An Osteopath in the operating theatre

As a final year osteopath student I have recently spent a day in the theatre room with one of the UK’s leading spinal surgeons. It was my first ever experience of theatre and I can actually say it wasn’t an entirely unpleasant experience.

As an osteopath in training, I am acutely aware that many of my patients are coming to me in a lot of pain and that what I do to them in the treatment room should be as soothing and as comfortable as possible.

I will regularly use gentle rhythmic traction and release techniques to decompress osteo-arthritic hips or to decrease the inflammation around joints. However, having now had the privilege to see the vastly different approach of the surgeon in the treatment of the same conditions it has left me to wonder; should I be a little bit more, how can I put this? Dynamic?

The unfortunate thing about training as an osteopath today is that dissection is no longer on the syllabus. Not 10 years ago, trainee osteopaths would take trips to their nearest hospital to observe dissection, this enabled them to develop a 3D image of the body and be able to truly visualize what they have their hands on when they touch somebody.
Nowadays, we have to use books and computer programs to build an image of the ‘body’. Although dissections are occasionally offered to osteopathic students (at a price), exhibitions like ‘Bodyworks’ are the closest many of us get to seeing a real muscle, so having the opportunity to see a live operation was an opportunity I just couldn’t turn down.

On the day of the surgery I was fortunate enough to be able to see a number of techniques put into practice;

• Lumbar discectomy with the aid of a ‘Wallice Ligament’ – a spacer and shock absorber placed between the spinous processes of two vertebrae.
• Lumbar spinal fusion with metal rods and screws, a procedure aimed at fixing an area of the spine so that it cannot move and therefore cannot further irritate local structures.
• An anterior approach to the cervical spine to remove some metal work from a previous successful surgery.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this experience was realising how un-invasive the modern surgical techniques are and realising the skill of today’s surgeons to be able to carry out such neat and precise procedures with the use of such brutal and downright mechanical (scary) pieces of kit.

Dr Andrew Taylor Still, the founder of osteopathy, used to liken the body to a machine, with the osteopath as the mechanic. While in the theatre room however, I have to admit, the surgeon certainly looked more like a mechanic than I ever have!

As an osteopath, my tools are my hands and their effects, like that of the surgeon, can be very powerful. 

If you’re considering surgery don’t forget, manual therapies such as osteopathy can be very beneficial in the run up to as well as post surgical intervention. In some cases, the benefits of osteopathy can postpone your need for surgery.

To find your nearest osteopath, call the Appointmentline on 0845 680 0615. 

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The content of this page is informed by feedback from osteopathic practitioners in Scotland and also osteopaths in the Leeds area. Further input was received from clinics in Luton and practices in Covent Garden. Finally a contribution was made by a practitioner in Hove