If you are seeking treatment for pain relief or injury recovery it can be difficult to determine the right course of treatment that will be suitable for your needs. Many doctors may consider referring patients who are experiencing pain that is related to an ailment or disease to a doctors such as an osteopaths or chiropractor. 

Understanding the difference between these two medical professionals can help you understand the type of treatment that you can get and what to expect from each type of treatment appointment.

In this blog, we will cover some of the main differences between chiropractors and osteopaths.

Understanding the differences in costs as well as what you should expect will help you to determine the right remedy or referral that you should be asking for from your family doctor. As well as covering the difference between osteopaths and chiropractors we will also recommend a series of other tips that you can use at home for relieving pain.

Osteopath vs Chiropractor- similarities and differences

What are Chiropractors specialized in?

Chiropractors focus primarily on the spine and performer variety of spinal manipulation treatments in order to properly align the musculoskeletal structure throughout the body. The goal of chiropractic medicine is to spur the body to heal without the use of medication or surgery.

Chiropractic medicine is generally a pain relief method that works well for joints and muscles as well as the connective tissue.

Quite often chiropractors work in combination with doctors in order to provide treatment that include more traditional pharmaceuticals and pain relievers that go alongside the hands-on pain relief from chiropractic medicine.

Chiropractors can also recommend home treatment and exercises that can be used between sessions to reduce the chances of chronic pain conditions returning.

Usually a session with a chiropractor begins by first understanding the condition that a patient has. A full treatment plan will then be outlined by the chiropractor so that a number of sessions can be laid out with pain management treatment options for each client.

Chiropractors receive a specific title that is denoted by a DC qualification. Generally chiropractors need to go for an undergraduate degree and then perform four years of study at a chiropractic college.

What ailments can they treat?

Chiropractic medicine has been shown to act as an effective treatment for a variety of conditions beyond just acute and chronic pain. Chiropractic medicine can treat:

1. Bells Palsy
2. Inflammatory bowel disease
3. Issues with vertigo, tinnitus and hearing loss
4. Problems with high blood pressure
5. Premenstrual discomfort
6. Arthritis
7. Chronic sinus conditions
8. Ongoing nerve/muscle/joint pain
9. Problems with freedom of motion
10. Acute pain in the event of an accident
11. Chronic pain

Who should consider visiting a chiropractor?

Anyone that is interested in improving the range of motion as well as helping with ongoing symptoms of pain should strongly consider the idea of chiropractic medicine in conjunction with support from their doctor.

Regular adjustments from a chiropractor can help to treat a wide range of conditions which are related to pain as well as some that have nothing to do with ongoing pain.

Chiropractic medicine is one of the most widely trusted forms of nonsurgical medicine and over 22 million people every year spent tens of billions of dollars on chiropractic care.

How much does it cost for a session?

Chiropractic care is covered under many health plans and it could be possible that with the right referral from your family doctor, you could get chiropractic care for free for a variety of medical conditions that you might be facing.

If you are going to pay for chiropractic sessions out-of-pocket however the price of chiropractic care worldwide certainly varies. The average cost for a session is around $40-80 per session but some chiropractors can charge as high as $200 per session.

Every type of treatment will have a slightly different cost depending on the number of adjustments that need to be made. Patients with acute conditions should budget around $450 for their sessions and patients with a more chronic problem may require closer to $1200 in treatment for the number of sessions that they might require to see an ongoing and lasting difference from chiropractic care with their condition.

How many sessions are required to effectively relieve pain?

Most patients that experience an acute problem requiring chiropractic adjustments will go between 20 to 30 times (up to 3 times per week) before they see a fairly permanent difference in their condition. Regular maintenance appointments may be required to ease the process of healing with an injury afterwards.

Patients that have ongoing and chronic problems may need to be treated upfront with 6-9 closely spaced adjustments followed by a series of other maintenance adjustments that need to be made throughout the year.

Every patient will have a different requirement depending on the conditions that they are facing and the way that their body reacts to chiropractic adjustments/ care. Following chiropractic care instructions for home adjustments and exercises is extremely important to maximizing the value of treatment.

What are Osteopaths specialized in?

Osteopaths or osteopathic physicians focus on procedures that have to do with the spine, muscles and joints. These professionals are fully licensed PhD physicians who work in the specialty of osteopathic medicine.

Osteopaths use osteopathic medicine which is a noninvasive form of manual therapy that is drug-free and capable of maintaining almost every system within the body. This form of treatment is usually designed to work alongside traditional medication and coordination with medical doctors for pain management.

Treatment in this form of medicine is on a patient by patient basis and an osteopathic physician will first understand a patient's health problems, listen to some of their goals for pain management and then work at developing an active treatment plan for the process of treating their condition.

The initial examination generally takes 45 min. to an hour. Osteopaths work to provide manipulation of various ligaments, tissues and joints. This is all done in a

hands-on format and by changing posture and palpitating certain areas of the body an osteopathic physician can work to spur healing of bodily systems.

Osteopathic professionals can also make recommendations with regards to diet changes, lifestyle adjustments as well as exercises and adjustments that can be carried out at home for the patient in order to improve the results with spurring ongoing healing.

What ailments can they treat?

Osteopaths can treat a wide range of conditions with relation to medicine. Osteopathic medicine can be used for treating:

1. Various forms of arthritis
2. Stress injuries like golfers elbow and tennis elbow
3. Neuralgia
4. Post injury support for digestive issues, work strain or pregnancy.
5. Support for sciatica, back pain and neck pain
6. Assistance with migraines and headaches
7. Knee pain, foot, ankle and hip pain.

Who should consider visiting osteopaths?

If you have been the victim of an accident that is taking an extensive amount of time to heal, if you regularly experience back pain or chronic pain or you have had problems with arthritis over many years, an osteopathic professional could help you develop a plan to heal over time.

How much does it cost for a session?

Generally the cost of an osteopathic session will vary worldwide but the general rule of thumb for an hourly rate is around $80-$140 per hour. In most cases osteopathic treatment is covered under many insurance policies in North America.

With a first session that is generally billed as two hours and maintenance/care sessions that can last around one hour at minimum, you can expect several hundred dollars’ worth of expense in the earliest stage s of your treatment.

If the treatment is covered by insurance or health plan however you could be able to get osteopathic treatment for free or close to free.

How many sessions are required to effectively relieve pain?

The number of treatment sessions that is required for each patient will vary on an individual basis. Every condition is going to be different but an osteopathic professional is likely to deliver a rough figure for the number of sessions that you might require for your condition.

In most cases osteopaths can treat acute injury in one to three sessions. People who are experiencing chronic pain may require at least six full sessions before they start to experience the full benefits and healing associated with the treatment.

Ongoing in periodic treatment after the first sessions will help to make sure that the pain can be mitigated regularly before a patient needs to return with signs of acute pain once again.

The best natural pain remedies for home:

Even if you are undergoing chiropractic or osteopathic care it is possible to continuously relieve pain at home using a series of home remedies and completely natural methods.

It's likely that you have chosen natural care in the form of osteopathic medicine or chiropractic care, because you are interested in avoiding pharmaceuticals and other more severe options like surgery. Here are some tips that you can use as natural remedies for home to be used in conjunction with the earlier therapies we mentioned:

Willow bark: Willow bark tea was originally created to ease inflammation as well as help with aches and pains in the joints. Surprisingly this natural remedy has become so popular that it's basically been synthesized is one of the main ingredients in aspirin.

As the natural chemicals of salicin can be found in this herb it's extremely safe to use as a completely natural supplement. Regularly drinking this in a tea or placing it into a natural cream can ease with the process of minimizing lower back pain, helping with osteoarthritis as well as improving headaches.

Turmeric: regularly choosing to use this type of spice in your curry or in your cooking can help you to get access to some much needed antioxidants that can protect the tissues within your body. This spice is an excellent treatment for a variety of conditions such as psoriasis, ulcers, indigestion and upset stomach.

As a natural anti-inflammatory tool, Turmeric can work almost as effectively as a muscle anti-inflammatory which can help with symptoms of acute pain, back pain and more. Turmeric can be added into tea or into a huge number of recipes throughout your day-to-day life so that you can get a natural pain remedy that is low cost and tasty.

Cloves: clothes have been proven to be quite effective as a spice as well as for an addition in rice dishes. You may regularly use ground cloves in pies as well as for certain types of stirfries.

You can regularly use close to help with a variety of conditions such as arthritic inflammation, tooth aches and headaches. Cloves are used regularly as a topical pain reliever throughout history and including them regularly will help to make sure that you can enjoy less pain and inflammation in your day-to-day life.

Epsom salt: you may have heard of people regularly bathing with Epson salt after they spend time doing activities. Regularly bathing in a magnesium rich Epson salt bath can be a natural pain killer. Epson salts of long been extremely helpful for relieving muscle soreness and it can be particularly effective at treating conditions like a heel spur.

Drawing an absence old bath of warm water can be a huge help with relieving ongoing soreness and speeding healing during an accident as well as for minimizing joint pain.

The best products you can buy for pain relief/support for natural health:

Topical natural oils : There are many types of topical oils and natural treatments that you can use for preventing swelling, inflammation and muscle soreness over time. If you are having a particularly bad pain day, keeping some of these items on hand that you can use on your joints, your neck or even your back can lead to some ongoing relief right at the source.

These items can also be particularly helpful directly after osteopathic care where some of your joints might be particularly sensitive after manipulation. One of the best-selling products available in this field right now is the outback all natural pain relief roll on.

This simple roll-on pain relief product is made of completely natural ingredients and it works to rapidly relieve pain at the source. Containing items like vanilla, tea tree oil, eucalyptus and aspecial blend of natural anti-inflammatories this is an oil that you can easily roll-on and make sure that you can keep moving with little pain throughout your day.

Primal: Primal is another joint support supplement that is made specifically for individuals that suffer from ongoing joint pain. It is made with items like Turmeric, ginger, vitamin D and Curcumin in a specialty blend that you can take as a supplement.

The goal of this simple supplement is to be a one a day natural ingredient formula that can be used for the promotion of healthy joints. Regularly taking this product alongside chiropractic care and working with exercises in joint care at home can help you get a whole new outlook on pain.

This 60 capsule size of the primal supplement is available in a completely vegetarian format that is made with all-natural ingredients. The ingredients inside have very minimal side effects and can support a very active lifestyle as well as healing from conditions of chronic joint pain.

Arnicare Gel: This pain gel that comes with the nameArnicare is a topical pain reliever that is made using completely natural ingredients. Arnicare is a pain gel that is regularly recommended by osteopaths, chiropractors and physical therapists and it works for injury recovery, pain relief and as a natural anti-inflammatory.

Most of the ingredients included inside this gel are a series of homeopathic ingredients that are proven to be very effective for muscle and joint pains.

As a completely natural product it can be shipped in a simple squeeze bottle and applied directly to the source of pain whenever it is at its height. This is a particularly useful product for people who suffer from daily join stiffness and aches.

Vibrajoint: This product heralds itself as being one of the next greatest natural supplements in comfort, mobility and joint support. Vibrajoint is a supplement that you would take daily built on natural ingredients.

The main ingredient here is the cissus quadrangulris which has shown support for improving joint health over time as well as making sure that joints remain healthy even with degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis. The main focus of this product is to promote a healthy lifestyle and keep joints mobile over time.

It has anti-inflammatory benefits from frankincense, turmeric and other natural ingredients that can improve joint health over time and help people live healthier lifestyles with a better range of movement.

​Final thought​

If you are experiencing problems with ongoing joint pain or issues with chronic pain you may want to consider seeing either one of the top professionals that we have recommended in this article. As you can see there are some minor differences between the qualifications of an osteopathic medical professional and a chiropractor.

There are also some differences in the types of conditions that they are available to treat and the overall price of treatment. By getting a referral to the right professional and using the right natural health products at home to manage pain, you can overcome acute or chronic pain and live a better quality of life.