What is Osteopathy?
Osteopathic Manual therapy is a physical, gentle, and non-invasive method of addressing all layers of tissue and restoring their structure and function to proper health and harmony. The main focus of Osteopathy is to restore proper function and structure of the body by tracing a person’s symptoms to the root cause of their issues or dysfunction. This is achieved using the understanding and manual application of human anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics. With this method of assessment and treatment, two people with the exact same symptoms or complaints could be addressed in completely different ways, therefore, giving each person a unique treatment that is tailored to their body’s specific needs to restore health and healing. This also means that the area that is producing symptoms may not be the area that is the root cause of the body’s mechanical issues.
In other words, treatment may be applied in a completely different area based on osteopathic principles and what is assessed. For example, one osteopathic principle is that the base of the spine or the lower vertebrae and hips must be in good structure and function for the rest of the spine to be able to be aligned and with normal functioning. This is deduced as most people spend about two thirds of their day either standing or sitting. With this in mind, the spine rests upon the vertebrae below it or onto the sacrum and hips due to gravity. If the lower vertebra is out of alignment, the one above will follow suit.
Therefore, as an osteopathic manual practitioner assessing the whole body, if an imbalance in alignment or movement is assessed in the hips or lower back, that area may be addressed first to stabilize the base of the spine before treating other areas, regardless of the patient’s complaints or symptoms.
The main principles of Osteopathy are:
1. The body is a unit; the person is a unit of body, mind, and spirit.
2. The body is capable of self-regulation, self-healing, and health maintenance.
3. Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated.
Osteopathy is a holistic approach that assesses the body as a whole and focuses on the addressing discord or dysfunction of different layers of tissue, including the bones, muscles, ligaments, and fascia. By improving the body’s coordination and balancing the body’s mechanical load, treatment can improve arterial and lymphatic circulation, restore proper communication of nerves, and enhance organs’ function.
Classically trained Osteopathic manual practitioners study the innovative principles written by the founder of Osteopathy, Andrew Taylor Still, while incorporating new findings and developments. This involves using mechanical techniques and principles to address every person’s unique situation, along with being able to adjust or modify treatment based on their individual requirements. Ultimately, with improved functions of the body, the inherent self-regulating and self-healing mechanisms can improve the overall health of the body. As a result, this can reduce pain, increases movement, enhances healing, and improves quality of life.
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