What is osteopathy?
Osteopathy is a hands-on therapy that treats the body as one unit working together. Instead of focusing on isolated symptoms, it looks for the cause of an issue based on how all the body’s moving parts relate to each other. In this way, it is considered holistic healthcare.
Some of the concerns osteopathy is commonly used to treat are:
- Joint stiffness
- Headaches
- Back, neck and shoulder pain
- Sports injuries and mobility problems
- Muscular tension due to everyday work postures and fatigue
Osteopathic manual therapy focuses on the structure of your body and how it affects your overall function. It looks at your anatomy as a system and considers the interaction between parts of your body, including your:
- Bones
- Muscles
- Joints
- Organs
Then it considers how that system affects other broader systems in your body, like your nerves and the circulation of bodily fluids. Another way they refer to these systems is “NAVL”: nerves, arteries, veins and lymphatic systems.
Osteopathy is founded on 4 principles that expand on these practices.
How can you benefit from osteopathic treatment?
Osteopathic therapy is considered an alternative medicine because it provides treatment without medication or surgery. Along with improving posture and relieving pain, it also supports you to recover from injuries.
It’s a treatment option that can also help you relax and relieve stress by improving circulation and reducing muscle tension. Having osteopathic treatments can also reduce migraines or tension headaches.
You could also choose to include osteopathic treatment as a tool for managing your overall physical and emotional wellness.
How is it different from other therapies?
Osteopathy is different from other treatments that focus in more specific areas rather than the whole body. Here are some examples:
- Massage therapy focuses mainly on muscles and provides fast muscle relief.
- Chiropractic care focuses on spinal adjustments and is usually less gentle than osteopathy.
- Physiotherapy focuses on exercise rehabilitation that targets injuries.
By comparison, osteopathic treatment is ideal if you are seeking more integrated, low-force treatment options for chronic or complex conditions.
What can you expect during your visit to an osteopath?
Normally, your first appointment will run from 45 minutes to an hour. Regular visits after that are about 30 minutes.
This therapy suits a wide range of patients because it’s normally gentler and more non-invasive than other forms of treatment. It’s not normally painful, but your treatment may leave you feeling stiff or sore for a few days.
Here is what happens during a typical session.
Step 1: A whole-body check-in
Your osteopath will start by looking at how you move, feel and function overall. They will also ask about any medicine or care you are already receiving.
These first checkpoints help the osteopath begin to uncover the root cause of discomfort – not just the symptoms – so your care is tailored to you from the start.
Step 2: Palpation
The practitioner will examine your body with their hands using a specialized technique called palpation.Opens a new website in a new windowOpens a new website in a new window It’s a systematic exam of specific sites on your body, notably your joints and ligaments.
Step 3: Customized manual therapy
The osteopath will then provide manual therapy to restore your balance and function. Treatment may involve techniques like:
- Joint mobilization
- Soft tissue stretching
- Gentle manipulation
- Thrusts – short, sharp movements of the spine
How can your insurance support you to access osteopathic therapy?
Osteopathy is included under the paramedical services portion of our insurance plans. Since you do not need a doctor’s referral, you have more convenient access to care.
Coverage varies by plan. For example, our Freedom to Choose™ Health and Dental Insurance offers a popular Select plan that covers an amount per practitioner that renews each year. If you don’t have benefits or would like more coverage, we can build a plan tailored to your needs.
3 steps for getting started
Think you might benefit from the kinds of care an osteopath can offer? Or considering osteopathy as part of your broader wellness strategy? Your insurance can support you – and you may already be covered.
Here’s how to get started.
- Use the OSTCAN directory to find a licensed osteopathic practitioner in your area.
- Review your plan to confirm whether you have paramedical coverage and decide if you’d like to adjust the upper dollar limits for osteopathy. Or, explore your options if you don’t have coverage.
- Once your visits start, send us your claims online or through the My Canada Life at work app.