It is essential that before you see the differences between the two disciplines and can understand them be clear what each of them is. That is why we will first make a brief summary of what osteopathy and physiotherapy is, and then look at their main differences.
Photo by
Toa Heftiba
on
Unsplash
Osteopathy
Osteopathy is a diagnostic and treatment system that emphasizes the structural
and functional integrity of the organism. He argues that the body is a unit
that has the ability to self-heal; to help him, the osteopath uses manual
techniques.
Modern Osteopathy was born in the United States by The Hand of Andrew Taylor
Still.
In 1874, Still proposed a different model of diagnosis and treatment, in which
the musculoskeletal system played a central role. Hence the Greek terms
osteon, meaning 'bone‘, and pathos, whose original meaning was’ sensitive to
‘or’ reacting to': osteopathy involves sensitivity or response to bones. By
this, Still referred to the concept that alterations of the musculoskeletal
system can, through various mechanisms, lead to disease and, in turn, diseases
can be diagnosed and treated through the musculoskeletal system. Still also
postulated the importance of blood supply, as well as the body's ability to
regulate and heal itself.
- Principles of Osteopathy
The view of the individual as a whole, and not as a set of separate organs and
systems, is at the basis of Osteopathic philosophy. Still summarized this and
other principles in four precepts, which, over time, have been reformulated,
but remain a reference for understanding osteopathy. These principles are:
- The body is a unit: all parts of the body are integrated.
- Structure governs function: if a structure is altered, the way it works will also be altered.
- Principle of self-regulation: the body, through complex mechanisms, has the ability to repair and self-regulate itself if it suffers any damage. The role of the osteopath is to eliminate the alteration, so that the body itself can restore function.
- The rule of the artery is absolute: any disturbance in the circulation and irrigation of tissues will have negative consequences, since blood and the rest of the body fluids are paramount to maintaining health.
- Approaches in Osteopathy
Osteopathy can be divided into three different approaches:
- Structural osteopathy: focuses on the problems of the musculoskeletal system.
- Cranial osteopathy: focuses on the structure of the skull and its relationship with the central nervous system.
- Visceral osteopathy-deals with internal organs. Any visceral problem can affect the musculoskeletal system and vice versa, due to the interconnection that exists between all systems.
- Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy comes from the Greek φυσις physis, 'nature', and θεραπεία
therapéia, 'treatment'. It follows that physiotherapy uses physical agents
(natural elements) to restore function once lost or prevent it from being lost
in individuals or populations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines physiotherapy as:
"The art and science of treatment through therapeutic exercise, heat, cold,
light, water, massage and electricity. In addition, physiotherapy includes the
execution of Electrical and manual tests to determine the value of involvement
and muscle strength, tests to determine functional capabilities, the amplitude
of joint movement and measures of vital capacity, as well as diagnostic aids
for the control of evolution."
The World Confederation of Physiotherapy (W. C. P. T.) makes the following
definition, signed by the Spanish Association of Physiotherapists:
"Physiotherapy is the set of methods, actions and techniques that, through the
application of physical means, cure prevent, recover and adapt to people
affected by somatic dysfunctions or to those who want to maintain an adequate
level of Health".
- Physiotherapy techniques
In Physiotherapy the best known technique is manual therapy, but physiotherapy
uses many other techniques for its treatments. Some examples are:
- Manual therapies: the use of hands as therapy not only with massage but with a wide variety of manual techniques such as mobilizations, joint, neural, respiratory, lymphatic, fascial manipulations, trigger points, etc.
- Therapeutic exercise: using techniques in swimming pools, stability techniques, balance, machines or mechanotherapy, integration of Yoga, Pilates or any type of movement that induces the improvement of the patient.
- Postural reeducation of tone, synergies and pathological neuromotor patterns.
- Use of needles of different types.
- Electrotherapy
In Physiotherapy a technique is not applied on the patient, but a set of
scientific knowledge is applied through clinical judgment according to a
specific patient at a certain time.
Differences between Osteopathy and physiotherapy
Although both use manual therapy the differences between both are noticeable.
Knowing what each of these disciplines is we can see what their main
differences are always focusing on the Spanish legal framework:
- Training
In Spain, physiotherapy is a 4-year university degree. It is a training
recognized by the Ministry of Health and Social Policy in which the
physiotherapist is recognized as a health professional.
Osteopathy is not a university career in Spain. Osteopathy is recognized by
the World Health Organization as an alternative medicine, although in Spain it
does not have the same recognition as physiotherapy.
The training in osteopathy is aimed at physiotherapists, since Legally, they
are the only ones who can take it. It is considered a postgraduate or Master's
degree. In the Spanish legal framework, osteopathy is the competence of
physiotherapy, since it is through this university career that the sanitary,
physiological, biomechanical and anatomical bases of a therapeutic approach
are established.
The training of the physiotherapist as a health professional, expressly
includes osteopathy as a specific discipline during their university training.
- Diagnostic method
The main difference between the two is the diagnostic method. In Osteopathy
the approach is holistic while physiotherapy focuses more on the area of
injury to look for the origin and above all the causes of the locomotor
apparatus, without taking into account the visceral and fluidic part of the
patient.
- Evolution
Physiotherapy is not dogmatic, it is under constant study, being reviewed and
evolving day by day. It uses any technique or physical therapy, with the legal
training to do so, that can help an individual or population within their
competencies based on clinical judgment. It is not closed to a particular
technique. That is, if the therapist has knowledge of chiropractic,
acupuncture, massage, osteopathy, etc., he can apply it as long as he does it
from an analysis of what the patient really needs.
Osteopathy, on the other hand, is a single discipline that follows the
foundations that Still created in its day and is not in continuous change.
In this case we can say that Osteopathy complements and enhances the results
of Physiotherapy, which has a much wider field of action.
- Use of electrotherapy
While in Osteopathy both diagnosis and treatment are manual, in Physiotherapy
other methods are also used such as electrotherapy, which consists in the
application of different machines for both diagnosis and treatment.
- Frequency between treatment sessions
It is quite common that, depending on the pathology, physiotherapy treatments
are daily, although they can also be performed alternate or more spaced in
time.
On the other hand, in Osteopathy there are no daily treatments in almost no
case, they are usually performed at least three days apart, being the usual to
leave a week or 10 days between one session and another. This distance between
Sessions is due to the principle of self-regulation of the body, thus giving
the body time to recover after the help of osteopathic treatment.
In short, both disciplines help to improve our body from different points of
view. Both use manual therapy as a basis, but Osteopathy only uses its
techniques while physiotherapy can encompass any other physical and manual
therapy, including osteopathic techniques. Osteopathy and physiotherapy, two
different but complementary disciplines.
0 Comments