In Part 1 and Part 2 we discussed the History and Philosophy of Chiropractic, Osteopathy, and Physiotherapy in our 3 part blog series.  This blog we will be taking look a the methods of each of these disciplines.

CHIROPRACTIC

The Chiropractic method is largely varied depending on who you see and what kind of Chiropractic they use. The main objective of any Chiropractic is to restore posture and function to the spine, which should in turn alleviate pain and revive heath to the nervous system. This is achieved through specific analysis and manual correction of spinal disfunction.
There are many different Chiropractic techniques which employ all kinds of instruments to help in the analysis and manual correction of the spine. Some Chiropractors use x-rays to analyse the spine, while some employ other methods of analysis, such as checking leg length. A nervoscope is often used to find inflammation in the spine by checking skin temperature. Some Chiropractors use an instrument called an Activator to make there adjustments, while others find the best tool for the job is their hands.
Chiropractors may recommend exercises to help strengthen the core muscles to help support the spine, or to treat the area of adjustment with ice. Often they will recommend movement, such as gentle walking, immediately after treatment as movement helps improve function in the spine. They may also recommend massage to help alleviate any soft tissue tension that might be affecting the health of the spine. Often Chiropractors will create a care or treatment plan in which they will set out a rough time frame of treatments to get the patient back to better health.

OSTEOPATHY

Osteopaths will assess the body and employ the best technique for the specific issue. Osteopathy uses a range of different techniques to restore the body to full function. Some of these methods cross from structural corrections to soft tissue work and may include myofascial release, manual adjustments, joint mobilisation, ligamentous tension, and muscle energy technique. An Ostoepathic adjustment is considered more generalised than the specific Chiropractic work, crossing more than one joint or boney segment, and often treating the soft tissue in the area of the adjustments, as well as the joint.
Osteopaths will often recommend take home instructions to help support the manual work they have done. This can also include using heat or ice to specific areas, stretches, and specific exercises.

PHYSIOTHERAPY

Physiotherapy is as varied as Osteopathy and Chiropractic, with some Physiotherapists working in rehabilitation, sports therapy, workplace or occupational therapy. They can employ a range of different techniques from manual work such as joint manipulation or mobilisation, muscle stretching, and kinds of massage, as well as using other techniques such as dry needling, taping, and TENS treatments. Some Physiotherapists even employ neurodynamics, a treatment to help restore full nerve function.
Physiotherapy will almost almost involve exercise of some kind, tailored specifically to the patients injury or rehabilitation. This may include stretching and/or strengthening exercises, rehabilitation exercises to help restore function to or retrain certain parts of the body.

In reality there is often an overlap of techniques between these three professions. Some Chiropractors treat using Osteopatic methods, some Osteopaths treat using Physiotherapy techniques, and some Physiotherapists practice exclusively with back and neck pain, which was the traditional domain of Chiropractors and Osteopaths. Regardless of the profession each health care professional will treat differently depending on where they have studied, their own personal philosophy, what experience has taught them and what is in the best interest of the patient.

Here at Yarra Hills Chiropractic, the Chiropractors solely employ the Gonstead System of Chiropractic. They abide by Palmers original theories and use a hands on approach when treating their patients. That being said all of our Chiropractors have their own style and special interest, and while one Chiropractor may treat a concern differently from another, the objective is the same, to restore function to the spine and restoring the body to full health and function.

Contact us to find out more about Yarra Hills Chiropractic.

The post What is the difference between Chiropractic, Osteopathy and Physiotherapy? Part 3: Method first appeared on Yarra Hills Chiropractic.

In Part 1 we discussed the history and evolution of Chiropractic, Osteopathy and Physiotherapy as part of our 3 part blog series. This blog we will be expanding into the philosophy of these practices and how they differentiate.

CHIROPRACTIC

The Chiropractic fundamental foundation is that the body has within itself the ability to heal itself. It is only by removing interference can the body fully begin to heal from injury or dis-ease. Chiropractic sees the spine as the most important structure in the body, housing the spinal column, and thus protecting the nervous system. It is the nervous system that traffics all of the signals from the brain to every part of the body, including muscles, organs, and glands. It is the structural misalignment of the spine and interference of these nerve pathways that Chiropractic believes is the cause of pain and dis-ease in the body, especially to parts of the body connected to these obstructed pathways. These obstructions are called subluxations. Once the subluxation was reduced with a specific manual manipulation, called an adjustment, the pressure on the nerve would be removed. With proper function of the nerve restored, the body’s innate intelligence would perform the healing. This explanation is why we see positive results with the musculoskeletal symptoms related to chronic conditions such as fibromylagia, and asthma. Chiropractic is based on the holistic model of health, seeing the body as a whole, with an innate intelligence, guiding the body to total health and wellbeing.

OSTEOPATHY

The main foundation of Osteopathy is that the body functions as a whole organism, all parts working together, that structure – both skeletal and musculoskeletal – and function are intertwined; with any obstruction in structure adversely affecting the body’s function. Once proper function has been returned then the body has within itself the ability to heal from dis-ease. Founder Andrew Still believed that since all parts of the body; ligaments, muscle, arteries, organs, glands, etc, are fed by blood, then it is the obstruction of that blood flow to these parts of the body that cause dis-ease. This differs from Chiropractic and the theory that it is the obstruction to the nerves that causes dis-ease in the body. However both believed that returning function to the body – either through returning proper blood flow, or easing nerve obstructions – would allow the body to heal itself. While Osteopathy looked at both the structural side of the body, the joint and skeletal system, it also looked at the musculoskeletal system. In the early days of Chiropractic and Osteopathy there was a healthy debate between Chiropractic founder D. D. Palmer and Still as to which philosophy and method was correct, and an agreement was made that only time will tell which of the two disciplines will be proved correct. Since this time the foundations of Osteopathy have changed slightly to include lymphatic and neural elements to its principle of function.

PHYSIOTHERAPY

Chiropractic and Osteopathy developed independently from the medical community, whereas Physiotherapy developed within it. This means that while Chiropractic and Osteopathy believe in the holistic model, Physiotherapy is based on the medical model, in which the body has a physical ailment that only a physical treatment, be it physical manipulation, drugs, or surgery, can remedy. This model is often defined as diagnoses, treatment, and prognosis, with ancillary tests or physical examination done if required. While Physiotherapy will treat the body as a physical whole, looking at the movements and functions the body performs each day in relation to a physical ailment, Chiropractic (and even Osteopathy) look at the physical whole, the emotional whole, and the mental whole, seeing what effects stresses other that physical can have on the body.

Regardless of the philosophical core of any individual Chiropractic, Osteopathic or Physiotherapy practitioner, as trained and registered primary care health practitioners, all are capable of recognising when a patient is outside of their own scope of practice and would willingly refer the patient for emergency medical care or any care that is required outside of their own professional ability.

In the Part 3 we will discuss the different methods between the three techniques, so stay tuned!

The post What is the difference between Chiropractic, Osteopathy and Physiotherapy? Part 2: Philosophy first appeared on Yarra Hills Chiropractic.

History

So what exactly is the difference between Chiropractic, Osteopathy, and Physiotherapy? This is a common question, which seems simple enough, but doesn’t come with a simple answer. To answer this question we wanted to explore a bit of the history, philosophy, and method of these three vastly different, yet very interconnected, fields. Firstly we want to explain that practitioners working in these fields have their own individual views about what is right with their discipline, and what is wrong with the others. It is difficult then for patients, with no prior knowledge, to know the difference and what is the best care treatment for them.

All of these disciplines are regulated health professions, and people working in these fields are all university trained and are required to be government registered in Australia. These three fields are all practiced as primary care health professions, meaning that members of the public can consult them without a medical referral. This is were a lot of the similarities end, and the differences become more apparent.

Chiropractors and Osteopaths similarly both generally work in private practice, or in education of their prospective fields. Physiotherapists, however, generally work in a hospital setting with in and/or out patients, or have ties to a hospitals outpatient program, although many also work in the private sector with their own practices.
Each of the professions developed independently of one another, for different reason, and have different methods. To answer the question ‘what is the difference?’ some consideration of the history, method, and philosophy of each method is required. This will be discussed in a three part blog series, beginning with history.

CHIROPRACTIC

Chiropractic began in September of 1885 in Davenport, Iowa, when D. D. Palmer made a crude adjustment to the fourth dorsal vertebra of Mr. Harvey Lilard. Palmer had been working as a magnetic therapist at the time, when he noticed as Lilard bent down there was a visible misalignment in his spine. Lilard had injured his back 17 years prior, and had since with pain and struggled with his hearing. Using his extensive knowledge of anatomy and physiology, Palmer made the crude adjustment. The next time Lillard saw Palmer he reported that his hearing had vastly improved and his back pain was gone!

Palmer called his new discovery Chiropractic – from the greek ‘cheir’ meaning hand and ‘praktos’ meaning done. Over the years he developed the practice, methodology, and philosophy of chiropractic and in 1897 opened the Palmer School for Cure (now known as the Palmer College of Chiropractic). His son, B. J. Palmer, eventually took over the school in 1906 and rapidly expanded the development of Chiropractic in the community and beyond.
It is no secret that Chiropractic has been met with many hurdles throughout its developing years, with objections from many in the medical community. However it has flourished as a well respected profession with millions of people feeling the benefits of improved spinal health.

OSTEOPATHY

Osteopathy began in the early 1870s, founded by Alan Taylor Still, a physician and surgeon from Kirksville, Missouri. Still came to believe that if the body is not working harmoniously then full health could not be realised, and that the current medicine was little help. He used the term Osteopathy to refer to the study and treatment of the ‘osteon’ or bone, as the cause for the bodies instability.

In 1892 Still began the American School of Osteopathy (now known as the Kirkville College for Osteopathic Medicine), inviting both men and women to study Osteopathy. Following a split from from Still’s college, former colleague J. M. Littlejohn started his own school, the Chicago College of Osteopathy and expanded on his own beliefs of Osteopathy that differed from Still’s original theories. Littlejohn eventually moved back to his native England and brought his study of Osteopathy with him, thus expanding the profession to Europe and the rest of the world.

PHYSIOTHERAPY

While Chiropractic and Osteopathy developed independently from the medical community and currently remains an alternative to modern medicine, Physiotherapy developed within it, arising in response to the need for recovery from surgery and other medical services. Physiotherapy began late in the 1800s, when orthopaedic surgeons began operating on children with disabilities. They would employ women trained in physical education and remedial exercise to help their patients recover. These treatments were later promoted and applied in response to the polio outbreak in the mid 1910’s and to the rehabilitation of injured soldiers. In the 1940’s physiotherapy treatment mostly consisted of exercise, traction and massage. Manipulation to the spine and extremity joints commenced in the 1950’s when Physiotherapists were a normal occurrence in most western hospitals. Later in this decade Physiotherapists started to move out of hospital based practice into orthopaedic clinics, health centers, rehabilitation centers and nursing homes. The progression of Physiotherapists into their own solo private practices started in Australia in the 1970’s. While Physiotherapists are regarded as primary care practitioners, much of their work comes from referral by medical doctors.

We hope you enjoyed Part 1 of this series, and that this has given you an insight into the differing histories of Chiropractic, Osteopathy, and Physiotherapy. In Part 2 we will be discussing the philosophy of the three techniques.

The post What is the difference between Chiropractic, Osteopathy and Physiotherapy? Part 1: History first appeared on Yarra Hills Chiropractic.