Definition of Osteopathy - Our practice
What is osteopathy? Where does it come from?
Osteopathy was founded in the United States at the end of the 19th century by Andrew Taylor Still, who elaborated this concept after long research and a deep reflection on health and life.
His personal history was marked by the death of those closest to him (his wife and four of his children), which led him to look for new ways of healing.
Our osteopathic approach
"Medicus curat, natura sanat", (the doctor cures, nature heals).
The osteopath accompanies the tissues with his hands to allow the body to find its balance.
It is based on several principles:
- the hand, our only tool for analysis and treatment
- the notion of seeing humans as a whole (the body as a whole)
- the interdependence between structure and function
- the body's self-regulation
Our lifestyles, repetitive movements, stress, trauma of all kinds, emotional shocks, psychological and nervous tensions are often the cause of so-called "functional" pain.
Osteopathy is effective in treating these functional tensions and does not address in any case the so-called organic pains, i.e. the pains related to clinical pathologies.
Osteopathy enables the different systems of the body to balance themselves; this is often achieved by working with the client’s vertebrae. To do this, the osteopath must go back to the origin of the problem and not limit the treatment to the consequences of the imbalances.
"Osteopathy is a science, an art and a philosophy."
Why traditional osteopathy?
"Only the tissues know"
Our practice is faithful to the founders of osteopathy: A.T Still, W.G Sutherland, R. Becker in particular.
Osteopathy is a traditional medicine based on precise anatomical knowledge and holistic philosophy. The human being is viewed as a whole (body, mind, and soul); the body is not viewed as a machine that needs to be fixed in a mechanical way.
Once the osteopathic work is completed, the body can self-regulate, without external intervention.
"Allow physiologic function within to manifest its own unerring potency rather than apply a blind force from without."
Our therapeutic contract with the patient
Our goal is to restore the overall balance in the body: this is called homeostasis.
We wish to allow the body to regulate itself. The quality of our work as osteopaths depends on our ability to release the deep tensions that impede this self-regulation. We are interested in EVERYTHING that can cause an imbalance in the human body.
For this reason, we have chosen to have a wide spectrum of investigation: We collaborate closely with other therapists, in particular, psychotherapists (rather Gestalt approaches) because very commonly the deepest and most persistent tensions in our bodies are often of emotional origin (emotions not consciously related to the patient's experience).
We systematically give advice on lifestyle, supplements, physical exercises, and stretching to be done after the session.
It is against our ethics to see patients every month for the same problems and to create a dependency. On the other hand, in certain specific cases, it is sometimes necessary to do a more regular follow-up at the beginning.
Our goal is patient autonomy and empowerment.
Osteopathy is a preventive therapy:
We advise our patients to come for a consultation 2 or 3 times a year to prevent the appearance of tensions and adaptations, rather than coming in case of very acute and intense pain which will require more work and therefore more sessions.
FAQ
After an osteopathy session the body will do a "reset", sometimes the pain increases or changes areas.
Like a zipper that sometimes has to be closed again to be opened again.
The pain is often muscular after a session, as they often need time to relax especially if the blockage/pain has been going on for a long time.
Sometimes it takes two sessions to feel the results, but in most cases 48 hours after the session the pain disappears or is reduced.
Fatigue is perfectly normal!
The relaxation of the neuro-vegetative nervous system often leads to a great need to rest after the session.
It is also important to remember that a move takes a lot of energy, in the same way, all the adjustments we make during a session that seem so gentle will push the body to readjust itself in a very deep way, and so it will take energy from your body.
So get some rest!
Our vision of health makes us opposed to the idea of seeing people every month. It is contrary to our philosophy.
Most patients feel much better after the first session and no more pain after the second.
During your session, we will systematically give you our point of view on the number of sessions to be carried out: this is our therapeutic pact, our commitment with you. We will then give you a new appointment directly if necessary.
In some cases of various and/or older pains, we will certainly need more sessions more or less close in time depending on what we notice in the body.
Our experience shows that it takes about 2 to 3 sessions to fully balance the system.
We advise pregnant women to come from the 3ᵉ month of pregnancy, and then at the 7ᵉ or 8ᵉ month depending on their needs.
The first session is often the one that allows us to "prepare the body" for the pregnancy and these changes. The second session is the preparation for the birth. We check that everything is in order, especially the pelvis in anticipation of a vaginal delivery.
We advise young parents to bring in their newborn as soon as possible after giving birth. Ideally within the first two weeks of life.
For young mothers, it is better to wait 40 days after giving birth to come and consult. EXCEPT in case of intense pain: coccyx, lumbar or stomach pain.
Osteopathy is a precious help in parallel to many medical treatments: treatment for insomnia, depression, thyroid disorders, blood pressure disorders, migraines etc.
In the case of chemo or radiotherapy treatments, osteopathy is an important ally and is strongly recommended.
We do not recommend that patients come for a session if they have an infection with or without a fever, and we recommend that parents wait a few days to make an appointment after vaccinating their babies and children.
