Although still considered a form of alternative or complementary medicine, osteopathy has a particularly ancient origin and nowadays the health systems of many countries recommend it as a very beneficial practice .

For a century and a half, osteopathy and its practices have been under the magnifying glass of science and, to date, it seems that there are positive reports regarding well-being brought to the parts of the skeleton relating to the lower body, while they still remain. doubts about a concrete beneficial efficacy regarding the practices that aim to restore the health of the upper part of the body, especially for the neck.

3 reasons to contact the osteopath

There are various reasons for contacting an osteopath, related to the benefits we can derive from osteopathy.

1. The first of these reasons is to have a general check-up as the osteopath is able to detect potential problems .

2. The second reason for turning to the osteopath: after having identified a problem or after having started to feel the first symptoms, the osteopath can apply a whole series of treatments for preventive purposes .

3. Finally, if we have not turned to an osteopath for a screening and we have ignored the symptoms related to the problems that our body reported to us, making them chronic, we can turn to the osteopath for treatment.

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The most common symptoms treated by osteopathy

Although for each of these three cases the techniques applied by the osteopath are different, we can say that in general it practices physical manipulations in the form of stretching, massages and tractions that act not only on the bones but also on the joints, muscles . , on blood vessels.

Its practices, however vast and complex, are limited to this kind of manipulation and in osteopathy there is no form of intervention on the body by administering drugs, prescribing diets, or direct surgical interventions.

According to various researches , the most common reasons that push patients to turn to the osteopath are:

> Lower back pain.

>  Posture problems.

> Pain in the neck.

> Injuries related to sporting practice.

> Shoulder pains.

> Problems in the pelvis and legs.

> Arthritis.

The first kind of pain can have a wide range of causes , including poor posture at work or school , improper use of the body at work, or poor sleep. Posture problems, related to lower back pain, are, as mentioned, due to an incorrect position in the office or on school desks, or driving.

The period of pregnancy can also lead to posture problems. To these are added the congenital posture problems. Neck pain often originates from the activity they perform, often at work. But it also depends on the climate in which you live, on the level of humidity in the environment and, finally, on stress, especially the emotional one.

Many people reveal that they suffer from neck pain in conjunction with separations or divorces .

The injuries related to sporting practice on which the osteopath is most involved are not so much those of traumatic origin, with the exception of falls on the back and neck, but those due to excessive training, the so-called “overtraining” , capable of especially to inflame and compromise the joints, cartilages and tendons.

Shoulder pains are also of various origins: due to incorrect and / or too prolonged activity, trauma such as a car accident, reasons relating to excessive cold and humidity, and finally to various psychosomatic causes , among which the excess of responsibility stands out.

Problems with the pelvis and legs, in addition to being linked to the famous overtraining or to too heavy and strenuous work, can have a congenital cause, or a strong trauma, or to teething defects that affect the spine and pelvis . Finally, artitis, which mainly affects the hands, is often treated by osteopaths to slow down its development and decrease pain and reduced mobility .