IN MY VIEW... Jury is still out on osteopathy

LAST WEEK a friend sought my opinion on whether to see an osteopath. She had all the signs of a common, painful condition called costochondritis — inflammation of the cartilage connecting the ribcage to the breastbone.

She’d had several virtual consultations with her GP practice but nobody gave a diagnosis or examined her. So my advice was yes, see the osteopath if she felt it might benefit her.

That’s not a ringing endorsement of the science behind this ‘alternative’ therapy, on which the jury is still out.

A review by scientists in Italy of nine previous studies, published in BMJ Open last week, found osteopathy — soft manipulation of the body’s tissues and bones — can ease lower back and neck pain.

But osteopaths use a wide range of techniques — including lasers and therapeutic ultrasound — which makes it all but impossible to say what works and what doesn’t.

But it’s clear patients get the time and attention they need to help them feel better — something hard-pressed NHS

GPs can struggle to offer. So I stick by my advice to my friend. A trip to the osteopath could be just what she needs.