Osteopathy is a non-invasive manual medical discipline that focuses on total body health by treating and strengthening the musculoskeletal framework, these include: the joints (tendons and ligaments), muscles and spine. An osteopaths goal is to positively affect the body’s nervous, circulatory and lymphatic systems.
Osteopathy is unique holistic (whole body) approach to health care. Similar to Physiotherapy, Osteopaths do not simply concentrate on treating a problem area, but rather use passive manual techniques to balance all the systems of the body (nervous, skeletal, muscular, circulatory and lymphatic systems) to provide overall good health and wellbeing.
Osteopathy is a system of health care that focuses on diagnosis and treatment of the physical body’s structure (musculoskeletal system) in order to enhance ones physiological functioning.
The practice of osteopathy combines current medical knowledge with the osteopathic philosophy. Scientific plausibility and evidence-based outcomes have a high priority in patient treatment and case management. Osteopathy is a patient centered approach to health care rather than disease centered.
The key principles are based on all parts of the body functioning together in an integrated manner. If there is a restriction in one area of the body, the rest of the body must then adapt and compensate for this, eventually leading to: inflammation, pain, limited range of motion and other health conditions like head aches and migraines.
When the body is free of restrictions in movement, pain is minimized, stress reduced and greater mobility the body as an opportunity to heal itself .
By using palpation a Osteopath can identify issues such as congestion, dehydration, scarring and stiffness, while restoring proper function to bones, muscles, fluids and organs.