Introduction to Osteopathy
"To find health should be object of the doctor, anyone can find disease"
~ A.T. Still (Founder of Osteopathy)
Osteopathy is a drug-free, non-invasive manual therapy that aims to improve health across all body systems by manipulating and strengthening the musculoskeletal framework.
Osteopathy is a system of assessing, diagnosing, treating and preventing a wide range of health problems. osteopath will focus on the joints, muscles, and spine. Treatment aims to positively affect the body's nervous, circulatory, and lymphatic systems.
Major principles of osteopathic treatment are the following:
-
The body is an integrated unit of mind, body, and spirit.
-
The body possesses self-regulatory mechanisms, having the inherent capacity to defend, repair, and remodel itself.
-
Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated.
-
Rational therapy is based on consideration of the first three principles.
The body has the natural ability to maintain itself and, by helping this process, an osteopath can promote restoration of normal function. The principle of osteopathy is that the well being of an individual relies on the way that bones, muscles, ligaments, connective tissue and internal structures work with each other.
An osteopath will take the time to understand their patient, and their unique combination of symptoms, medical history and lifestyle. This helps to make an accurate diagnosis of the causes of the pain or lack of function (rather than just addressing the site of the condition), and from that, to formulate a treatment plan that will achieve the best outcome.
