1. What is osteopathic practice?
Date
Your name and post nominals
Professional title
Your practice name
Introduce yourself, including:
- Your name
That you are a practicing osteopath / how long you have been in practice
The name of your practice and where it is located / a bit about other therapists working at the practice or specialist interests / your current working patterns / what you love about being an osteopath (keep it short – 1 min max)
“I have been asked to speak to you today about osteopathic practice and how it might help you.”

2. What is osteopathic practice?
Osteopathic practice is a safe and effective form of physical therapy that promotes the health of the people we care for through:
Manual therapy
Health advice and promotion
Rehabilitation exercises
There is a focus on the individual needs of the patient.
“Osteopathic healthcare focuses on promoting health in those we care for, not just the treatment of disease. Osteopaths take into account the individual needs and goals of those they care for and tailor any interventions to those needs.”
‘Manual therapy’ - including joint manipulation, joint articulation and soft tissue techniques such as massage.
‘Health promotion’ – such as the importance of physical activity, weight management and breathing/relaxation techniques.

3. Osteopaths are: Highly trained primary health care professionals
Recognised as Allied Health Professionals by NHS England
Able to diagnosis and treat a wide range of health
issues
Work with patients of all ages
Work with and refer onto other healthcare
professionals as required
Experts in the musculoskeletal system and its
relationship to other systems throughout the body
- ‘Primary healthcare practitioners’ means that osteopaths are often the first clinician that a patient sees, even before the GP in many cases.
‘AHP status’ was awarded to osteopathy by NHS England in 2017 meaning that osteopaths are no longer ‘complementary and alternative’ therapists, but now have the same degree of credibility and status as other AHPs, such as paramedics, podiatrists and physiotherapists.
‘Expert in the MSK system’ – throughout the whole body, not just backs!

4. Osteopaths can help with these and much more ….
“Osteopathic care is suitable for people of all ages from babies to the elderly. People from a wide range of backgrounds seek osteopathic treatment, whether elite or recreational sports people, pregnant women, manual workers or office professionals. Patients seek treatment for a variety of conditions, including (but not exclusively) back pain, changes to posture in pregnancy, postural problems caused by driving or work strain, the pain of arthritis and certain kinds of sports injuries.”

5. What patients say
- “Osteopathic practice has a patient-centred approach that places the wellbeing of patients at the heart of care. As such, it’s critical that the profession monitors patient experience and satisfaction. We do this through research and by using Patient Reported Outcome and Experience tools (PROMs and PREMs). The National Council of Osteopathic Research is the independent organisation based at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry that collates and records research relevant to osteopathic practice. And from that research, this is what patients say….“

6. What the research says Known for back pain
Manual therapy recommended by National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) for the assessment and management of low back and Sciatica (2016)
But treat much more than just backs
All joint and arthritic pain
Sports injuries
Some headaches
Tension and inability to relax
Circulatory problems
Digestive issues
Fibromyalgia
And more…
NICE also recommend manual therapy for the care and management of osteoarthritis (2014)
Osteopaths also provide health advice and screening
- “There is also good evidence to support the safety and effectiveness of osteopathic practice…”
- Where it says ‘Osteopaths also provide health advice and screening’, say “As well as checking your musculoskeletal health, osteopaths can also detect a range of other health conditions that you may not be aware od (such as osteoporosis and high blood pressure etc) and refer onward if required.”

7. Osteopathic practice in the UK
“Osteopath” is a protected title
Regulated by law (Osteopaths Act 1993)
5,200+ registered osteopaths and growing
7 million treatments carried out every year
GOsC is the osteopathic Regulator (Similar to GMC for doctors)
ALL osteopaths must be GOsC registered to practise in the UK
Training and quality
Minimum 4 years undergraduate
1000 clinical hours at undergraduate
Annual CPD required to maintain registration
- For the first bullet point say “As ‘osteopath’ is a title protected by law, you cannot call yourself an osteopath without degree level training and without being registered with the GOsC.”
- “Since 1993, when osteopathic practice underwent statutory regulation, the demand for and popularity of osteopathy has been steadily increasing. Today an estimated 30,000 people consult an osteopath every working day.”

8. Useful contacts The Institute of Osteopathy
The professional association Tel: +44 (0)
-a-career-as-an-osteopath/
The General Osteopathic Council
The register and regulator
Tel: +44 (0)
registration