Osteopath and manual therapist: what is the difference between them?

In an unprofessional environment, there is an opinion that an osteopath and a manual therapist are one and the same, that is, these names define the profession of one specialist, only in different words. In fact, the difference exists, and it is based on approaches to the treatment of diseases, the coverage of the impact on the body and the methods used in therapy.

What is manual therapy?

Manual therapy has been known since the time of the ancient Greeks and even then it was considered almost a panacea for many diseases. Latin translation consists of the interpretation of two words "manus" - the hand and "therapeia" - treatment. Those.treatment through professional manipulation of the hands over the patient's body.

The masseur also works with his hands, but his sphere of influence is limited to soft tissues and skin. The manual therapist has a therapeutic effect on the bones, ligaments, joints. The purpose of manipulation is to eliminate violations in the functions of the musculoskeletal system. Traditional medicine includes in manual therapy two sections: diagnostics by the doctor's hands and therapy.

What treats manual therapy?

In Russia, this medical specialty officially appeared in 1997.Patients are attracted to manual therapy by the lack of medications and immediate therapeutic effect.

A professional manual therapist of high qualification, correcting the position of the cervical vertebrae, relieve the patient from fainting, headaches, dizziness, increased intracranial pressure, etc. If the heart pain has come, but the cardiogram does not confirm the problem in the heart muscle, the patient will also need his services. Diagnosed and confirmed scoliosis, will respond to complications in the form of diseases of the lungs and other internal organs. In these and many other cases it is necessary to contact a specialist.

The main condition that a patient must adhere to is diagnosis. However, to get an appointment with a professional doctor of manual therapy is possible only in the direction of another specialist and after carrying out a complex of studies that exclude a whole range of internal diseases.

Features of manual therapy

The main goal of manual therapy is the elimination of symptoms and changed functions to normalize the joint in its entirety. The means for achieving the result is a developed system of manipulations by hands, aimed at eliminating and correcting the manifestations of pathologies in the joints, muscles, spine or ligaments.

From the practical point of view, the work of a manual therapist can to some extent ignore the degree of change of any organ. He pays maximum attention to identifying the existing reserve of movement in any structural pathology of the joint, ligaments. That is, the manual therapist does not treat osteochondrosis, arthrosis and other diseases, but only stimulates and adjusts the work of all involved in the movement of the body structures to a normal rhythm in changed conditions.

Indications for therapy

Manual therapy is used in such cases:

• The first stage of osteochondrosis with aggravation of pain syndrome - lumbulgia, cervicalgia, lumbago, thoracalgia( symptoms of functional blockade of the spine in the neck region).
• The second and third stages of osteochondrosis, accompanied by a displacement of the vertebrae. Most often it is observed in the cervical and lumbar spine( humeroscapular periarthritis, knee periarthritis, stiloiditis, knee periarthritis, etc.).
• Acute pain with a common osteochondrosis.
• Degenerative lesions of the spinal column, accompanied by vegetative-visceral pathologies( Menier syndrome, hearing and vision impairment, heart pain, dyskinesia, etc.).

All of the above is an indication for visiting a chiropractor. There is a spectrum of symptoms in which a doctor should be consulted, but what the result will be is not known. Eliminate all of the above diseases can be an osteopath and a chiropractor. What is the difference if both specialists have sufficient knowledge? It consists in the rapid resolution of the problem or the long-term treatment of the cause of the disease.

Contraindications to attending a chiropractor:

• Neoplasms. In the presence of any tumor( benign, malignant), the use of manual therapy will lead to stimulation of proliferation of pathological tissue.
• Any types of infectious diseases of bone and cartilaginous tissues( tuberculosis, rheumatism, osteomyelitis, etc.).
• Inflammation of the joints, spinal cord in the stage of exacerbation.
• Intervertebral hernia.
• High blood pressure( more than 180 units).
• Infections, alcohol intoxication, circulatory disorders in acute form( stroke, hemorrhage, heart attack, etc.).
• Fresh damage to joints, spine, postoperative condition.

What is osteopathy?

Osteopathy deals with the treatment of osteopathic lesions or disorders of interrelations in the functioning of the body as a single system. Damage, according to experts of this area, manifests itself in the form of spasm, limitation of joint mobility, muscle tightening. As a result, there is a violation of hemodynamics, the supply of tissues to venous blood is limited, nerve fibers are involved in the process, and a symptom arises signaling the disease.

A good osteopath in the diagnosis process determines not only the existing diseases, but also those that are only brewing or may appear as a result of incorrect functioning of the joints, ligaments, muscle fibers. In the list of medical professions specialty "osteopath" appeared in 2013.

Principles of Osteopathy

Manual therapist and osteopath differ in treatment approaches. In manual therapy, diseases are not treated, but stimulate the body's internal reserves for normal functioning under the prevailing conditions.

There are several principles in osteopathy:

• A person is a combination of the mind, body and spirit( trinity).
• The human body is capable of self-regulation, repair, remodeling its protective functions.
• The structure and function are in a direct, thin relationship and depend on each other.

One of the most attractive postulates of osteopathy is the assertion that all degenerative processes in the body are reversible at any age. You just need to know how to do this, go through several sessions and follow the doctor's recommendations, in which a complete change of lifestyle is a frequent requirement.

What are they referring to the osteopath?

The definition of the human body as a system of connections and dependencies allows osteopathy to approach the treatment of diseases comprehensively.

What treats an osteopathic physician:

• Headaches.
• Back pain, spine, intervertebral disc herniation, protrusion, neuralgia, osteochondrosis, scoliosis, etc.
• Rheumatological diseases, edema, arthritis.
• Periarthritis, convulsions, arthrosis.
• Varicose veins, infringement and inflammation of the sciatic nerve.
• Dysfunction of the digestive tract, flat feet.

Contraindications for treatment of an osteopathic doctor are limited to a common list, which includes oncology, mental illness, high fever, viral diseases in acute form. Pregnancy, intervertebral hernia, hepatitis and many other conditions and diseases in which manual therapy is prohibited, for osteopaths are not an obstacle.

In osteopathy, a separate trend is underway, dealing with gastrointestinal problems. They are solved by manipulative methods, without prescription of medical preparations.

Diagnostics - a general condition of

To understand the difference between an osteopath and a manual therapist, one has to determine the similarity that strikes almost everyone. Common to the two treatment areas is a specific set of diagnostic activities.

Before going on procedures, each patient undergoes such studies:

• Radiography - to determine the composition of bone tissue( viruses, inflammation, osteoporosis, etc.).
• Computed tomography( according to indications).
• MRI - to identify intervertebral hernias, protrusions.
• Ultrasound - diagnosis of the state of the thyroid gland, adrenal glands, vessels of the neck and brain( according to indications).
• Densitometry - determination of the degree of osteoporosis( according to indications).
• Laboratory tests of blood, urine( general indicators, in-depth study - according to indications).
• ECG.

What is the similarity?

When deciding with an expert, many doubt who to choose, an osteopath or a chiropractor, what is the difference and whose help is more effective. But it is possible to understand this only by revealing the degree of kinship of the two directions.

In addition to diagnostics, these specialists combine the following:

• Individual treatment program for each patient.
• Mandatory diagnosis by hand.
• Both methods of therapy are used to prevent diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
• Doctors of these specialties must have a higher medical education, basic knowledge of anatomy, neurology, physiological processes.
• The patient feels the results of treatment after the first session.
• Both specialists in practice do not use medicines.

The main similarity is hand therapy. For the chiropractor there is a strictly defined system of manipulations. That is, if the patient has a dislocation of the discs in the spine, then the specialist will put them in place. In this case, often enough the patient hears a crunch, feels pain. The osteopath can also correct the joints, but by another technique, pursuing other goals besides the immediate effect. The difference between an osteopath and a manual therapist is also in technical techniques. In osteopathy, there are no abrupt movements, and the patient rarely experiences pain.

What's the difference?

The difference between an osteopath and a manual therapist is the principles of treatment. The first will reveal the reason for the disks' displacement. For example, a person has poor or incompletely restored ligaments after ankle sprain. If the treatment fails and the person limps for a long time, then inevitably there will be changes in the whole musculoskeletal system: spinal discs will be displaced, knee and hip joints will be damaged, internal organs will change, etc. The osteopath first of all will restore the damaged ligaments. And everything else will be restored by the internal forces of the body. The manual therapist and the osteopath occupy fundamentally different positions in the approach to the patient's health.

The manual therapist does not search for the cause of the disease, he works in the designated field and does his best to make the joint or spine function productively in the conditions that have already developed. However, if the cause of the pain is, for example, in the internal organs, the patient will seek help repeatedly, receiving only a temporary respite during the sessions.

If you try to briefly determine what is different from the chiropractor of the osteopath, then we can say that the first is dealing with an operative solution of the problem, and the second is by eliminating the causes that led to its occurrence.

Professional growth

Neurologist, osteopath, manual therapist - these specialties are related to the general direction of exposure to the human body. They are engaged in restorative techniques to normalize the patient's condition. Each direction has its own methods, but the osteopath has wider coverage and, solving one of the problems, it contributes to the improvement of all body systems. Some patients claim that "all systems are configured", but this requires more than a dozen sessions.

Finding out for yourself the question, which is better, an osteopath or manual therapist, you should not lose sight of your own diagnosis and ask the doctor which specialist is preferable. There is an opinion that the manual therapist, after several years of practice, comes to osteopathy. And this is due to the fact that not always the mechanical effect on the patient is the best treatment option. A mild effect that causes the body to change and effectively maintain the health status is a more successful technique.

Official medicine

From the point of view of modern medicine, it is incorrect to oppose osteopathy and manual therapy. Rivalry occurs at the level of emotions of patients without evidence base. Official science cites the main characteristics of the theory and practice of both directions.

Table: Osteopath and chiropractor of difference and similarity

Characteristic	Osteopathy	Manual therapy
Definition	Osteopathy is a system of manual practices used for treatment, diagnosis, prevention and rehabilitation.	Manual therapy is a manual system of techniques designed to eliminate the disorder of the body in the framework of preventive measures.
What treats	Dysfunctions of the motor apparatus, systems of internal organs, vegetative system, brain.	Elimination of barriers in the motor functions of joints and bone joints.
The objectives of therapy	Restoration of disturbed interrelations and blood flow.	Restoration of the motor function of the joints
Basic techniques and methods of treatment	Soft osteopathic effects, eliminating dysfunction and stimulating regenerative processes.	Relaxation techniques( chiropractic, myopressure, relaxation, chiropractic manipulation, etc.).
Efficiency monitoring	Clinical methods of confirmation( osteopathic, visual, palpatory).	Clinical confirmation( electroneuromyography, neuroorthopedic, visual, etc.).
Risk of complications	Minimal.	High.
Techniques	Stretching, soft penetration, articulation, shear of tissues, etc.	Fasciomyopuncture, rhythmic mobilization, rigid system of manipulations followed by relaxation.
The duration of the	session is not less than 50 minutes, the number of sessions is determined by the doctor.	Short sessions fit into the scheme - basic reception + control reception + delayed visit to fix the results.

Osteopath and chiropractor, what is the difference and what unites these two specialties? Differences lie in the plane of the approach to the treatment of diseases, and the community is determined by a single therapeutic direction - manual medicine.

Who can I contact?

A person without medical education does not know which doctor to apply to, whose help will be more effective. It is difficult to understand what the difference is. An osteopath or a chiropractor? To solve these problems and to decide simple rules will help:

• The physician gives directions to the doctors of these specialties, he decides, whose help is more effective.
• If the acute pain catches up unexpectedly and its location can be accurately determined, then the emergency therapist will be of immediate assistance.
• In cases where the problem at once has not disappeared but is constantly returning, it is worth to visit the osteopath to find its cause.
• Not as important as the specialty is called. An osteopath and a chiropractor must be able to use both techniques. The difference is only in the methods and the ultimate goal of treatment.

A patient who needs long-term treatment in the case of an advanced musculoskeletal system, eventually finds a doctor who trusts his health.