Osteopathy – a form of drug-free manual medicine – is an effective form of treatment and functional rehabilitation, especially as part of a multidisciplinary approach to care. Osteopathy is currently very popular in developed countries such as the USA, Australia and Canada and is garnering more attention in Vietnam.
This service operates on the one patient – one specialist principle, offering painless, comfortable and effective “hands on” manual therapy. Osteopathy can also complement other functional rehabilitation techniques within traditional medicine, including physiotherapy and acupuncture, to help patients to recover quickly and safely.
On 01 July 2017, FV Hospital will introduce Osteopathy as a discipline at its Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department, becoming one of the first major hospitals in Vietnam to offer this service. Osteopaths Mr Stephane Laporte and Ms Bac Giang Nguyen Thomson will take charge of this service.
Stephane Laporte, a French Osteopath, holds an Doctor of Osteopathy Degree from Spain and is a member of the International Osteopathic Association. With more than 15 years in athletic training, Mr. Laporte has profound experience in skill-intensive sports therapy and osteopathy. Mr. Laporte specialises in treatment for musculoskeletal, spinal and visceral dysfunctions. He can communicate fluently in French and English.
According to Mr Laporte, osteopaths don’t only focus on the part of the body where symptoms appear. For example, correcting the position of internal organs in the abdominal or thoracic cavity can release the pressure they create via indirect attachments to the spine, thus relieving back pain.
Visceral dysfunctions are often overlooked in the treatment of back and neck pain, but the vitality of the internal organs (sometimes linked to emotions), play a key role in joint health. Osteopathic soft tissue therapies are painless, calming and very effective.
Ms Bac Giang graduated with a Master of Osteopathy from Anglia Ruskin University, London school of Osteopathy , UK, and has since accumulated a wealth of experience working in hospitals across England, France and Vietnam. Ms Bac Giang is a member of the UK General Osteopathic Council and is the first Vietnamese Osteopath.
Ms Bac Giang is highly skilled in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, back pain, disc herniation, joint pain, diseases specific to women, problems that occur during pregnancy, and conditions in children. After many years living abroad, Ms Bac Giang has returned to work in Vietnam and can communicate with patients in Vietnamese, English and French.
“I’m extremely confident in my ability to effectively treat patients using osteopathy. This therapy is a unique holistic (whole body) approach that doesn’t simply concentrate on treating the problem area. Osteopathy can be applied on every part of the body, for all ages and genders, including pregnant or postnatal women.”
Ms Giang adds that osteopathy helps to improve the condition of the entire skeletal system and muscles, including the joints and spine, and positively affects the body’s nervous, circulatory and lymphatic systems.
Osteopathy, if needed, can be combined with physiotherapy to increase joint mobility, enhance muscle strength and help patients to recover faster and return to their usual daily activities and sports. Osteopathy may also be associated with acupuncture to relieve pain or stress, and can be applied as with other specialties in a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis or clinical examination.
Each patient’s treatment regimen is based on their individual condition and circumstances to ensure a speedy, efficient recovery.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OSTEOPATHY
After evaluating a patient’s condition, the osteopath will use a broad range of gentle hands-on techniques including soft tissue stretching, mobilisation or manipulation of the joints or body fluids to balance all of the systems of the body and reduce pain. Osteopaths specialise in delivering deep tactile pressure at a specific position. As a result, patient will feel less pain, and find it more comfortable or easier to mobilise the parts of the body being treated. A session will last for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the patient’s condition; it usually takes from one to three sessions for the effects to be felt. To make sessions easier, patients are advised to wear loose, comfortable clothing.
When osteopathy is accompanied with physiotherapy, treatment efficacy is maximised, especially in cases of disc herniation, upper back and neck pain, spinal degeneration, postsurgery recovery, knee-joint rehabilitation, general rehabilitation for stroke patients and shoulder and hand pain.
Osteopathy hours at FV’s Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department
- Tuesdays: 08:00 – 13:00
- Wednesdays: 08:30 – 17:30
- Thursdays: 12:30 – 17:30
- Saturdays: 08:00 – 12:00
Osteopathy hours at FV Sai Gon Clinic:
- Mondays: 08:00 – 13:00
- Tuesdays: 12:00 – 17:00
- Wednesdays: 08:00 – 13:00
- Fridays: 13:00 – 17:00
- Saturdays: 8:00 – 13:00
