Deciding which healthcare professional to visit when you are experiencing pain can be challenging. Although both osteopaths and chiropractors treat muscle and joint pain, their approaches to treatment differ.
Education is one area where osteopaths and chiropractors differ. Osteopaths attend a four-year school of osteopathic medicine, where they focus on the musculoskeletal system in addition to traditional medical classes. They continue with multi-year residencies and fellowships after graduation to specialize in areas such as family practice, internal medicine, surgery, or obstetrics/gynecology.
Chiropractors, on the other hand, attend chiropractic school after earning an undergraduate degree or after completing 90 credit hours or three years of undergraduate studies. During the program, students take classes in anatomy, physiology, and chemistry, in addition to learning how to perform chiropractic treatments. They work with patients during their final year of the program and receive the Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree when they graduate.
Osteopaths believe that all systems of the body are connected, while chiropractors focus on issues that affect bones, muscles, and joints. Osteopathic manipulative treatments (OMT) are used by DOs to relieve muscle and joint pain and treat asthma, migraines, menstrual problems, fibromyalgia, digestive disorders, and other conditions. DOs can also treat the flu, determine the cause of heartburn, deliver babies, or remove appendices. They use holistic diagnostic methods to consider the whole person instead of just a particular system or body part.
Chiropractors, while not able to prescribe medication or perform surgery, focus on holistic medicine. They frequently treat back and neck pain and use spinal manipulation to realign vertebrae, easing pain and reducing pressure on nerves that control organs and systems. They also use techniques such as flexion-distraction, ultrasound therapy, traction, and transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS) to help ease pain and improve function.
Both chiropractors and osteopaths use hands-on treatments, but the techniques used differ. Osteopaths may use muscle energy technique, strain-counterstrain technique, or indirect treatment, while chiropractors use high velocity/low amplitude techniques and other treatments like flexion-distraction, ultrasound therapy, traction, and TENS.
While many osteopaths do not use OMT on a regular basis, hands-on treatments are readily available at chiropractic offices. If you are experiencing joint pain, stiffness, muscle sprains and strains, or frequent headaches, chiropractic treatment can help relieve these painful conditions naturally.