Definition
Osteopathy is a non-invasive, safe and effective hands-on therapeutic discipline. It is a complete system of assessment, treatment and integration of all the body’s systems and tissues. Osteopathy is based on a detailed study of human anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics.
Manual osteopathic practitioners use a refined sense of touch (palpation) and a ‘gentle, deep pressure’ to diagnose, treat and integrate tissue dysfunction. Practitioners do not treat symptoms of dysfunction (i.e. pain), but rather, they treat the primary source or cause of that dysfunction.
Manual osteopathic practitioners are trained to treat all the tissues and systems of the body (e.g. musculoskeletal, craniosacral, visceral, fascial, arterial, nervous). The purpose of osteopathy is to identify, restore, maintain, and improve the natural harmonious working of all the body tissues and systems.
Manual osteopathy is based on 4 basic principles:
- Each structure in the body supports the body’s functions. If a structure is damaged, out of place, or otherwise not working properly, the body will not function at its best.
- The natural flow of the body’s fluids – lymphatic, vascular, and neurological – must be preserved and maintained.
- The human body is the sum of its parts. Its physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and cognitive systems don’t work independently -they work in harmony.
- When the body has no restrictions, it has the inherent ability to heal itself.
Osteopathic Manual Practitioners recognize that a patient is an integrated whole. When all of the body’s components are in balance, a person is complete and in total health.