What is Osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a system of diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of medical conditions which was originally conceived by medical doctors in the United States in the 1860s.

It now exists as two international treatment models as defined by the World Health Organisation:

Osteopathy in the UK, Australia and New Zealand
Osteopathic Medicine in the United States

Osteopathy is concerned with the structure and function of the human body, and is based on the principle that the health and well-being of an individual is reliant upon the skeleton, muscles, ligaments, connective tissues, blood and nerve supplies all functioning smoothly together. This can also be applied to the internal organs of the body too.

Therefore, for your body to remain healthy it is important that all of its structures, ranging from head to toe, inside and out, are functioning to the best of their abilities.

Osteopathic treatment aims to restore the body to a state of normality using Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT). Some examples of OMT are physical manipulation, stretching and massage to increase the mobility of joints, to relieve muscle tension, to enhance the blood and nerve supply to tissues, and to help the body’s own normal healing mechanisms that most of us take for granted every day.

Osteopaths can also provide advice on posture and exercise to aid recovery, promote health and prevent symptoms recurring.

Osteopathic Principles

Each of the eight major principles of osteopathy listed below are understood by osteopaths, whether they have been trained as specialists in musculo-skeletal disorders as in the UK, Australia and New Zealand or as medical doctors in the US.

1. The body is a unit