows them to focus on a patient's precise needs. Osteopaths assess and treat people of any age from the elderly to the newborn and from pregnant women to sports people. By law, osteopaths must register with the General Osteopathic Council (GOC). It is an offence for anyone to call themselves an osteopath if they are not registered. The most common conditions that osteopaths work with are: back and neck pain, shoulder and arm problems, pelvis, hip and leg problems and sports and other injuries. However, patients have found osteopathy helpful for many other conditions.