Health Professionals

Be Part Of An Integrative Approach To Healthcare

Osteopathic Practitioners work well in multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary teams.

Osteopathic Practitioners use a multi-system, integrated assessment to understand how biopsychosocial factors are impacting health. Treatment is aimed at restoring mobility, circulation, and adaptability. Practitioners use an extensive toolbox of manual techniques including: myofascial release, strain counterstrain, proprioceptive neuromuscular release, cranial osteopathy, structural realignment and visceral mobilization. There is a high degree of patient satisfaction with osteopathic health care which is seen as a non-invasive option. Properly trained Osteopathic Practitioners provide safe, gentle and effective care.

Osteopathy is practiced around the world. OsteopathyBC is a member association in both the Canadian Federation of Osteopaths (CFO) and Osteopathic International Alliance (OIA), which represents over 130,000 Osteopaths (Osteopathic Practitioners) and Osteopathic Physicians worldwide. Collectively, these associations are working to achieve Patient Reported Outcome Measurements (PROMS) for manual osteopathy. This measurement tool is based on successful research efforts led by the National Council of Osteopathic Research in the UK to help quantify the impact of manual osteopathic interventions from a patient’s perspective. This work is essential to support the province’s goal of a patient-centered approach to proactive, integrated healthcare for British Columbians.

Osteopathic Practitioners work collaboratively with other disciplines and perceive themselves as complementary, not alternative. In fact, 33 percent of OsteopathyBC members come from education backgrounds within regulated health care professions, including physiotherapy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, massage therapy, and chiropractic medicine. Many also trained in countries such as the UK and Australia where osteopathy is a regulated healthcare profession. Most Osteopathic Practitioners already refer their patients to other health professionals when appropriate, and vice versa. Consequently, Osteopathic Practitioners are increasingly being recognized as important members of an integrative approach to healthcare.

Osteopathy has been established as an effective treatment for conditions that have a significant musculoskeletal component. Systemic and metabolic conditions and complex pain syndromes can also be assisted and alleviated by the osteopathic approach, often in collaboration with other health professionals.