Osteopathy for pain management as an alternative to traditional medicine was first recognized by Andrew Taylor as effective.
Taylor first coined the term Osteopathy and Osteopathic medicine 1828. Later he founded the American school of Osteopathy,
What evidence is there to support the Osteopathy’s effectiveness for pain management?
In 2016 an increased interest and use of Osteopathy as a form of treatment triggered the need for a report carried out by NCOR the national council for Osteopathy Research to assess the validity of Osteopathy as an alternative to traditional medical methods. Osteopathy has been recognized in the UK as a medical treatment since 1993. By 2016 it was stated that 13% of the British public has used Osteopathy as a form of Manual therapy via the NHS or private practice. https://www.ncor.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Osteopathic-summary-May-2016.pdf
The report found the Osteopathy’s effectiveness for pain management undeniable.
The Clinical standards Advisory Group (CSAG) formally stated that Osteopathy treatments are recommended “within the first six weeks of the occurrence of symptoms for patients who need additional help with pain relief or who are failing to return to normal activities”.
These recommendations are echoed and supported by The European back pain guidelines www.backpaineurope.org by issuing the following statements in their guidelines.
“Consideration of referral for spinal manipulation for patients with acute low back pain who are failing to return to normal activities” and “Short courses of manipulation/mobilization can also be considered for chronic low back pain patients”
Both organizations support Osteopathy and concur its effectiveness at the beginning of recovery and when other rehabilitation techniques have proven unsuccessful.
Lack of Funding
Due to the lack of funding the evidence for Osteopathy’s effectiveness for pain management is limited. There are studies being carried out regarding the effectiveness of Osteopathy in other pathologies as Sciatica.
Like the UK, Osteopathy is also becoming more popular in Spain, especially Barcelona and other larger cities. However, it does not have the recognition that is has in many European countries such as the UK, France and German.
For more information regarding our Structural Osteopathy sessions click here or better still give us a call on 644316850 for a free phone consultation to find out more about Osteopathy for pain management. If you have seen an Osteopath and now what to expect and want to book an Osteopathy session please click here.
Please note that your first Osteopathy session will be longer than normal, approx. 60 minutes to allow us to get the best understanding of your medical history and the issue in hand.
