Osteopath Saigon - Jules Rampal

03/07/2026

While osteopathy is very popular in France, it is still relatively unknown in many countries around the world.

Consequently, patients can sometimes be surprised by the way we work and the type of treatment we offer. For those who decide to come and see me here in Vietnam, I think there is one fundamental thing they need to understand.

If you feel pain every time you bend forward, it means your body is protecting itself during that movement. The job of your therapist isn't to "put a vertebra back in place," but rather to help your body realize that there is no danger.

It is a learning process. Step by step, you will soften the problematic movement pattern, and step by step, the pain will decrease.

Obviously, the situation is different if your pain started last week following a fall versus if it started 10 years ago. Ten years of pain means that the protective movement pattern has become second nature. It takes time to learn something new. Try learning a new language or a new sport and tell me if you've mastered it after just one hour of practice.

What many people with a chronic ailment eventually tell me sounds like this:
"It's less frequent," "It's less intense," "I didn't need to take any medication."

Change takes time.
There is no fast delivery in the natural world.
But change is happening.
As surely as the ocean erodes the stone.

02/05/2026

After a few weeks off, I'll be back at work on Monday (the 4th of May). Already fully booked for Monday, but you can still get an appointment for the other days of the week.

I look forward to seeing you CMI (Centre Médical International)

12/03/2026

When I receive a patient at my clinic, I am facing a body that decided to protect itself until it is sure moving is safe. Following an event that is perceived as unsafe, your body goes in a defense mode and prevents you from moving in the direction that is supposed to be dangerous. In order to do that, it tenses up and generates pain as an alarm that is triggered every time you move towards whatever is considered as dangerous. That's why even though you know sitting down is not dangerous, you can't just decide to stop feeling pain. And if I just tell you that it's not dangerous, it won't be enough for you to stop feeling the pain either. That would be the same as telling a stressed out person to relax 😅

Now, what I really want is to show you that moving is not dangerous. You need to experience it. Not at the conscious level that you call yourself, but on a deeper level, where pain and defense mechanisms are implemented.

And to do that, I use different techniques:
- Good old cracking techniques
- Mobilisations
- Super mega hyper soft touch

It's exactly the same as when you have a conversation with someone. Depending on the person you talk to, but also depending on the day or how the conversation unfolds, the mode of conversation you use will change. You cannot plan it in advance and you have to adapt. Well, cracking techniques are a very direct way of talking; mobilisations are the equivalent of telling someone they are right before showing them there are other options; very soft touch is about giving enough space to the person so they can express themselves.

08/03/2026

Here in Vietnam 🇻🇳, I often get to treat patients who do not know anything about osteopathy. It was the same in Ireland 🇮🇪, and in Malaysia 🇲🇾, and I am pretty sure that's also the same in many different countries around the world, including India 🇮🇳.

If osteopathy is very common in France 🇫🇷, in the rest of the world people are usually much more familiar with chiropractic and its full cracking approach (and often a high number of treatments). The approach is so different from osteopathy that people can be very surprised by the way I work.

Hence, I always start my sessions by explaining a few things. First of all, I tell my patient that no matter what I do, it shouldn't be painful. I then explain the sort of techniques I will be using during the session.

I usually say that as an osteopath, I am likely to use 3 sorts of techniques:
- cracking techniques
- mobilisation
- soft touch 💆🏻

Cracking techniques and mobilisations are very easy for patients to understand as they are quite demonstrative. But soft touch, that's a whole different story as it feels like not much is being done.

So why use soft touch?
Because a slow, gentle, non invasive touch is often an amazing way to help a being feel safe. Not always, but often. And if you feel safe, you are likely to decrease or give up on some of the mechanisms you implemented to protect yourself, which we call pain and tension.

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I am Jules Rampal, a French-trained osteopath currently working in HCMC, Vietnam. I treat babies and adults. Osteopathy can help with a wide variety of ailments. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

19/01/2026

It is often said that nothing can be done after 6 months for a kid with plagiocephaly. I would argue, based on my experience, that this is absolutely not true. I saw this 7 months old patient for a plagiocephaly (flat head) on the right side. They were already 7 months old.

On the left column, you can see pictures from 3 weeks ago. Right side is today.

Bones are still growing. The more you wait, the slower the growth. But a slower pace doesn't mean no results, it means potentially slower results.

Osteopathy for the win!

25/12/2025

More and more patients trust me, and I am very grateful for that and for my profession. Yesterday, after I answered a question asked by a patient, they told me "It's good to talk to someone who loves their job", and I am glad people can feel it through the way I explain osteopathy.

Bon bout d'an to my family and friends. And thanks to everybody who made it possible for me to work in so many different countries. I look forward to helping even more people 2026.

Cheers,
Jules

19/12/2025

🇬🇧 CMI respectfully extend our best wishes to you and your family for a peaceful, warm and joyous Christmas, and a New Year 2026 marked by prosperity, stability and continued success.

🇻🇳 Phòng khám CMI kính chúc bạn và gia đình một mùa Giáng Sinh an lành, ấm áp và hạnh phúc cùng một năm mới 2026 thịnh vượng, bình an và thành công.

Please take note of our working hours on the special dates below:
Vui lòng lưu ý giờ làm việc đặc biệt của chúng tôi như bên dưới:

17/12/2025