Women’s Health – what can osteopaths do in support?

Osteopaths have had a long history in supporting women and girls through any aspects of their lives, from developing through adolescence and helping sporting activities such as gymnastics and pony riding, through women with complex pelvic pain, to supporting them through pregnancy journeys, with post partum health and recovery and with other gynaecological or bladder and pelvic floor related disorders. Osteopaths also care for women across the lifespan, can support through menopause and help with issues into older age. Other areas of work where we can support people are in breast cancer rehabilitation, in menopause issues and with problems for older women and gerontology considerations. Additionally

Many of these are complicated by the musculoskeletal system, and / or involve issues with the body’s nerves and circulation, body sensation and comfort, and involve pressure on the body’s physiology and self-regulation processes. Many disorders require complex medical intervention, and through all of this, women and girls need support, care and personalised programmes for hands on approaches and self care and rehabilitation.

When we use the word support we do not claim that we ‘cure’. Osteopaths help people individually who may have a variety of health needs and challenges, and in terms of women’s health issues osteopaths regularly seeks ways to help women and girls help themselves, and to provide hands on manual approaches to therapy alongside pain management and biopsychosocial approaches.

Please check out some of the other post links on this page for more information about particular areas. If you wish to explore the evidence behind osteopathic approaches, then check out the Evidence pages / sections of our website (in ongoing development).

Osteopaths receive considerable training to help women and girls, and can also work in sensitive areas and do internal assessment and treatment to help certain pelvc probmels and pain. Many people and professionlas are unaware of this aspect of the ostoepathis csope of practice, but it has a long history.

In recognition of the specialist skills required in this area, the ISOHC has endorsed training in this field of care – through a Certification Scheme for “Complex Pelvic Pain and Internal and Sensitive Area Work”. For details on this certification (starting January 2022, please click here). Osteopathic members of ISOHC can also join our Clinical Special Interest Group for Women’s Health, where further training and mentoring is available, and you may be interested in our projects to help support healthcare options for women and girls. Please see our blog posts for further information.

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