The osteopath establishes a diagnosis and takes care of the patient after a questioning focused on the symptoms and the clinical examination. If your symptoms or reason for consultation fall outside the osteopath’s areas of expertise, the osteopath will direct you to the appropriate health professional (doctor, dietician, osteopath with a particular area of ??expertise, etc.).

This approach to health is defined as holistic: it takes into account the personal, professional, social and psychological living conditions of the patient, which reflects a bio-psycho-social vision of the individual.

On a physical level, the osteopath takes into account the relationships (mechanical, neurological and vascular) that the body establishes to function as a unit. Here are some examples:

• A wrist works in synergy with at least the entire upper limb (forearm, elbow, arm and shoulder), but also with the neck and back/thorax.
• Pain in the ankle will lead to a whole postural pattern with adaptations up to the neck. The whole body will seek balance in order to reduce the pressure on the ankle. The neck will have to adapt in order to keep your gaze horizontal.
• A heart problem can cause pain in the jaw and arms (often the left). In this case we are talking about referred pain in the arm.

What are the different manual techniques used?

The manual techniques used in osteopathy have a mechano-neuro-vascular aim. There are a large number of them, targeting either increasing the elasticity of a joint and/or the joint capsule, or relaxing a muscle (for example Trigger point techniques, or myotensive techniques), or improving the elasticity of a fascia (for example visceral or cranio-sacral or cranial manual techniques).

The osteopath chooses the technique that seems most relevant and efficient for the patient; choice which depends on the osteopath’s diagnosis, age (infant, elderly) or specific medical conditions (pregnant woman, current drug treatment, etc.) and the preferences of the osteopath and the patient. The choice of technique is made after the informed consent of the patient.

What are the main indications for general osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a medicine adapted from infants to the elderly. It treats the following symptoms in adults and children:

• Back pain (neck pain, back pain, lower back pain, sacralgia, pubalgia and coccydynia).
• Nerve pain (pudendalgia, Arnold’s neuralgia, sciatica, cruralgia, etc.)
• Pain in the limbs.
• Myofascial tendinopathy and pain.
• The after-effects of sprains.
• Tension headaches and migraines.
• Chronic sinusitis, chronic ear infections, recurrent dizziness, and conjunctivitis.
• Oral-lingual dysfunctions and occlusal disorders, bruxism.
• Functional abdominal pain (irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, bloating, diarrhea).
• Pregnancy and postpartum monitoring.

In infants:

• Rotational asymmetries and/or hyper-extension of the head, plagiocephaly.
• Sucking difficulties during breastfeeding.
• Functional digestive disorders (colic or unexplained crying).
• Upper respiratory tract congestion and conjunctivitis.

In pregnant women:

• Lower back pain, waist pain.
• Coccydynia, pubalgia.
• Headaches.
• Digestive disorders (sour stomach, constipation, bloating).

In sexual health in women and men:

• Perineal pain, vulvodynia, testicular or penile pain.
• Pudendal nerve neuropathy.
• Reproductive disorders (subfertility).
• Pain during sexual intercourse.
• Endometriosis.
• Recurrent inflammatory and/or infectious disorders (cystitis, prostatitis, mycoses).
• Pelvic congestion.

What is visceral osteopathy?

Visceral osteopathy is inseparable from general osteopathy by the relationships that the organs have with the rest of the body (fascia, innervation, vascularization), certain restrictions in visceral elasticity/mobility can lead to spinal pain or vice versa:

• Accelerated or slowed transit can have repercussions on the lumbar area:
  • by a neurovascular link: the lower back is innervated by the same medullary levels as the large intestine.
  • by a mechanical link: the large intestine is attached to the lower back by fasciae which can tone up in the event of an intestinal disorder.
• A gastric ulcer can cause pain between the shoulder blades via similar connections.
• Visceral techniques are manual tissue techniques that restore the elasticity of the different fascia and act on digestive function in particular.

We invite you to read our pages on our different areas of expertise in osteopathy.