What the #$@!% is osteopathy anyway?
(Please enjoy this guest blog post from our Community Partner, Christine Dixon, Osteopath extraordinaire!
See her bio below for more info on Christine and how to book treatments with her.)
Osteopathy in Calgary (and most of Canada) is by no means a household term. I want to give you an introduction to what osteo is and what to expect out of a visit with me (stay tuned for my next blog post where I’ll explain in more detail the changes that happen to your body during pregnancy and how osteopathic treatment can help your body adapt to these changes ❤️).
Osteopathy is a manual health practice. This means that when you come for a treatment it’s me touching your body, gently moving it around, to try and get rid of tension.
Your initial session starts with a thorough history. I want to know what your body has been through so I can get an idea of where I should go looking to find that pesky tension (which comes in many different forms). Osteopathy is a full body practice and tries to address the body as a whole so you get the best benefit.
After completing your history, I’ll typically take a little time to discuss what osteopathy is and my ideas of how I think it can help you. If you’ve been in for a treatment with me, the following should sound familiar.
I start by asking if you’ve had an osteopathic treatment before. Calgary has a very diverse community of osteopaths who are trained from all over the world. While the basic principles of osteopathy should be consistent from school to school, there’ll be differences in techniques and personal touch.
In the foundational training program here in Canada, we’re taught full body practice. This means we do the normal muscle, bone, joint, ligament (like a chiro or physio) care and then add in a couple extra layers.
We’re trained in visceral manipulation, which may sound scary but just means moving your organs around so they can function optimally. And we’re also trained in craniosacral therapy, which means working on your head and spine to reduce tension through the joints and within the head itself. Reducing tension in these areas allows your brain to send appropriate signals down to your body, as well as appropriately interpret the signals it’s receiving from your body, to help you function optimally
Most people that come to see me would describe my treatments as gentle. You should never feel pain. You may feel some tension spots in your body and think, “Wow, I can really feel that.” However that sensation should never turn into pain and you should never think, “I want her to stop touching that now.”
I’ve noticed that most folks who come to see me are stressed, not sleeping well, and are in pain. If I’m pushing aggressively on you and doing a lot of manipulations this continues to keep the body in a sympathetic (or stressed) state. I find it much more effective to introduce gentle pressure to help your body relax and let go of the tension it was holding on to.
I explain that typically, three treatments is my magic number (this number varies depending on what’s going with you and is different for pregnancy, but generally speaking we should know if we’re a good fit after three sessions together). You should experience some relief after the first treatment. After the second treatment you should for sure feel better, and by the third, you should be well on your way to experiencing relief of the symptom(s) that brought you in.
These treatments are typically spaced two weeks apart. After these three treatments, if you’re not experiencing relief we need to re-evaluate:
Did we miss something?
Should you see your doctor to ask for further testing?
Do we need to discuss your daily activities in more detail to see if there’s something within your hobbies, habits, or posture that’s continuing to aggravate you?
If your pain complaint stems from a mechanical issue (ie something’s not moving and needs to get moving) you should have relief. If it’s something else like arthritis, we should be able to educate you and provide some pain relief so your day to day gets a little bit easier.
After this we dive into your physical assessment. I guide you through a few basic movements. I’m looking to see how your body is moving:
Are your joints moving individually or together?
Are your organs able to move with you or are they restricting movement?
Then, you get you to lie down on the table and relax as I finish your assessment and begin your treatment.
Most likely, I’ll spend time on the spot(s) that brought you in, but I’ll also spend time on other parts of your body making sure we’re treating all your tension spots. Each piece of your body has a task it needs to do independently, but in order for that to work it also relies on its neighbour to work properly as well. Each piece will relate to another part of your body, and we need to address all these parts for the maintenance of health.
Most of the time patients come in with a pain complaint, but I also think it’s really important to receive maintenance appointments to keep you healthy. Even if you have no physical complaints there will be things I find that could function better. Especially during pregnancy and postpartum, it’s very important to be proactive in your health.
During your treatment I follow your lead. If you want to chat, I’ll engage in conversation, if you want a peaceful 50 minutes to yourself, I’ll honor that. This can change day to day as well. During each session I’ll follow your lead.
If you’d like to learn more or schedule an appointment, you can find me at www.prairietherapy.ca. (If you’re a Five Elements Birth Services client, check your client package for info on how to access your Community Partner discount - 15% off each session!)
