OSTEOPATHY

For more than 30 years, osteopathy has gradually taken its place in the Canadian health system. It is a manual therapeutic approach, whose objective is to restore the functionality of structures and systems in the human body to promote its self-regulation ability. It is based on in-depth knowledge of health sciences and interactions conducive to balance in the body (homeostasis).

In clinical practice, osteopaths use specific manual adjustment techniques to achieve optimal mobility into bones, muscles, fascias, nerves and organs. This mobility can restore balance in the body and relieve the patient’s symptoms for a wide variety of disorders. One of the defining characteristics of this therapeutic approach is to take into account the whole of the body’s structure and all of its movements, whether they are wide or barely noticeable fluctuations.

Osteopaths not only address discomforts, but consider the patient as a whole which should be evaluated as such. They try to discover, as precisely as possible, the source of tensions and blockages which restrict mobility in the various tissues.

Osteopathy is both preventative and curative. It is suited to all age groups. Here are the main indications:

- Musculoskeletal or tendon pain (low back pain, neck pain, contusions, sprains, tendinitis, bursitis, etc.)
- Respiratory problems (asthma, rhinitis, sinusitis, etc.)
- Digestive problems (chronic stomach ache, flatulence, constipation, hemorrhoids, etc.)
- Gynaecological problems (menstrual pain, menopause symptoms, etc.)
- Pregnancy and post-childbirth (back pain and pelvic pain)
- Pediatric problems (children born by caesarean delivery, difficult childbirth, regurgitation, colic, crying, difficult breastfeeding, asymmetric movement, physical trauma, etc.)
- Post-surgery (heart, knee prosthesis, etc.)
- Venous insufficiency in lower limbs
- Vertigo, buzzing in the ears and migraine
- Stress, sleep disorders and depressive symptoms.

Research

- Osteopathic manipulative treatment for low back pain: a systemic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials¹, 2005. This study shows that osteopathy reduces low back pain more efficiently than placebo treatment.

- Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with osteopathy: results of a randomized controlled pilot study², 2007. This study demonstrates the beneficial effects of osteopathy in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.

Martin Moisan, M.D.
Kanesatake Health Center
12, Joseph Swan
Kanesatake (Québec)
J0N-1E0

1. Licciardone, J.C., Brimhall, A.K., King, L.N. Osteopathic manipulative treatment for low back pain: a systemic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, BMC Musculoskelet Disord., 2005.

2. Hundscheid, H.W., Pepels, M.J., et autres. Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with osteopathy: results of randomized controlled pilot study, J Gastroenterol Hepatol., 2007.