What is Osteopathy?
The application of osteopathic manual therapy is broad. This can make it hard to explain and define. For the most part this is because the treatment is not defined by distinguishable technique but rather by the logic of approach and methods of correlation, which dictates the structural diagnosis and treatment application. Not by what is done but by why it is done. The Osteopathic Manual Practitioner considers how biomechanics affects and is effected by other systems such as neurology, fascial, glandular and cardiovascular systems. The position of the bones and mobility of the joints, and the nature and range of motion afforded between them, provides a frame work to measure the impact on neurological and physiological systems, and the level of effort the body is expending to accommodate. Influences on the soft tissue through reflexes, fascial tensions, or from other joints, can shift the boney structure out of alignment, compressing or tractioning other vessels, lymphatic pathways and/or nerves. It is the job of the osteopath to identify the cause of the symptom(s) (ie. pain, restriction, inflammation etc.) through a differential diagnosis, and treat it to alleviate the symptom. Some elements of treatment are shared by other modalities, such as gentle stretching, myofascial release, compression, muscle energy/PIR, rocking etc. However the correlative and self healing capacity of the body guide the osteopathic approach by structural assessment, and correlation between biomechanics and the body's regulation systems.
Classical Osteopathic manual therapy emerged under the accomplished American physician Dr. Andrew Taylor Still (1828-1917) as a means of providing relief and health care at a time when medications likely did more harm than good.
For more details and history visit the OSTCAN website:
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What's the logic?
Osteopathy is the investigation and treatment of the cause of your ailment, with an understanding of the functional mechanisms lie within, and are therefore influenced by, structural misalignment. The practitioner measures the position of your skeleton and mobility of it's joints, deduces the influences responsible for this misalignment, and treats them according to their mechanism without forcing change. 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...
The "house" (body) is unique, living, and growing. Because we are living beings and exposed to the stresses of life (emotional, physical, traumatic), our bodies are impacted by what we do and don't do. The issue could be in one part of the house or in the foundation. Only a full assessment will determine where treatment is needed.
What's the training?
4 years of study including clinical and classroom
Anatomy ✔️
Physiology ✔️
Mechanics ✔️
Laws of nature ✔️
eg. gravity, fluid dynamics etc.
How is it different?
Professional manual therapists can differ in their formal and self directed education. However generally speaking...
- physiotherapists prescribe exercises and may use machines such as ultrasound
- chiropractors will primarily manipulate the spine and are known for "popping"/"cracking" (ie. cavitation) the vertebral joints and may also use machines
- massage therapists will primarily manipulate muscles and soft tissues
- osteopaths consider all systems and tissues, and their interconnected effects working to address the area of greatest dysfunctional influence on the body and do not use machines. Those trained in Canada do not apply high velocity low amplitude (HVLA) techniques to "crack" vertebrae.
What to expect
Your posture and mobility will be assessed to determine the course of treatment and confirm it's effect.
You may be treated seated, on your back, on your stomach, on your side or even standing depending on your needs. Treatment can be adapted to any one position as needed and should not elicit pain.
Response to treatment varies both during the appointment and after. It's helpful to discuss your expectations and previous experiences during your initial treatment so your needs are best understood and met.
Who can benefit?
Treatment can benefit people of all ages and conditions.