Osteopath, physio or chiropractor? It’s one of the questions we’re asked most often. The honest answer is that the borders between these professions aren’t always clear, and there’s a lot of overlap. In my experience, it’s more about finding the right therapist for you. So rather than tell you who’s best, I’d like to explain how I work.
The difference between an osteopath, a physio and a chiropractor
All three are regulated healthcare professions in the UK, and all three treat muscle and joint problems.
Physiotherapists often focus on rehabilitation through exercise and movement, and work in a wide range of settings, including the NHS.
Chiropractors often focus on the spine and on manipulating the joints.
Osteopaths look at the whole body. We use a wide range of hands-on techniques, from massage and stretching to joint mobilisation, and we look at how a problem in one area affects the rest of you.
Every practitioner works a little differently, whichever profession they belong to. What matters most is that you feel listened to and understand your treatment.
Two people, same pain, different problems
Osteopaths try to find the root of the problem, and also how it has affected the rest of your body. We believe every person is different. We walk differently, we’re built differently, we eat differently and we spend our time differently.
Take tennis elbow. Jane is an office worker in her late twenties and a new mum. The other Jane is a lorry driver in her forties. They live very different lives, and that elbow pain affects each of them in a different way. Where someone might see the label “tennis elbow”, we see two Janes with two different problems, each needing a different kind of help.
How osteopaths work
As osteopaths, we listen a lot and ask a lot of questions. We have a deep knowledge of how the body works and adapts, and we examine the parts that hurt as well as the ones that don’t, to see how they’re coping.
Osteopaths train for four to five years at degree level, so we understand the body in depth and can recognise how it adapts to strain or injury. We work mostly with our hands.
A wide range of techniques
Osteopaths use many techniques to help ease your problem. We can massage very effectively, and we can help joints and muscles stretch and gain more movement. When it’s appropriate, we can also use a quick, gentle thrust on a joint, which is the technique that sometimes makes a “click”.
Alongside these, I also use dry needling and kinesiology taping where they suit the problem.
We’re not limited to only “cracking” joints, or only deep massage. We can do all of the above and more, and we always adapt treatment to what you feel comfortable with.
Most importantly, we treat you as you, not as somebody else with a similar-looking problem.
About your osteopath
Jose Fernandez qualified in osteopathy in 2010 and is registered with the General Osteopathic Council. He has postgraduate training in classical and cranial osteopathy, and is also a qualified counsellor, which gives him a holistic view of how stress and emotional pain can show up in the body.
Read more about Jose, or see what we treat.
Book your appointment
You can book online at any time, or call 07866 705385. Not sure what to expect? Read about your first visit.
