I am often asked about the differences between an osteopath and a chiropractor.
Osteopathy is a form of manual therapy that aims to positively affect the nervous, circulatory and lymphatic systems using the combination of soft-tissue (massage), mobilisations, manipulations and exercise prescription resulting in improvements in function, health and imbalance.
Chiropractic is a form of manual therapy that uses spinal and joint adjustments to realignment specific segments or joints to restore and improve the interactions between the spine and the nervous system to aid in the improvement of function and health.
There is a lot of cross-over between the two disciplines and both forms of treatment have similar goals but it is mainly the style of treatment which differs between the two. Chiropractors tend to focus primarily on the skeletal system whereas osteopaths have a broader, more holistic approach.
The above statements are a generalisation of both forms of treatment as some osteopaths treat very similarly to chiropractors and some chiropractors treat very similar to osteopaths so as the patient it is important to know what treatment style the practitioner chooses to use and whether that style suits your needs.
