“A Western look at pain of the musculo-skeletal system”
Osteopathy and physiotherapy are more conventional treatment types, and use a Western understanding of the body. They rely on a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology, including passive and active joint movements, muscle functions, etc.
The focus of treatment is to isolate the particular body part(s) (joints/muscles/tendons) that have become injured or diseased and to treat them specifically.
“How do I know whether I need an osteopath or a physio?”
Osteopathy includes an understanding of posture and how your posture may affect your aches and pains, and is therefore suitable for issues such as lower back pain, or neck pain. Osteopaths use a range of manual techniques.
Physiotherapy tends to look more locally at an injured area, and is more useful for sports injuries, or local issues such as RSI. Physios may use additional modalities of treatment such as ultrasound and strapping.
Seeing someone qualified in both disciplines allows the injured area to be treated optimally with whichever tools are most appropriate, while also addressing more subtle underlying imbalances which may be the root cause of the problem.