People often say that osteopathic treatment is a more holistic therapy than others but what does that actually mean? To make an effective osteopathic assessment and treatment, we first must take a global view of the symptoms presented by the client. 

Let’s take a look at the very common example of posture related neck or shoulder pain. At our clinic in Chatswood, a major proportion of people who walk through our doors talk about this either as the main presenting complaint or it being a recurrent or persistent symptom often experienced

When we go through an initial consultation, osteopaths will ask an array of different questions with the aim of identifying not only muscle groups, joints and connective tissues that may be the source of pain but also the lifestyle habits, work postures and stresses that when combined will produce a full picture of the client’s symptoms. This means that while short term treatment will aim to focus on symptomatic relief, the long-term focus will be on ways to change stresses and loads on these tissues. This often involves education on ergonomic workstation set up, sitting or sleeping patterns, over or under exercising routines or may involve more in-depth analysis of sport or lifestyle specific negative loading patterns. 

A thorough assessment and discussion with an osteopath can give you great insight into how regular aches and pains may be a result of the way you use (or don’t use) your body.