Osteopathy

Osteopathy was founded by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still who opened the American School of Osteopathy in Kirksville, Missouri, USA in 1892. It was then introduced in England by one of his pupils - Dr. J. Martin Littlejohn.

Osteopathy is a healing art that has its main emphasis on the diagnosis and treatment of structural and mechanical problems within the body. When a patient is assessed, the osteopath will consider the body as an integrated Unit that comprises multiple complex functions and interrelated structures. However, he is primarily concerned with the

body framework and how it is functioning and the most important factor in the treatment of disease is manipulative therapy.

Osteopaths recognise the paramount importance of body structure and the ability of the body to heal itself. Only when excessive damage has occurred or when the body’s normal defence and repair mechanisms themselves are impaired and the body cannot heal itself it is necessary for the practitioner to intervene. He does this by removing the obstacles that prevent healing. In other words, by enabling it to regain its self-healing powers the osteopath does not cure a disease but helps the body to help itself.

Further information is available:

The General Osteopathic Council

American Osteopathic Association

An Osteopath treats his patients using his hands to undertake skilled

therapeutic manipulations. These are gentle and controlled procedures

which may be directed toward joint motion or toward the muscles or

fascia.

Its purpose is to affect circulation, lymphatic drainage and the nervous

impulses to and from the brain via the spinal cord.

These manipulative techniques may incorporate so-called soft tissue

manipulation, neuromuscular techniques, gentle release techniques,

muscle energy techniques, gentle articulations to improve the quality

or range of movement of a joint, harmonic treatment, neuro-muscular

rehabilitation techniques and the famous high velocity thrust techniques to restore joint

mobility and function. The latter technique often produces an audible “click”.