What is Osteopathy?

The Rise and Fall of Osteopathic Medicine in Ontario, 1900-1930s    

Read more…

 

Osteopathy is an established recognized system of healthcare which relies on manual contact for diagnosis and treatment. It respects the relationship of body, mind and spirit in health and disease; it lays emphasis on the structural and functional integrity of the body and the body’s intrinsic tendency for self-healing.

A knowledge of anatomy is only a dead weight if we do not know how to apply that knowledge with successful skill.

– Dr Andrew Taylor Still – Founder of Osteopathy

Osteopathic treatment is viewed as a facilitative influence to encourage this self regulatory process. Pain and disability experienced by patients are viewed as resulting from a reciprocal relationship between the musculoskeletal and visceral components of a disease or strain.

What types of conditions can osteopathic treatment help?

While often identified with the treatment of back pain, osteopathic treatment is useful in a wide variety of health complaints. The application of osteopathic principles in clinical practice varies with the training, interest and license of the individual practitioner. A partial list of complaints in which osteopathic treatment would commonly be applied would include:

  • Back pain
  • Headache
  • Neck pain
  • Shoulder pain
  • Non anginal chest pain
  • Athletic or overuse strain injuries

Depending on individual practitioner expertise, osteopathic manipulative treatment may make a significant contribution to the health care management in the following diagnoses:

  • Muscle or ligament strains, ankle, elbow, knee
  • Traumatic injuries without laceration or fracture
  • Pregnancy and childbirth, gestation, labor and post-partum
  • Muscle tension headache independent or associated with migraine
  • Sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, Otitis media
  • Infant colic, plagiocephaly
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Pneumonia, bronchitis, congestive heart failure
  • Hypertension
  • Gastric reflux, non acute cholecystitis
  • Anxiety and depression
  • Vertigo
Start Typing