Chronic fatigue can seriously affect your daily life. Do you feel like you still wake up exhausted despite enough sleep? That your body does not recover properly even when you take it easy? Chronic fatigue can be a persistent problem where the cause is often difficult to pinpoint.
Osteopathy can help relieve symptoms and support recovery in many cases.

What is chronic fatigue?

Chronic fatigue is more than just being tired. It involves a continued feeling of exhaustion that does not improve with rest or sleep, and persists for more than six months. People with chronic fatigue often also experience difficulty concentrating, muscle pain, sleep disturbances or bowel problems. There is usually no obvious medical cause. In some cases, a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME) is made.

Chronic fatigue can result from prolonged stress, an acquired infection, a disturbed sleep cycle or nervous system overload. Restricted movement in the musculoskeletal system or tension in the internal organs can also play a role, even if they are not immediately noticeable.

How does an osteopath look at chronic fatigue?

An osteopath assumes that the body is one cohesive whole. Tension or loss of movement in one place can cause symptoms in another place. With chronic fatigue, the osteopath looks for possible blockages in the body that disturb the self-healing ability. There could be disrupted mobility in the skull, spine, ribs, abdominal organs or connective tissue. These restrictions can affect the nervous system, blood flow and energy distribution in the body.

In fatigue, the autonomic nervous system often plays a central role. This system regulates unconscious processes such as heart rate, breathing and digestion. If the nervous system is out of balance, such as from chronic tension or old injuries, it can lead to persistent fatigue symptoms. Osteopathy focuses on improving this balance through gentle manual techniques.

Osteopathy as support for chronic fatigue

With chronic fatigue, the osteopath examines the whole body to find out where movement losses or tensions are impeding function. Each body has its own compensation patterns, for example, due to scars, old injuries, a cesarean section or long-term stress. The osteopath treats these areas of tension manually, focusing on improving circulation, relieving the nervous system and optimizing organ function.

A treatment is often gentle and subtle, and tailored to what your body can handle at the time. It does not work on symptoms alone, but on the underlying disturbances in the system. By restoring mobility and allowing the systems to work better together again, your body is given the opportunity to regain its own balance.

The goal is not necessarily to generate energy, but to help the body use the available energy more efficiently, promote recovery and reduce excessive strain on certain structures.

What can you do yourself besides osteopathy?

In addition to osteopathy, it makes sense to examine lifestyle, diet, exercise and sleep patterns. Sometimes additional guidance from a psychologist, dietician or sleep coach is needed. But if the body is stuck on a physical level, osteopathy can make just the difference needed to move forward again.

People often report feeling lighter, clearer and more stable after a few treatments. Space is created in the body and therefore often in the head. The improved cooperation between muscles, organs and nervous system gives the body the rest it needs to recover better.

Sprong Osteopath Amsterdam for chronic fatigue

Do you recognize yourself in the picture of chronic fatigue and are you looking for a form of treatment that looks beyond just the symptoms? As an osteopath in Amsterdam West, I take the time to map the whole picture and help your body regain control of its own recovery.

An initial consultation consists of a comprehensive interview and physical examination. Based on this, I will create a treatment plan tailored to your unique situation. Osteopathy is also a safe and sensible treatment option for long-term or misunderstood fatigue.

Want to know what osteopathy can do for you with chronic fatigue? Feel free to contact us or make an initial appointment directly in the online calendar.