What is an Osteopath?

About Osteopaths

Osteopaths are healthcare providers who practice Osteopathy, which is a type of alternative medicine that focuses on improving the overall general health of the body. At the core of Osteopathy, it is believed that every part of the body is connected and by manipulating a particular section of the body, self-healing can be promoted.

An Osteopath takes more holistic approaches and focuses on the patient's entire body. Osteopathy is a manual treatment which means the provider will use a wide range of techniques that provides non-invasive physical manipulations with the aim to return the body to normal health, so it can self-heal and self-regulate. Palpation techniques - using varying degrees of pressure by hands - are also used when examining the patient's body to identify individual body structure and any weak points which allows for individualized treatments for each patient.

Osteopathy can be an effective option to treat many different conditions such as, but not limited to, back pains, arthritis, sports-related injuries, bad postures, respiratory and digestive problems. Osteopathic therapy can also be used as a complementary therapy alongside conventional medicine.

Osteopaths are also trained to identify when patients may need to be referred to other healthcare providers or for further tests to help with diagnosis.

Useful Resources

Canada

Canadian Federation of Osteopaths

Newfoundland and Labrador

New Brunswick

Nova Scotia