Onsen Technique

Has anyone done any of the Onsen courses? Looking at the courses the say all the right words...

cheers for your help

Tim

Haven't undergone it myself but have talked to a friend who did some of the training courses.

It sounds to me just another repackaging of approaches such as structural integration (rolfing) and muscle energy techniques (muscle therapy that grew out of osteopathy). It has all been done before.

Are you a physio? If so I think you would be much better developing skills in truly science-based approaches to the diagnosis and management of movement and postural related musculoskeletal disorders. that way you don't get sucked into half baked therapies that you have to wade through what might be useful and what is rubbish. Plausibility is less of a problem and you might even be doing something that has evidence for it's effects, thereby increasing the likelihood of being more effective yourself - now that's a novel idea.

Yup, a Physio, did you have any suggestions?

I am not really sure what exactly you are looking for but here are some suugestions:

You have excellent physiotherapy education institutions in Queensland = particularly Queensland Uni - still you may no more about that than me. Have you thought of doing something at a post grad level that may cover the territory?

If you want just to do short courses. Are you a member of the APA? You could see what is on offer on the professional development schedule - see what the Musculoskeletal SIG is offering. Even if you are not a member as I really you can usually do their courses - they just charge you a bit more.

Personally I found Shirley Sahrmann's approach both sound and practical. It would be good if it was supported by a bit more evidence but it has good plausibility and I found it practical for patients. It aims to address the underlying problems give rise to much of what we see in MSK physiotherapy that isn't due to an acute injury.

I don't know if someone who represents her offers courses in Australia. She used to visit Australia and NZ regularly. You can contact her faculty at the University of Illinois
Courses on Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement System Impairment Syndromes

Have you read her book?

Amazon.com: Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes (9780801672057): Shirley Sahrmann PT PhD FAPTA: Books

You can also get her book through Physiobobs. Her approach isn't particularly symptom relief oriented so if you want to go for that then I am sure there are heaps of courses you could do. The Myofascial Trigger point approach is one common approach and has some evidence for it. Personally I found it works quite well in conjunction with more general chronic pain management techniques and with Sahrmann's approach

It takes quite a bold person to respond to a question without having not done a course or reasonable research, I have a lot of friends that are doctors and yet I'll never offer an opinion on medical management.

You mentioned evidence.... then you go on to say...

"Personally I found Shirley Sahrmann's approach both sound and practical. It would be good if it was supported by a bit more evidence but it has good plausibility and I found it practical for patients. It aims to address the underlying problems give rise to much of what we see in MSK physiotherapy that isn't due to an acute injury."

Perhaps this Onsen stuff has just as much practicality and plausibility as some "Physical Therapist" from the states.

Yes there are "heaps of courses" I can do, the onsen approach being one of them and I was looking for an informed and educated opinion on Onsen.

I've found most post graduate work and short course work to be as lacking in concrete or relevant evidence as anything out there, have you to tried writing good, accurate inclusion/exclusion criteria lately?

As for patient interest in evidence... opposed to being unrestricted in movement... I feel a lot of the chronic pain stuff might just be missing the boat.

I think you were looking for Know, not no.

Thanks for the book referral. I'll leaf though it.

Alright Timmy2toes

All the best with getting a more informed and educated opinion on the Olsen technique

It's 2019 and just found your blog site on Onsen Technique.
I learned this amazing system directly from Rich Phaigh in 1990 via an 80-hour intensive retreat workshop. He has since sold his practice.
To be very clear, this system of musculoligamentoskeletal assessment, palpation and correction have not only opened up other avenues of observation and corrections but has been been consistently necessary in every one of my sessions offered as an Orthopedic Massage Therapist in California. The results are daunting and one's awareness to most given condition will be easier for observation and solution. I have yet to meet anyone who completed this course in California, much less know about it. Why is that??

To anyone who is serious about helping others, I recommend this technique along with other osteopathic modalities ie. CST, Myofascial Therapy, NMT and Kochi Shiatsu.
Thank you!