You are here: Home > Chiro v Osteo

What is the Difference Between an Osteopath and a Chiropractor?


'What's the difference between a Chiropractor and an Osteopath' is a question we are often asked.

In answering this question, let me say firstly that if you asked 5 Chiropractors and 5 Osteopaths that question you'd get 10 different answers. The reason being that there is a wide variety of practice styles in both professions, and both professions have changed a lot since their beginnings in the 1800's.

The similarities that both professions share is the use of manual therapy as their primary method of treatment. Since their beginnings, students of both professions have undergone extensive training in spinal joint and peripheral joint manipulation (what Chiropractors call an 'adjustment' and Osteopaths call a 'High-Velocity Low-Amplitude thrust' or 'Mobilisation'), articulation, exercise prescription and a wide range of 'soft' tissue techniques. For this reason the tools of the trade or the 'how' of each profession has always been very similar.

In the early days, prior to modern diagnosis and research, there was a great deal of emphasis placed on the 'why' - Why Chiropractors treat the way they do versus why Osteopaths treat the way they do. The 'why' became the 'philosophy' of each profession with Chiropractors emphasising the importance of the spinal nerves in their philosophy of treatment and Osteopaths the arterial system.

In current times, the training that Chiropractors and Osteopaths undergo share a lot more similarities than differences and very little emphasis is placed on the original philosophies that set each profession apart. The reason being is that along with the development of more stringent research practices in all fields of medicine, many of the initial disagreements have been sorted out- and the training of students in both professions (along with all medical fields) is continually updated to reflect this new knowledge.

For these reasons, if you visited a Chiro and an Osteo, the 'differences' you would experience between the two would not be a result of their specific training, but a difference in who they are, their treatment style and the way they choose to run their practice. For this reason I encourage you to see the practitioner who you feel most comfortable with and who is providing to you the results you're seeking.

To go back to the Osteopathy page, click here.

To go back to the Chiropractic page, click here.

To go back to the FAQ's page, click here.