Osteopath: role, price, why consult him?

Osteopathy has long had a bad reputation, because it was associated with the practices of traditional healers and bonesetters, especially before the official recognition of this discipline by the Ministry of Health in 2002. Since 2007 and the promulgation of decrees strictly governing the training of osteopaths and their practice, osteopathy is now recognized – and its effectiveness, particularly in relieving back pain, undisputed. What is the role from an osteopath? What can the osteopath treat? Why consult it? What is the difference with a physiotherapist? What is the price of a consultation?

Definition: what is osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a method of care used for the treatment and prevention of many functional disorders. Recognized as complementary medicine, it uses manual manipulations to treat certain pathologies. For osteopaths, the structure of the body and its functions are interdependent. All parts of the body are connected to each other through the tissues. In this context, if an organ loses its mobility, then this can have consequences on the others, and the symptoms appear. It is therefore thanks to manipulation of certain parts of the body that practitioners intend to restore the correct balance of the body.

What is the role of an osteopath?

The osteopath is the professional trained in osteopathy. Osteopathy is a exclusively manual and external practice which aims to prevent or remedy functional disorders of the body, excluding organic diseases which require therapeutic, medical, surgical, drug or physical intervention. The manipulations of the osteopath concern the body and head muscles only with his hands.

What is the difference between a physiotherapist and an osteopath?

Masseur-physiotherapists can obtain an osteopath diploma, but an osteopath is not always a physiotherapist since it can be a doctor, health professionals from paramedical fields (nurse-nurse, midwife) or a non-health professional holding a diploma. Even if some indications may be identical, unlike a physiotherapist, an osteopath is only allowed to use manual manipulations learned during his training and no other techniques.

Why consult an osteopath?

Osteopathy is essentially aimed at functional pathologies in treatment curative And preventive. It therefore intervenes in three major areas :

• The domain visceral (digestive disorders, circulatory disorders of the lower limbs, asthma, etc.);
• The domain parietal (sprains, sciatica, neuralgia, tendonitis, osteoarthritis, etc.);
• The domain cranial (ear infections, dizziness, rhinitis and sinusitis, insomnia, stress, migraine, etc.)

It is better to always choose a professional and qualified osteopath, listed on the website of the Federal Union of Osteopaths of France (UFOF) and on the recommendation of his attending physician or a specialist physician depending on the pathology to be treated. Since osteopathy is experiencing a real craze today, it is recommended that patients take certain precautions with regard to the choice of practitioner. Certified osteopaths indicate in principle, on their plaquethere mark “DO” which means certified in osteopathy or “DC”. You should know that the osteopaths who are not health professionals are not authorized to perform gyneco-obstetric manipulations and pelvic examinations. In addition, certain acts (manipulation of the skull, face and spine in infants under 6 months, manipulation of the cervical spine) require, before any manipulation, the production Mandatory medical certificate of no contraindication. Finally, osteopaths who are not health professionals do not have the right to prescribe.

It is best to consult your osteopath in a comfortable outfit

It is best to consult your osteopath in a comfortable outfit allowing manipulations without hindrance. Don’t forget to bring with you all the examinations and/or medical letters that may be useful to the osteopath to better understand your state of health and your problem.

What manipulations does an osteopath do?

The osteopathy consultation lasts on average 45 minutes. The osteopath always begins with an interview and an examination of the whole body through palpation. He then proceeds to manipulations, with his hands, but also sometimes with the rest of his body, for example by leaning against the back of the person he is manipulating. Osteopathy is based on four forms of manipulation:

• THE functional manipulations, whose objective is a mobilization of the tissues to cause sufficient relaxation allowing a lesion to heal itself;
• THE visceral manipulations, to restore full efficiency to the liver, spleen, intestines, etc. ;
• THE structural manipulations, when the osteopath presses in certain places to release blockage points in particular;
• Finally, cranial manipulationthe most delicate and finest, which act on the bones of the skull to restore flexibility and improve breathing.

A compulsory medical certificate before certain acts.

What is the cost of an osteopath session?

THE fees osteopaths are totally free. Nevertheless, on average, a session costs between 40 and 80 euros. Not currently recognized by the Order of Physicians (apart from care provided in the context of a medical consultation), this practice is not not covered by Social Security. However, some health insurance companies may offer reimbursement.

What is the training to become an osteopath?

There are three types of training in France. The first addresses to physicians and is recognized by the National Council of the Order of Physicians. The second is aimed at health professionals, in particular physiotherapists, and is carried out alternately. The last is accessible to graduates, after competition and interview, and lasts 6 years with at the end a registration in the register of Osteopaths of France. Although framed by legal texts, the training of osteopaths in France is very heterogeneous. The law of March 4, 2002 (modified in April 2011), authorizes the use of the title of osteopath not only to doctors, midwives, masseurs-physiotherapists and nurses, holders of a University diploma (DU) or inter-university diploma (DIU) recognized by the Order of Physicians, but also to non-health professionals holding a diploma issued by an establishment approved by the Ministry of Health. In January 2013, of the 19,369 osteopaths listed by the Register of Osteopaths in France, 55.4% of them were neither doctors nor physiotherapists.