The differences exist in the philosophy that informs the treatments offered, the amount of training, and the type of treatments offered.
Osteopaths, and chiropractors, must study an Undergraduate degree and a Masters degree at a University, which takes a minimum of 5 years. A physiotherapist is required only to complete an UG degree for a total of 4 years.
All are required to be registered with AHPRA to practice in Australia.
Osteopathy was developed as a discipline and a course of study, in the 1870s.
Chiropractic came some decades later when an osteopathic student, DD Palmer, set up his own brand and industry.
Physiotherapy developed out of nursing practice in the 20th century. Great nurses, like the world famous Queensland nurse Sister Kenny, who famously treated polio victims, practiced the massage techniques that physiotherapy later adopted.
Osteopathy considers the body a single functional unit, and that dysfunction arises when arterial and venous blood supply to tissues is altered and general fluid flow, which supplies nutrients and clears away waste, is disrupted, causing congestion and tissue damage.
Chiropractic is historically based on the suggestion that impingement of the nerves as they exit the spine is the cause of 95% disease. The other 5% is caused by joint dysfunction in other areas of the body. This is called ‘subluxation’ and has been shown to be an inadequate and indeed incorrect explanation for illness. According to the theory, it is impossible for a body to be free of subluxation, so Chiropractic typically offers very short treatment sessions of up to 10 minutes, and all patients need regular and frequent treatments for life, that consist of very short sessions with quick manipulations of the spine.
Physiotherapy is mostly exercises and stretching. It is a purely musculoskeletal modality, not one that claims to manage constitutional dysfunction, and increasingly, is less hands-on. It instead prescribes contractile exercises as the main therapeutic intervention. Physiotherapy students are now graduating from their degree with minimal to no hands-on skills. It is now little different to Exercise Physiology.
All of this is fine if you need exercise to manage your injury, or your pain. But Osteopaths know that you should realign, de-torsion and decompress the structure before you subject it to more strain. This will make exercise more efficient and beneficial.
Having said that, there are great practitioners in all modalities, and there are some shockers. The great ones cherry pick and learn from their own profession and others. They don’t adhere to the absurdity of EBM which is always out of date and never relative to the individual; they instead listen to the patient before them, assess the patient, and treat accordingly.
You’ll know if they are good, because you’ll feel their authenticity, they’ll explain what is occurring, and the results will speak for themselves.
We are proud Osteopaths. We release tensions and myofascial spasm and congestion using hands-on techniques, such as specific manipulation, MET, counterstrain, joint mobilisation, stretching, inhibition, myofascial release. It takes more time for an Osteopath to treat a patient, as we need to listen, examine, identify and to address the unique problems of the unique body and person who is before us. You should have regular treatment to stay well, but not frequent. We are creating mobility throughout the body, not just the spine, and we are mobilising muscles, not just contracting them (when, after all, it’s pathological muscular contraction that causes most of our musculoskeletal problems) to create optimal function - alongside good nutrition and hydration, appropriate exercise and sufficient rest and recuperation.
