2023-11-10 01:46:25
If you are in Spain, the answer to the headline’s question is clear: to the physiotherapist. As he explains Official College of Galicia (COFIGA)osteopathy is not classified as a health profession at the legislative level, nor is it a official qualification.
Based on this basis, no course or certification in osteopathy – or other training, such as chiropractic – will authorize the opening of a health center. Legally, these techniques must be exercised by a physiotherapistsince otherwise you incur intrusism.
To clarify possible confusion, the iKono project. It involves placing a fuchsia cross on the façade (something similar to the green cross on pharmacies) that identifies the physiotherapy clinics and guarantees citizens that they go to a health center, instead of a fake professional.
The human body as a whole
Osteopathy emerged in United States in the 19th century as a treatment system applied with the hands, which in part explains its usual association with physiotherapy. The Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain defines it as a current that accepts the methodology of scientific medicine and focuses on the correction of mechanical alterations using various manual techniques.
For osteopaths, the human body is a functional unit where everything is interconnected and capable of self-healing. This global vision of our body is not exclusive to osteopathy (which it sometimes advertises as its own), since other health professions have also long adopted a broader perspective. An example is the biopsychosocial approach.
Is it therapy or pseudotherapy?
Today, the debate about its scientific respectability is far from being settled. Without going any further, the Ministry of Health keeps osteopathy under evaluation as a technique that can be considered a pseudotherapy. However, it is an extensive and draft list where more accepted disciplines such as hydrotherapy or pilates appear.
It is clearer to them Scientific Communication Research Group (GRECC)for whose experts it undoubtedly falls into the category of pseudoscience, and the Association to Protect the Sick from Pseudoscientific Therapies, which describes it as a pseudotherapy that is found in a legal vacuum in Spain. Specifically, he highlights that visceral and craniosacral osteopathy (based on modification of visceral and cranial movements) completely lacks a scientific basis.
A recent publication of International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine He gave arguments to these theses by highlighting some weaknesses of osteopathy, such as the predilection for unlikely mechanisms of action for its techniques and weak theoretical bases.
On the other side of the scale, there is a clear acceptance of osteopathy as part of physiotherapy in collegiate physical therapy organizations and the clinical setting. In fact, his training is widespread in the university system.
Proof of this bitter debate are the book Osteopathy, what a scam!by physiotherapist Rubén Tovar Ochovo, and the report issued in response from the Registry of Osteopaths qualified in Physiotherapy of Spain (ROFE).
Legal situation: who can practice osteopathy?
The right to practice the profession depends on the regulations of each country. In United States, The training is equivalent to that of medicine. An example of this was clearly seen during the covid-19 pandemic, when it appeared in the media the osteopath doctor of former President Donald Trump.
As happens in other Spanish-speaking countries, and as we noted previously, in Spain There are no official osteopath qualifications, masseuse, chiromassage or naturopath. But as it appears in the White book of the Bachelor’s Degree in PhysiotherapyWithin the physiotherapist’s training there are specific methods such as osteopathy and other manual therapies. In any case, specific training is mainly carried out in postgraduate studies.
Should a physiotherapist charge more for an osteopathy session?
There is no reason to justify it. Physiotherapists carry out extensive postgraduate training in other areas such as sports physiotherapy, respiratory physiotherapy, urogynecological physiotherapy or manual therapy without increasing the fee for this. Furthermore, this surcharge can generate the misconception that physiotherapy is inferior to osteopathy, when in reality you cannot practice osteopathy without studying physiotherapy at university.
As an example, one of the most striking techniques in osteopathy are impulse manipulations: quick maneuvers that are often associated with a joint clicking. These techniques, which are sometimes called osteopathic manipulations, in chiropractic are called chiropractic adjustments and in physiotherapy, generically, handling o techniques high speed and short amplitude. They are, therefore, not an invention of osteopathy or chiropractic. In fact, some writings reveal that they were used even before the time of Hippocrates (5th century BC).
Considering all of the above, it is difficult to definitively decide whether or not osteopathy should be part of physiotherapy. What physiotherapists should take into account, based on evidence, is that even if the effect of a technique is biologically viable, it does not constitute proof that said effect truly exists. You must not only understand the mechanisms of a technique or method, but also demonstrate that a treatment really works.
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