The Difference Between Physiotherapy, Osteopathy, and Chiropractic

Osteopathy, physiotherapy, and chiropractic all share a common goal to help improve mobility, reduce pain, and improve quality of life. The biggest difference is in style of treatment.

Classically, osteopaths look at the body holistically and consider the effects of multiple body systems such as visceral, neurological, and cardiovascular on a particular dysfunction or injury. They often use osteopathic manual treatment to restore function.

Physiotherapists are trained to assess function, movement, and mobility. They place special emphasis on natural movement and supporting a strong body and active lifestyle, using manual therapy and tools such as dry needling to support these goals.

Chiropractors often use adjustments and manipulations to help relieve pain, increase range of motion, and restore function with special focus on the spine and extremities (bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nervous system).

In reality, the skills between these professions overlap significantly. As research and training in these disciplines continue to improve and evolve, the gaps between them decrease! We have a multidisciplinary team at Intrinsi for just this reason– what helps someone else’s body thrive might not be what helps your body thrive, so we use the collaboration of all fields to support you.