Is it true that osteopathic treatment is painful?

Osteopathy techniques are gentle and painless, but like any method it too has contraindications — that is exactly what the examination is for.

Author: Dr. Elfana Suleymanova Medically reviewed

Under our posts, people sometimes write that they visited an osteopath and experienced pain during the session — the specialist not only failed to help, but even made the condition worse.

But do not confuse pain (when a doctor roughly “cracks” your body or performs forceful manipulations) with mild discomfort. After a visit to a good specialist there may be mild discomfort, because the organ is readjusting.

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How to choose a professional

It is very important that osteopathy goes hand in hand with medicine, and the practitioner should be not simply an “osteopath” but an osteopathic PHYSICIAN. In our country, “entry” into this profession only became more rigorous after 2015 — once higher medical institutions began training osteopathic physicians. Before that, anyone without a medical education could complete osteopathic courses.

Working with the human body without knowing anatomy has its consequences: pain during the session, ineffective treatment, and myths that osteopathy is a “pseudoscience.”

All osteopathic physicians at ELF Center hold a medical degree and have completed specialized training at the best osteopathic schools. They continually develop their skills and take part in scientific and practical conferences.


We look not at where the pain is, but at where it comes from.
— Dr. Elfana Suleymanova, Center Director · Internist and osteopathic physician

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