Related Articles
Osteopaths are fully licensed physicians who practice in all areas of medicine.
Osteopaths are fully licensed physicians who practice in all areas of medicine. They are trained doctors who listen to and partner with their patients for various maladies. Osteopaths mainly focus on your neuro-musculoskeletal system, including:
- The bones
- Muscles
- Nerves
Other tissues that support your body and control its movement
They are mostly associated with family medicine in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Osteopaths usually treat back pain and postural problems due to pregnancy, caused by driving or work strain and the pain of arthritis and minor sports injuries. Osteopathic physicians focus on prevention, tweaking into how a patient’s lifestyle and environment can impact their welfare. Besides, osteopaths also perform the following functions:
- Musculoskeletal and nervous system assessment
- Manual therapy
- Clinical exercise programs
- Movement, postural, and positioning advice
- Ergonomic assessments
- Therapeutic needling techniques such as acupuncture or dry needling
- Educational advice about your lifestyle, stress management, diet, or other factors that may influence your pain injury or movement
How are osteopaths trained?
A doctor of osteopathy has DO as initials after their name. Osteopaths are licensed medical practitioners who are trained in the field of osteopathic medicine. Osteopaths first earn their bachelor’s degree from a medical school before getting admission to an osteopathic medical school. They may also have a master’s degree or doctorate before enrolling themselves in an osteopathic medical school.
Osteopaths get extra training in the musculoskeletal system. They also need to complete a 2-6-year internship/residency program, pass state licensing exams, and obtain continuing education to remain certified.
Besides, they also train all parts of modern medicine. They can prescribe medication, perform surgery, run tests, and do everything else as a regular physician would.
What all conditions do osteopaths treat?
Some of the common conditions that an osteopath treats include:
- Tennis elbow
- Knee pain
- Hip and pelvic pain
- Sports injuries
- Shoulder, elbow, and wrist pains
- Acute and chronic lower back pain
- Joint pain/strains
- Neck pain/stiffness
- Arthritis (swelling and tenderness of one or more joint)
- Migraine prevention
- Fibromyalgia (widespread muscle pain and tenderness)
- Cervicogenic headache (pain that develops on one side of your head or neck)
- Sciatica (pain radiating along the sciatic nerve)
- Rheumatica pain (pain in the joints)
- Postural dysfunctions
- Generalized pain related to pregnancy and postpartum
What is osteopathic medicine?
Osteopathic medicine is a distinct branch of medicine in the United States; it is a drug-free, noninvasive form of manual medicine. Osteopathic medicine treats the whole body instead of just the injured part. It is regarded as one of the safest and nonorthodox therapy to help cure various muscle and skeletal issues.