What is Osteopathy?
The name is simply because the Osteopathic Manual Practitioner (OMP) measures mobility and asymmetry of the bones and joints to determine the behaviour of the tissues acting on them. Namely the muscles, nerves, fascia and blood supply. The OMP considers the interrelationship of systems and the compensating patters within the body. By using the bones as levers to affect change to these patterns, all tissues and systems affected by the compensating patters are treated and the practitioner can verify the success of the treatment, by the change upon retesting mobility. When the body is out of balance the response is either hyper (too much) or hypo (too little). For example; hypermobility, hypertension or hypothyroid. Balanced motion in the body allows for improved gait swing symmetry, balanced muscle recruitment, decompression on joints, nerves, vessels and organs, and allows the self healing and self regulating mechanisms to perform homeostasis better.
What is "Classical Osteopathic Manual Therapy"?
Classical Osteopathic manual therapy emerged under the American Dr. Andrew Taylor Still (1828-1917) as a means of providing relief and health care at a time when medications often did more harm than good. Today the term clarifies the scope of practice from today's Doctors of Osteopathy (primarily in the United States) who include pharmacology in their sphere of care. Classical Osteopathic Manual Practitioners, as the term suggests, rely exclusively on structural assessment and manual therapy to liberate the body's self regulation and self healing mechanisms.
For more details and history visit the OSTCAN website:
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What to expect
Your posture and mobility will be assessed. You may be asked to move, then the practitioner will move you.
Treatment can be general or specific, depending on your body's structural assessment. You may feel pressed upon, stretched, rocked, or asked for a little effort to resistance the hold of your practitioner. There will be no fast, unexpected thrusting, cracking or popping. The first appointment can feel profound or very subtle. It depends on your system. For some, more profound changes occur hours, days or in some cases few weeks (and treatments) after.
Even if treatment feels light it's possible to experience soreness after and this is normal.
What's the logic?
The practitioner measures the position and mobility of your skeleton and deduces the influences responsible for this misalignment as treatment proceeds. Think of a house. Good foundation, good walls, good electrical and plumbing…everything works! Crooked foundation, slanted walls, bent plumbing pipes, tension on the electrical cords…problems...
But unlike a house, your body has it's own intelligence, and consideration is at the foundation of this holistic manual therapy practice, and this is expressed in the...
Core Principles of Osteopathy
Who can benefit?
Treatment can benefit people of all ages and conditions.
Systems that can improve include:
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Muscle and joint pain
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Respiration and sinus congestion
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Reproductive function
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Digestion
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Inflammation
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Headaches
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Other conditions
* Factors participating in the speed and scope of improvement are unique to each person and their body.