You may be wondering, exactly what is the differentiation between Osteopathy and Physiotherapy and which is the best treatment to get. I'm quite qualified to answer this question because I'm a registered Osteopath and Physiotherapist running a osteopathic practice. However, this question on the difference between the two fields is one that many of our clients ask, so we will now compare the two. Physiotherapy is all about treating people who have disabilities or who have been injured or are ill. This treatment is done through exercise and certain movements. This manual therapy when combined with the right advice and education greatly helps patients to overcome their injuries, deal with pain as well as prevent various diseases. On the other hand, Osteopathy is about the body's function and structure. The basic principle of Osteopathy is that a person's health is dependent on the proper functioning of their connective tissues, muscles, skeleton and ligaments. In Osteopathy, massage along with stretching is used to do the following: - reduce tension in the muscles - improve mobility in the joints - improve the natural healing ability of the body - improve nerve and blood supply Even though both of these fields are used to help and treat various joint and muscular problems, osteopathy is more focused on back problems, back pain as well as neck pain. They don't treat as many peripheral joints as a Physiotherapist would such as issues with the ankle, knee, hand, shoulder etc. Osteopaths also don't treat as many problems with the tendons and muscles that Physiotherapists do. About 80% of the cases that an Osteopath would treat are spine and back problems. They would only typically treat other areas if they have additional specialisations in those areas. On other other hand, Physiotherapists have a wider range of experience and training in different areas and they typically treat spine and back injuries, tendon and muscular injuries as well as peripheral joint problems. So, half of the patients that our Physiotherapists see typically have spinal issues and the other half have tendon and muscle issues. Physiotherapists are responsible for doing all of the necessary research as well as treatment for these particular cases. The Physiotherapists at Complete are very experienced and have worked in various Sports bodies and clubs. They have a great deal of experience in dealing with sports injuries, especially muscle and tendon injuries. It goes without saying that you should definitely get treated by a specialist that has specific experience in treating your particular issue. I have over 20 years of experience and I know for a fact that my best results come from treating clients with conditions that I'm very familiar with. Make sure that you do a great deal of research before you book any clinic or therapist.

Physiotherapy

The beginning of physiotherapy was in 1813 by Per Henrik Ling who is widely known as the Father of Swedish Gymnastics. He basically created this field and started with exercise, soft tissue treatments and physical manipulation to fix physical issues. This field is very dynamic, science based and is a fantastic way to treat and deal with pain and improve movement.

Osteopathy

Osteopathy on the other hand is a very specific type of medical treatment. It is based on the thought that all parts of the body are interrelated and dependent on other another for optimal health and well being. This field was founded by Dr. Andrew Still in 1874 who realised that he could change the physiology of people through physical manipulation.