A typical osteopath's clientèle may include manual workers, office workers, drivers, homemakers, musicians, dancers, athletes, and children. Increasing numbers of doctors are incorporating osteopathy into their practices or referring to private osteopaths.
Acceptance of osteopathy is even filtering down to emergency medicine. I was involved in a road traffic accident recently and my passengers and I suffered severe whiplash. We were taken by ambulance to the A&E department of the local hospital and were surprised to be told by the examining doctor there to seek out an osteopath for treatment! We did this and it brought great relief. However, osteopathy certainly isn't limited to joint pains and strains. An osteopathic colleague of mine recently did a clinical audit (a record of all the different conditions that patients have brought to him over the last year). It contained the following: Back pain; neck pain; joint problems (such as frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, arthritis); sports injuries; headaches or migraine; asthma or other respiratory problems; menstrual problems; sleep problems; digestive problems; ear infections and tinnitus (ringing in the ears); circulation problems; sinus problems; cystitis and bladder problems; repetitive strain injury; neurological problems such as head trauma and epilepsy; pregnancy related problems such as back pain, heartburn, and water retention; infant disorders including colic and teething; and developmental delays and learning difficulties. Quite a list!
Increasingly, osteopaths are finding that people are referring themselves for all kinds of problems and reporting benefits.
First visits to osteopaths are often made at times of crisis, such as when a person suddenly experiences acute back pain. However, more people are now using osteopathy preventively and going for regular or occasional maintenance treatments to maintain good ongoing structural balance.
