Osteopathy: Healing with the hands

Leon is a hard-working pupil, but the third-grader is clearly struggling with reading and writing. His handwriting is still very scrawly, he reads very slowly and he often mixes up letters and syllables. «In stressful situations, for example when he has to read aloud, Leon also displays tics such as blinking his eyes or throwing his head back,» says Leon's mum. Visual training and occupational therapy improve the situation, but only osteopathic treatment can find the root cause and provide more comprehensive help. «Osteopathy is a comparatively young treatment method that works mainly with the hands,» explains Karin Huber, a qualified osteopath and board member of the Swiss Osteopathy Association Suisseosteo.

The aim of the treatment is always to release existing blockages, adhesions and tension patterns.

Karin Huber, Osteopath

It goes back to the doctor Andrew Taylor Still, who established this holistic form of therapy in the USA at the end of the 19th century. The method has been continuously developed ever since. Osteopathy has been practised in Switzerland and German-speaking countries since around the 1980s.

Osteopathy views the body as a unit whose different systems and structures - i.e. the musculoskeletal system, the nervous system and the internal organs - constantly influence each other. This happens on a mechanical, neurological and metabolic level.

Once harmony is restored in the body, the symptoms often disappear very quickly

Osteopathy also assumes that the body has a great deal of self-healing power as long as the various structures can move freely against each other and flow freely. «However, if an injury occurs as a result of a fall or blow, for example, blockages can occur that have an impact on the immediate environment of the trauma. On the other hand, it can also affect structures that are sometimes far away but still attached, such as the spine, skull or internal organs,» says Huber.

Osteopathy has also proven to be a good supportive element for ADHD.

The osteopath can feel these tension patterns with their hands and then eliminate them. Karin Huber: «The aim of the treatment is therefore always to release existing blockages, adhesions and tension patterns so that the different systems can move freely in relation to each other again.» Once harmony is restored in the body's control circuit, the symptoms often disappear very quickly.

Suitable for all ages

Osteopathy can generally help at any age and with a wide range of complaints, either on its own or in addition to conventional medical treatment. «However, acute medical emergencies are exceptions,» emphasises the qualified osteopath. Osteopathy also does not make any conventional medical diagnoses. «It is therefore helpful to bring all existing findings or conventional medical diagnoses with you to your first visit,» says Huber. «If none of this is available, the osteopath will refer the patient back to their GP for further clarification if necessary.»

Osteopathy can help with many traumas

Typical areas of application for school-age children include all forms of trauma, i.e. accidents, falls and fractures to the musculoskeletal system that do not heal properly. «Another major field of application is orthodontic treatment for joint position problems such as crossbite, backbite and protrusion, jaw clenching or lockjaw,» says Huber. «In these cases, osteopathy can help people to tolerate the braces better by relieving tension. This alleviates the headaches and jaw pain that often occur.»

This manual form of treatment also promises to help with all forms of unclear chronic headaches and abdominal pain as well as menstrual cycle and menstrual problems in young girls. Osteopathy has also proven to be a good supportive element in the interdisciplinary treatment of dyslexia, ADHD and nocturnal enuresis.

Successful treatment of growth problems

Severe growth spurts can also cause discomfort, especially in schoolchildren. This was the case with Selina: around the end of third grade, the eight-year-old began to suffer from severe reflux symptoms. «The highly acidic stomach contents shot back into my daughter's oesophagus 20 times a day or more, causing severe heartburn and constant stomach pain,» recalls Selina's mother.

Two gastroscopies yielded no results and medication and a special diet hardly improved the symptoms. Only osteopathic treatment was able to identify the cause as severe tension in the stomach area due to very rapid body growth and treat it accordingly. «Selina has now been symptom-free for almost two years,» says Selina's mum. «If anything changes again, we'll go back to the osteopath.»

Osteopathy was also able to help Leon with his reading and spelling difficulties. «The osteopath discovered that my son's early childhood reflexes had not been fully broken down, which stood in the way of fluent reading and writing,» says Leon's mother. «The treatment first made the tics disappear, and then his reading and writing also improved significantly.»

Psychological factors are also important

Osteopathic treatment always begins with a very detailed anamnesis interview. «In the first session, I ask about the patient's exact medical history and any previous or additional illnesses, what therapies have already been tried and what diagnosis has been made. I also check the findings you have brought with you,» says Huber.

«Other important factors include psychological factors, the family setting, the circumstances of the pregnancy and birth, possible behavioural problems and incidents in infancy and early childhood, and so on.» This is followed by a diagnostic examination of the child's body with the hands. «These are very gentle touches with which I can identify possible areas of tension. And I make an osteopathic diagnosis,» explains Huber. «Once the diagnosis has been made, the actual osteopathic therapy can begin.»

The first sessions are usually arranged at short intervals. Significant improvements often occur after just three to five treatments, so that the intervals can then be increased accordingly.

Increasing research on effectiveness

More and more high-quality scientific studies are now available on the effectiveness of osteopathy. Since June 2022, they can be accessed via the free and independent Ostlib database. However, the available research results mainly relate to the treatment of back pain in adults and the treatment of infants and pregnant women.

To date, there have only been isolated studies on the effectiveness of osteopathic treatments for older children and adolescents for specific diagnoses and a few reviews, such as the «Study on the influence of osteopathy on the physical and mental state of teenagers» from 2015 or the «Pilot study on the therapeutic effectiveness of osteopathic treatment in children with auditory processing and perception disorders».

As a rule, supplementary insurance covers the costs of treatment.

Osteopathy has been a recognised healthcare profession in Switzerland since 2020 with a protected professional title, legally regulated academic training and cantonal allocation of professional competencies. «This means that osteopathy in Switzerland is part of the primary healthcare sector,» says Huber.

«Patients can consult an osteopath directly and do not need a referral from their doctor.» As a rule, Swiss supplementary insurance policies cover the costs of osteopathic treatment. «However, the extent and amount can vary from supplementary insurance to supplementary insurance and the respective tariff,» says Huber. «To be on the safe side, you should always enquire in advance.»