Overview:

Osteopathy is a recognized system of diagnosis and treatment that lays its main emphasis on the structural integrity of the body. It is distinctive in the fact that it recognizes much of the pain and disability we suffer from abnormalities in the function of the body structure as well as damage caused to it by disease.

The strength of Osteopathy lies in the unique way the patient is assessed from a mechanical, functional and postural viewpoint and the manual methods of treatment applied to suit the needs of the individual patient.

Osteopathy involves the manipulation of the joints and muscles to relieve tension and congestion around the nerve roots. Osteopathy is especially concerned with the condition of the spine and many seemingly unrelated conditions could be traced. Diagnosis is made by palpating - touching areas of the body these may include muscle and connective tissue stretching, rhythmic joint movements, high velocity thrusts to improve the range of movement of a joint, and gentle release techniques. To determine what is termed the quality of action that is the heat and speed of fluidity of blood beneath the area, this is a largely intuitive skill similar to the ability to diagnose disease from the pulse in acupuncture.

Osteopathy is not restricted to physical manipulation but incorporates several other forms of healing. A wide variety of approaches to treatment can bring relief or improvement to many conditions affecting children, men, women, elderly, sportsmen. Osteopaths also carry out many of the diagnostic procedures used in a conventional medical assessment and diagnosis.

Osteopathy should not be confused with chiropractic. Although both disciplines are based on the belief that health is rooted in the body's structure, chiropractors are trained to focus on realigning the bones and joints, while osteopaths have all the tools of a medical practice at their disposal when treating a patient.

Origin:

Osteopathy comes from the Greek word Oste meaning bone, and Pathos means suffering or disease. Missouri physician and surgeon Andrew Taylor Still first developed osteopathy in 1874. He became disenchanted with conventional medicine after losing three of his children to spinal meningitis. After a careful study he became convinced that health and illness were largely dependent upon the soundness and mechanical functioning of the body's bones, muscles, and joints, where he came out with a new idea a new medicine named osteopathy.

Later studies revealed that during the American civil war, a union Doctor Andrew Still believed that the spine was the source of good health and he began to investigate the emanipulation of the joints, which gave him release from the body's abilities to heal itself.

Today osteopathy is recommended by many practitioners to relax muscles, enhance flexibility, stimulate nerves, improve posture, and increase range of motion and mobility in limbs and joints.

How does it work?

Osteopathy is based on the theory that many of the body's health problems are due to misplaced vertebrae, which hinder the bodies' own self-healing process. Therefore, by realigning these vertebrae the body's natural substances are released to heal the specific symptom.

Osteopaths place great importance on ‘lesions', which occur when a joint becomes jammed and therefore restricted within its natural scope of movement. Lesions in the lower back can cut off circulation, which may lead to disease, they can also cause disc damage and inflamed nerves. These lesions do no necessarily show up on an X-ray and therefore are often missed by General Practitioners who rely greatly on X-rays for their diagnosis.

If health problem involves bones, muscles, or tendons, an osteopath may use manipulative therapy to encourage healing. This includes soft-tissue manipulation, rhythmic movements and stretches, articulation techniques that work the joints, and painless high-velocity thrusts. Osteopaths believe that these techniques improve nerve transmissions that relax muscles, enhance flexibility, stimulate nerves, improve posture, and increase range of motion and mobility in limbs and joints. This enhances immunity by loosening congestion of lymph nodes and increasing the movement of the body's natural antibodies.

Treatment:

A visit to an osteopath is very similar to a visit to an M.D. An initial visit to an osteopath typically begins with an extensive discussion of your symptoms, medical history, emotional health, and lifestyle. The doctor's assessment will likely also include a complete physical exam that might involve blood work, urine analysis, or X rays, as necessary.

Like other holistic therapies, osteopathy works on the premise that good health requires proper equilibrium and as such will take into account all the details of a patient's lifestyle, such as environment, nutrition, posture, and so on. Osteopathy also stresses preventive medicine, encouraging patients to maintain a healthy lifestyle and eat a healthy diet.