Osteopathy is a branch of medicine that focuses on the healthy functioning of your body's bones, muscles, and joints. Osteopaths believe that your overall health and wellbeing depend on the state of your body's bones, muscles, and joints. Osteopaths understand that your general health suffers when your bones shift out of alignment, your joints tense up, or your muscles don't contract as smoothly as they should.

Osteopaths are trained to listen to all your symptoms and to design treatment that relieves them by realigning your bones, muscles, and joints. To put it as succinctly as possible, osteopathy believes that a healthy frame makes for a healthy life.

Osteopathy can treat a range of medical conditions. If you are experiencing back pain, have suffered a sports injury, suffered whiplash, feel stressed or fatigued, feel joint pain, have a stiff neck, a headache, or shoulder pain, or just generally feel ill, an osteopath may be able to help. It's best to see an osteopath quite soon after you are injured or begin to feel pain. However, even if you've had symptoms for a while an osteopath could still be able to help you.

Generally, no. Most osteopaths work in private practice and not with the NHS. However, many osteopaths accept other private health insurance coverage. It’s best to check with your health insurance and the osteopath you're planning to consult.

First, your osteopath will sit down with you and talk about your general health. She will ask you about the history and details of the specific injury or pain that has brought you to her office. She will also ask about your general health, lifestyle, and diet in order to see the 'big picture' of your health and decide on treatment that will work for you.

Depending on your condition, your osteopath may ask you to undress so she has access to the location of your symptoms. She will probably examine the part of your body that's causing you pain by carefully palpating (touching) the area.

After the examination, your osteopath will explain to you her diagnosis and let you know how best to treat your condition. If she believes osteopathy will help, she'll explain how many sessions you require and what you can do at home to speed your recovery.

If she doesn't believe your condition will respond to osteopathy, she will refer you to another doctor or medical specialist who may be able to better help you.

No. Osteopathy and chiropractic treatment share similar approaches, but osteopaths and chiropractors treat different conditions in different ways. Both osteopaths and chiropractors recognize the importance of your muscles, joints, and bones in your overall good health. However, very broadly speaking, osteopaths prefer to take your general health and lifestyle into account when deciding a treatment plan for you, while chiropractors prefer to focus on adjusting misaligned bones and stiff joints.

Yes, you can. Your family doctor may refer you to an osteopath if he believes osteopathic treatment will help you. You can also contact an osteopath directly, without a referral from your GP.

It depends. Your osteopath's goal is to help you feel better. Sometimes this involves adjusting joints that are 'stuck' so that they move freely again, and sometimes the best way to do this is with a quick, gentle motion. Depending on the condition of your joints, this does sometimes make a 'popping' sound. The sound might surprise you, but the process shouldn't hurt and is a natural part of the osteopathy process.

Generally, no. Some techniques might feel awkward or uncomfortable, but you shouldn't feel pain during your treatment. If you do feel any pain during your session, let your osteopath know right away.

Osteopaths have been practicing in the UK for about 90 years. Now, the General Osteopathic Council regulates the profession of osteopathy in the UK. Before anyone can call him or herself an osteopath, he or she must complete a recognized osteopathic training course and register with this council. Osteopaths who receive their training in the US may also practice in the UK.