Reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety

Everybody knows that symptoms of stress and anxiety can cause a myriad of problems. But did you know that osteopathy can also help reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety? Here we will discuss how Osteopathy can help with symptoms of stress and anxiety, and therefore help with a healthier (and happier) lifestyle.

Osteopathy as a practice is concerned with a humanistic approach to care. This means looking at the patient as a whole person, the sum of their mind , body and spirit. It means acknowledging all the influences, both internal and external. That the patient is subject to, and working out how these might be contributing to their presenting complaint. This called the bio-psychosocial model in manual therapy.

 The interaction of mind and body means that we need to be aware of the role of our emotions in the health of not only our back but the whole of our body. By virtue of the fact that the osteopath has such a close relationship between themselves and the patient, means they are uniquely placed to help. The original consultation is an hour log, and whilst there has to be testing and treatment, there is a lot of time spent listening to patient’s as they tell their story about their pain. Often things will come to light for the patient themselves as they tell their history.

As well as a client centred approach, the osteopath will use collaborative goal setting with agreed upon targets to work towards. The techniques used will also have been discussed prior to treatment. Throughout the process the osteopath will endeavour to give information and educational advice to enhance the patient’s understanding, motivation and confidence to use the body again.

The osteopath will also be able to refer when needed to other professional bodies offering, for example, a course in CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) to help with problems like stopping smoking, insomnia.